Building record 2280 - Dovecote at Withington Hall

Grade II listed dovecote at Withington Hall. It was built in the mid 18th century and is made of red brick with stone dressings and a slate roof. It has an octagonal wooden lantern with lead dome and ball with a 20th century weather vane. 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.