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Bee Boles

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1609

1609

General Information

  • Registration number
    1609
  • Date constructed
    Late medieval?
  • Century constructed
    1501-1600
  • Evidence proof date
    Place name
  • Evidence proof use
    Place name
  • Listed building grade
    N/A
  • Condition
    5

Address

  • Address
    Garden for Heroes
  • Village or town
    Dunfermline
  • County
    Fife
  • Traditional County (pre 1974)
    Fife
  • Region
    Scotland

Premises

  • Accessible
    Public
  • Location on Premises
    Boundary wall
  • Direction faced
    South

Structure Information

  • Structure
    B: Bee bole(s)
  • External recesses
    6
  • Internal recesses
    N/A
  • Compartments
    N/A
  • Flight holes
    N/A
  • Front shape
    Square
  • Back shape
    Flat
  • Recess size
    Height 22" Width 23" Depth 22"
  • House building shape
    n/a
  • External structure
    N/A
  • Distance apart
    N/A
  • Rows
    1
  • Shelves
    1
  • Height bases shelves
    55cm
  • Wall material
    Stone
  • Base shelf material
    Stone
  • Lintel material
    Stone
  • Roof material
    N/A

Photography Information

  • Date of photograph
    01 April 2022
  • Pictures available
    G: Digital only

Notes

  • The six rececces, of which one remains, were recorded by Andrew Medley in March/April 2022. Andrew comments:

    "I suspect that these are six bee bole recesses all blocked off except for the far right one. There may be more recesses behind the steps which lie immediately to the right of this section of wall. The wall lies on the north side of the Garden for Heroes, St Margaret St, Dunfermline (map ref NT 09048 87263). The wall may have been altered over the years but has been in this position since medieval times and a medieval culvert runs within the wall or just behind it. Interestingly, the 55cm height of the bee boles matches the height of the culvert where it is accessible to the west of the photo. This suggests that a section of the culvert may have been repurposed to create the bee boles (further investigations needed). 

    The garden, which today is the 'Garden for Heroes', used to be known as the 'Bee Alley Garden'. It is generally assumed that the name is a corruption of 'Baillie' since the garden was owned by the baillie of the Regality of Dunfermline but now I wonder if the name is simply a reflection of the presence of the bees!"

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