Building record 34/1 - Greenwood Farm, Burton

Grade II listed circular dovecote with a sandstone base and red brick above. It is incorporated into a range of farmbuildings and a timber framed cottage, and the whole has been converted into accommodation for Burton Manor. 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.