Charles Butler 400 Foundation is proud to be part of Hampshire Cultural Trust’s innovative and educational interactive bee story exhibition, bringing together beekeepers, schools and communities to share their love and experiences of all bees and pollinators.

Step inside an immersive ‘hive ’and experience sounds and sights of bees, enjoy hands‑on activities and craft, understand the vital role bees play in our natural world, and marvel at the history of bees and beekeeping on display.

Explore early evidence of beekeeping, from Roman clay hive fragments found at Rockbourne to medieval images that show how bees were kept and valued. These echoes of the past sit beside today’s discoveries about how bees live, pollinate and communicate - sometimes even through dance.

At the heart of the exhibition is “The Father of English Beekeepers”, Charles Butler - vicar of Wootton St Lawrence, Basingstoke. Charles Butler observed and recorded honey bees with extraordinary care, capturing their sounds, behaviour and organisation. He was able to confirm the female queen bee and not the male drone was head of the bee colony.

In 1623 he published his findings in ”The Feminine Monarchie” which included his bee madrigal. 400 years on and his remarkable work continues to be used worldwide in teachings today.