Town creates bug hotel inspired by stately home

A town has won an award for being bee friendly after residents created a bug hotel inspired by a nearby stately home.

The wooden replica of Corsham Court in Wiltshire was made by volunteers and includes specific items, such as pinecones, to attract and house bugs.

Garry Ford, environmental projects officer at Corsham Town Council which commissioned the hotel, told BBC Radio Wiltshire: "We are in a bit of a nature crisis unfortunately... so anything we can do to support our native wildlife and nature is absolutely essential."

Corsham was crowned the winner in the Bee Friendly Awards, which raise awareness of wildlife projects across the country.

The bug hotel is the size of a "small two-seater sofa", according to Ford, and popular with a variety of insects such as ladybirds, bees and spiders.

It's hoped it will become vital for wildlife in winter as it will provide a safe place for insects to hibernate during colder months.

Ford continued: "The idea came from a similar building in Salisbury, they turned their cathedral into a bug hotel. One of our staff members was in Salisbury and happened to see it.

"But the real honour goes to the Brunel Shed, which is a 'make and mend' shed based in the town run by volunteers, most of them retired age. It was them who came up with the design for the hotel and built it for us."

Children from the Corsham Rainbows and Beavers troops then filled the hotel with "insect-friendly materials" such as leaves, sticks and pinecones after volunteers from the Brunel Shed finished the creation.

The bug hotel can be found by St Bartholomew's graveyard in Corsham.

Other winners in the Bee Friendly Awards 2026, organised by the Bee Trust to mark World Bee Day, included the Finchley Pollinator Project in London and The Bee Café Community Interest Company in Suffolk.

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