Oriel singers inaugurate apiary at Bartlemas Sports Ground

The singers performed Melissomelos by Charles Butler, a 17th-century madrigal that emulates the sound of bees in a hive. Butler, sometimes called the “Father of English Beekeeping”, was a student at Magdalen College, Oxford.

The apiary is managed by the Oxford Beekeeping Society, formed in 2025 by Spencer Drake, a History doctoral student. The society is the direct predecessor of the former Oxford Apiarist Society, which last convened in 1841.

“It was the bee’s knees to help celebrate Oriel’s 700th anniversary at the apiary this Saturday,” said Drake, now Beekeeping Society President.

He added: “All of the generous funding we’ve received towards kickstarting the apiary has been made available thanks to Oriel’s 700th, and in return we’ll be supplying bountiful pots of fresh honey for the college’s summer anniversary party.”

The beehives at Bartlemas were funded by Oriel College.

At the apiary inauguration on Saturday, Drake made a speech, dressed in a self-made, 16th-century-style beekeeping suit.

In his speech he commented on the endangerment of wild bees, climate change, destruction of wildlands and use of pesticides.

“We also come here as guardians of the natural world, to share skills and learning of nature, and to appreciate it more fully in a time of great change,” he said.

During the day, Drake and Oriel student Freddie Horsfall — an experienced beekeeper — facilitated visits to the hives for attendees, local residents among them.

Attendees also enjoyed servings of honey cake and mead as they picnicked outside the Bartlemas pavilion.

“It’s wonderful to be a part of reviving Oxford’s beekeeping heritage,” commented Oriel College Treasurer Maggie Jones.

“We’re very grateful to Spencer, Freddie and the rest of the Beekeeping Society for their hard work to bring bees to our Bartlemas Sports Ground.”