Monument record MDO5754 - Bee Garden, Holt

Rectangular enclosure 35m by 32m across known as The Bee Garden. The bank and ditched enclosure has an entrance midway along its south-west side, and possibly abuts the northen edge of a much larger enclosure (MDO5753). The Bee Garden is not shown on any 19th century map, presumably being out of use by that date; it may therefore be of 17th century or earlier origin. The site is visible as earthworks on aerial photographs and was digitally plotted during the Dorset Stour NMP.

Published survey 25" 1901, revised. <2>

The Bee Garden is a rectangular enclosure, some 29 yards by 25 yards, defined by a bank 3 feet high with an outer ditch 5 feet to 6 feet deep and up to 30 feet wide. The interior is reached by a causeway in the middle of the south east side. The earthwork is not isolated, but lies inside and against the
north flank of a 10 acre enclosure.

As the Bee Garden is not shown on any 19th century map, it was presumably out of use by that time. It may be 17th century. <4>

Rectangular enclosure 35m by 32m across known as The Bee Garden. The bank and ditched enclosure has an entrance midway along its south-west side, and possibly abuts the northen edge of a much larger enclosure (MDO5753). The Bee Garden is not shown on any 19th century map, presumably being out of use by that date; it may therefore be of 17th century or earlier origin. The site is visible as earthworks on aerial photographs <5-6> and was digitally plotted during the Dorset Stour NMP.

<1> Sumner, Heywood, 1931, Local Papers, 33-6 (Monograph). SWX3911.

<2> Quinnell, N V, Various, Field Investigators Comments NVQ, F1 NVQ 23-MAY-62 (Unpublished document). SDO11903.

<3> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey 1:10,000 scale map, 1971 (Map). SDO17396.

(SU 05530415) Bee Garden (NAT) Enclosure (NR)

<4> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1975, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume V (East), 34 (Monograph). SDO129.

'(31) ENCLOSURES (around 058040), on Holt Heath, extend to about 100 acres. The earthworks lie near the site of a house which existed in 1811 (O.S., 1811), but which had gone by 1845 (Tithe Map, Wimborne Minster); local tradition records its name as White House Holding. The former house is represented by a disturbed rectangular area (05860410), 30 ft. by 15 ft., defined by crumbling cob walls 2 ft. high, set in a paddock of about 3 acres, bounded by a low bank. Adjacent on the S. and W. are traces of at least six rectangular enclosures, from 5 acres to 20 acres bounded by low banks with external ditches; one of them has traces of ridge-and-furrow 5 yds. wide. None of these enclosures is marked on any known map and they must have been abandoned before 1811.

The Bee Garden (Heywood Sumner, Local Papers (1931), 33–6, fig. v), some 350 yds. W. of the house-site, is a rectangular enclosure, some 29 yds. by 25 yds., defined by a bank 3 ft. high with an outer ditch 5 ft. to 6 ft. deep and up to 30 ft. wide. The interior is reached by a causeway in the middle of the S.E. side. The earthwork is not isolated, but lies inside and against the N. flank of one of the largest of the six enclosures described above, one covering some 10 acres. As the bee-garden is not shown on any 19th-century map it presumably was out of use by that time; it may be of the 17th century.'

<5> Royal Air Force, 18-NOV-1946, RAF/CPE/UK/1845 V 5027-8 (Aerial Photograph). SDO16155.

<6> GetMapping, 2014, Digital vertical aerial photographs (Aerial Photograph). SDO14101.

<7> Historic England, Historic England Archive, 1093658 (Index). SDO14738.

The Bee Garden, SU 00 SE 2 (1962) Index Card. Includes profiles (x2)Antiquity Model: Revised

<8> National Record of the Historic Environment, 213109 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Apr 9 2023 8:30AM