Historic England suggests that the dovecote dates from the 17th century,[1] although the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England survey of Herefordshire carried out in the 1930s suggested medieval origins.[2] It was restored in the mid-20th century.[1] The structure is circular and is constructed of sandstonerubble. It is surmounted by a conical roof with a lantern and three dormer windows. In his study, A Book of Dovecotes published in 1920, Arthur Owens Cooke notes that this last feature is "unique in Herefordshire".[a][4] The interior holds roughly 600 nesting boxes.[1] The pigeons kept within the structure provided a source of meat, and their droppings were used as fertilizer. Alfred Watkins, in his study Pigeon House of Herefordshire and Gower published in 1891, records the presence of a revolving ladder within the building, by which the nesting boxes could be accessed and eggs extracted.[5] The dovecote is a Grade I listed building and a scheduled monument, Historic England's listing record describing it as "a perfectly preserved example".[1][6]
Notes
^Cooke, in the Herefordshire chapter of his book, lamented the destruction of so many dovecotes in the early 20th century and implored owners not to permit the growth of ivy on those that remained; "above all set [your] faces against ivy, that most dangerous foe of masonry. To turn the dovecote into a green bower may be picturesque, but means disaster in the end".[3]
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