Fred’s family connections with Morden Hall Park go a long way back. Old maps of the estate show ‘Howard’s Field’ and his grandfather knew Gilleat Hatfield, who bequeathed the estate to the National Trust. Fred recalls going round the estate on horse and cart rides with Mr Hatfield on special occasions as a child, when there were still deer roaming the park.
At Morden Hall Park boles were still in use in the early 19th century (1820-1830) and the bees were moved to removable frames in cottage hives after that. When the bees were moved from skeps to hives, the hives were first situated in the kitchen garden and then moved to the current site by the river.
There also used to be an observation hive in the Snuff Mill (the bee tunnel is still there in the wall – you can see it if you look carefully).
At Morden Hall Park we have a licence for up to 30 hives. They are managed by the Wimbledon Beekeepers Association. There continues to be an apiary warden here and training courses are run at Morden Hall Park by Wimbledon Beekeepers Association to introduce people to beekeeping most years.
Talks by WBK are also run every year – check our What’s On page for details and visit the WBK stall at the summer fair. Short talks are also run at the annual Morden Hall Park BioBlitz.