NHER 69154 (Structure record) - Post-medieval bee boles in wall to rear of Lifeboat Inn

The Norfolk Heritage Explorer is a filtered version of the Norfolk HER intended for casual research. Please to consult the full record.

See also further .

Summary

A flint and brick wall to the rear of the Lifeboat Inn contains six bee boles - alcoves that would have housed straw bee hives known as skeps.

Protected Status/Designation

  • None recorded

Location

Map sheet TF74SW
Civil Parish THORNHAM, WEST NORFOLK, NORFOLK

Map

A west-facing flint and brick wall to the rear of the Lifeboat Inn contains six bee boles (in two stacked rows of three) - alcoves that would have housed straw bee hives known as skeps. These structures are among the small number of Norfolk examples recorded in the 'Bee Boles Register' (S1), which notes that a previous owner of the property remembered a skep in one of the bee boles. It is one of only five Norfolk sites added to the Register between 1952 and 1999 - see published article (S2) for full list.
The age of both this wall and the Lifeboat Inn itself are uncertain. It is though recorded by (S1) that the "…house deeds go back to 1700".
P. Watkins (HES), 19 May 2025.

  • <S1> Website: Eva Crane Trust. Bee Boles Register. https://www.evacranetrust.org/en/page/bee-boles-register. 19 May 2025. Registration Number 0664.
  • <S2> Article in Serial: Walker, P. and Crane, E. 2000. The history of beekeeping in English gardens. Garden History. Vol 28(2) pp 231-261. p 257.

Object Types (0)

Related NHER Records (0)

Record last edited

May 22 2025 9:12AM

Comments and Feedback

Your feedback is welcome; if you can provide any new information about this record, please contact the Norfolk Historic Environment Record.