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Description

Reasons for Designation Dovecotes are specialised structures designed for the breeding and keeping of doves as a source of food and as a symbol of high social status. Most surviving examples were built in the period between the 14th and the 17th centuries, although both earlier and later examples are documented. They were generally freestanding structures, square or circular in plan and normally of brick or stone, with nesting boxes built into the internal wall. They were frequently sited at manor houses or monasteries. Whilst a relatively common monument class (1500 examples are estimated to survive out of an original population of c.25,000), most will be considered to be of national interest, although the majority will be listed rather than scheduled. They are also generally regarded as an important component of local distinctiveness and character. The dovecote at Elm Tree Farm survives as a complete standing structure in which most internal features, including a full range of nest boxes, are preserved intact. The ground beneath the dovecote will include archaeological deposits relating to its construction and use which, together with the building itself, will preserve valuable evidence for the way in which dovecotes were used in agricultural establishments of this period. Details The monument includes a dovecote situated at Elm Tree Farm, approximately 490m north east of All Saints Church. The building is thought to date from the 19th century. The dovecote takes the form of a two-storeyed brick structure with a pantiled roof. It is rectangular in plan, measuring 5.6m east-west and 4.6m north-south. A wooden door in the north wall leads to the ground floor of the building, which would originally have served as a storage area, and was later used as an animal shelter. It is divided into two by a timber partition and there is a blocked window in each of the east and west walls. The joists which rest on the top of the ground floor walls are made of large reused timbers; these support a floor of timber and lath construction with a plastered ceiling beneath. Above it is the upper storey where the nest boxes are located. Occupying all four walls, the nest boxes are constructed of brick with pantiled internal divisions, and have brick alighting ledges. In the upper part of the south wall is a rectangular opening which served as a flight hole. The corrugated iron shed which abuts the north and east sides of the building is excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath it is included.

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