Our main base, The Hive, is situated behind the Collective Cafe in Kennington Park. We moved there in March 2015 because of the works happening in our old space, The Keeper’s Lodge.
We’ve since created a forest garden of herbs, fruit and vegetables and ornamentals in an unused corner of the park.
The pond and garden area is a space to come and learn about beekeeping, organic gardening and sustainable living, whilst providing nectar and forage for the bees in our on-site apiary.
We have converted an existing building and installed a workshop and a large shipping storage container with a green roof.
Our indoor space and kitchen is used as an educational resource for beekeeping demonstrations and training sessions, and of course, The Hive is where we harvest all the honey and wax that is brought back from our apiaries.
We run outreach projects across South London with schools and community groups (including Roots and Shoots and The Park College), designing and building community spaces, planting gardens and orchards. The Hive is available as a space for groups to learn about gardening, carpentry, ecology and beekeeping.
You will also find our Gift Shop where you can purchase a selection of raw honey harvested from our apiaries including Myatt’s Fields Park, Brompton Cemetery and, of course, Kennington Park. We sell soaps, body balms and beeswax candles, all made using natural ingredients, locally produced and harvested from our very own bees.
Our volunteer sessions at The Hive are a great time to visit us, and it’s where you can meet our beekeepers, Barnaby Shaw (Founder of BeeUrban), and Tracy Kidd (part-time reflexologist, full-time legend). Their welcoming and relaxed hospitality towards visitors, old and new, is something they pride themselves on, as volunteering plays such a vital role for BeeUrban and it’s core values. In return you will learn so much from these two bee experts!