Building record 1978/3/2 - Dovecote at Dodleston Hall

Dovecote at Dodleston Hall, Kinnerton Road. Probably c.1793. Circular tower of brick, capped by a conical slate roof in 2 stages, below and above a louvred ventilator. An external flight of stone steps leads to a boarded access door. A circular flight-hole faces the back of the Hall. Interior has tiers of brick nesting boxes. The Romans appear to be the first to have used dovecotes to give a supply of fresh meat though there are no remains of such structures in Britain. Dovecotes and pigeon houses were introduced to Britain from France in the 11th century. They were normally circular buildings with pivoting ladders that allowed the removal of young birds and eggs. They represent an important source of fresh meat for the estates they were built on and the droppings were used as fertiliser. In the 16th and 17th centuries the droppings were as essential source of saltpetre used in the manufacture of gunpowder. In Medieval times, they were allowed only on the estates of lords or monastic land. Laws were passed in the 18th century, to enable others to build them.