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When local people are asked of their memories of Broomfield House they almost always mention ‘the beehive’.
On the first floor of the museum there had been a ‘display beehive’, made with clear sides so the bees could be viewed working on the honeycomb frames and coming to and fro through a clear tube to the outside as they went to forage for nectar and pollen.
2pm - 4pm Sundays
Volunteers needed
Could you help us with physical work in the orchard or with fundraising, publicity or doing a wild flower survey? If you would like to be involved in this exciting new project in some way, sponsor a tree or just come along to have a look, we would like to hear from you - please email us or just turn up when we're open.
Beekeepers: Mark Nolan and Cathy Hooper.
After the Community Orchard had been established it was decided to bring honeybees back to the park and the Broomfield Apiary was established.
It was set-up in 2012 by Paul Stiles, who was the principal beekeeper until 2017 with the help of Zahir Anwar and with support from Fred Clark (one of the most venerable of Enfield beekeepers). Beekeeping duties then passed to Kim Lumley, Ivor Evans and Cathy Hooper; since 2024 Mark Nolan and Cathy Hooper have been the Bromfield Park Beekeepers. Due to the increased risk of Asian hornet predation in the UK a monitoring trap is now situated in the apiary and this is regularly monitored by the beekeepers. Overall the bees benefit from a plentiful variety of nectar and pollen from across the park, including horse chestnut, lime tree blossom as well as wild flowers and gardens in the local area.
The beehives are kept in a screened corner of the Orchard.
The first trees in the Broomfield Orchard were planted in December 2009 as part of a national Tree O’Clock event, at which over half a million trees were planted throughout the UK.
The Orchard is laid out with two diagonal avenues of apple trees, dwarf step-overs and espaliers along the sides. There are 44 different varieties of Apples, as well as other trees including Peach, Quince, Medlar, Mulberry, Plums, Hazel, Damson and Pear trees. There are 100 trees in the Orchard, along with a Hawthorn hedge to the adjoining bowling green.
It is beautiful and peaceful place to visit with it's fruit trees and bee hives set in a wild flower meadow.
Would you like to volunteer with the Apiary, the Orchard or the Friends of Broomfield Park? More Information Here
