Berkshire bee van: how I researched it
I urge you to get a copy of November’s month’s Bee Craft magazine – the Berkshire bee van is in it! 20 months ago I received an email from Richard of BeeCraft: he had visited my website – ‘could I … Read more
William Woodley
William Woodley | Bee-farmer, Showman, Writer.
William Woodley (1845 – 1923) was a Victorian bee-farmer who once had Britain’s largest bee-farm. He became famous in beekeeping circles for consistently winning top prizes at national honey-shows for his comb sections. Furthermore, he was a contributor for two of the most prestigious beekeeping journals in the country, namely ‘The British Bee Journal’ and ‘The Bee-keepers Record’. His body of writing, over a thirty-plus year period, has left an invaluable commentary about the social, economic and technological changes transforming the way of life on the Berkshire Downs.
Below are my articles which explore the world of William Woodley.
William Woodley’s Christmases In Beedon
Yuletide is upon us, so I thought it would be a pleasant diversion to revisit William Woodley’s Christmases in Beedon. The passages below are taken from his writings both in the British Bee Journal and the Bee-keepers’ Record. William Woodley’s … Read more
Around William Woodley’s Apiary, Worlds End, Beedon
‘Around William Woodley’s Apiary, Worlds End, Beedon’ is an update of a blog post I did in 2014. The purpose of the post was to review the features in the photo (see above) and to discover what remains today. Back … Read more
The Story of William Woodley and the World’s First Mass-Produced Car
In this article, I explore the history of a ‘Benz Velo Comfortable’ motor car, which once resided in the village of Beedon. This vehicle was once owned by William Woodley and I discuss why, on the face of it, he … Read more
The Apiary At Crossing Cottage, Compton, Berkshire.
Every so often I discover an apiary at a surprising location, and one such place, albeit in a photograph, was in the back garden of a railway-crossing cottage at Compton, Berks. This article tells the story of C W Dyer … Read more
William Woodley – An Introduction
I will be publishing a series of posts about William Woodley (Beekeeper) in the forthcoming weeks and months. To set the stage for this endeavour, I summarise below William Woodley’s life-story. William Woodley (1845 – 1923) [1,2] was a pioneer … Read more