Quince Honey Farm

About

Quince Honey Farm is a family-run working honey farm and tourist attraction, which has been producing quality honey since 1949 and has over 1000 hives deep in the North Devon countryside.

There is something happening every hour of every day for all ages!  You can visit the world’s largest Honeybee exhibition; BeeWorld where the interesting displays and exhibits will teach you fun facts about the honeybee before you take a closer look inside the working hives. Nowhere in the world can you get so close to live bees without needing protective equipment! You may wish to take a guided tour or walk around at your own leisure.

Don’t miss out on the Beekeeping Demos which gives you the opportunity to hold a frame of bees if you wish. There is a chance to make some beeswax candles and learn more about the different types of honey at one of the tasting sessions. Join a Be a Beekeeper experience for the unique opportunity to work alongside a beekeeper learning more in depth about bees and the art of beekeeping (sign up for this on the day) and see our creepy crawlies up close in the Critter Encounters.

Any little bizzy bees won’t want to miss out on The Happy Bee play hive; the large indoor soft play area with nets and ropes to climb over. This is where you will also find the cafe offering homemade food and our special Devonshire cream teas with honey. There is an outdoor play and picnic area for when the sun is shining.

The honey farm shop offers an array of honey products as well as beautiful handmade beeswax candles and skin care.

The shop and café are free to enter, so you are welcome to pop by for lunch or browse the shop.

Make a bee-line for Quince Honey Farm! 

The Quince Honey Farm story so far…

Fiery Scotsman George Wallace established Quince Honey Farm in 1949 with two hives of bees, an inexorable work ethic and a wild dream. George served in the paratroop regiment during WW2 and after the war served in Palestine until 1949. Near the end of his service George read a book about beekeeping and became obsessed with the craft. He was one of only a few men in the entire British Army to be demobbed into beekeeping. He gained practical beekeeping experience at Yorkshire apiaries where he was told he worked too hard. He then moved South to North Devon to live with his father in Quince Cottage. While working as a Postman, George had two hives of bees in his garden and ambitiously called his operation Quince Honey Farm.

When eldest son Paddy was old enough to ride a bike, he was sent on the post round where possible (and as surreptitiously as possible because this was a sackable offence) allowing George more time to tend the bees. Swarms of bees were often found in post boxes and George was always on hand to re-home them and boost his stocks of hives. In 1959 the business moved to South Molton in the old school.

By the early 70s sons Paddy and Jon were involved in the business and hive numbers rose quickly from 750 to 1500. George had realised his dream of creating the largest honey farm in Britain.

In 1978 the business relocated again to larger premises in South Molton, in what was once the old work house. This site allowed the family to pursue a new dream; creating an exhibition of honeybees. George and wife Kate, Paddy and wife Jean and Jon all worked tirelessly and in the 80s the exhibition became the most extensive honeybee exhibition in the world. Paddy’s mechanically operated observation hives are renowned and acknowledged by beekeepers across the globe to be the most innovative in the world.

The 90s saw Paddy and Jean develop new products such as a range of honey skin care, honey marmalade, honey mustard, honey chutney and furniture polishes to name a few. These were sold in the shop on the farm in South Molton and via mail order.

In 2004 Paddy and Jean’s son Ian joined the business full time. Ian was always keen on beekeeping, loving the outdoor life of the commercial beekeeper and charmed by his Grandfather’s beekeeping stories. After a few years learning the ways of commercial beekeeping, Ian was keen to build on the family’s hard work and develop the tourist attraction, refine beekeeping techniques and try to increase honey production.

2018 marks the beginning of a very exciting chapter in the Quince Honey Farm story, as the business is on the move! Planning permission has been granted for a brand-new, purpose-built facility, just down the road from its current home and surrounded by lush farmland. The tourist attraction will expand, and more educational opportunities will be offered at this new site, giving North Devon a truly unique destination. Watch this space!