TUDOR-style beekeeping has returned to Thornbury Castle for the first time in almost 500 years.

The plan to produce honey at the castle comes from head gardener Katie Engler, who is installing eight handmade bee skeps in the original niches built into the walled garden by the Tudor masons.

The traditional bee skeps are hand woven with long straw and wrapped in rattan, taking seven hours each to make.

This comes as part of a plan to restore it back to its full medieval glory during Henry's reign, collecting honey and keeping bees would have been done in a similar fashion.

As with lots of the produce grown on site, which is now a luxury hotel, the honey will be used in the kitchen and sold in the garden 'shop'.

Built by the third Duke of Buckingham, early in King Henry’s reign, the castle was never finished as, unfortunately for the Duke, he launched an ill-advised claim to the throne and was beheaded.

The king took over his estates, and honeymooned at the castle with second wife Anne Boleyn in 1535. His Catholic daughter Mary also spent much of her teenage years in the castle.

Nowadays, it is the only Tudor castle to be open as a hotel in England, and was voted one of the top 10 castles in the world to spend a honeymoon

To find out more about Thornbury Castle, visit familyhotels.co.uk.