Monument record 1404/5/3 - Dovecote at Alderley Park

Grade II listed dovecote at Alderley Park. It was built in the early 19th century for Sir J T Stanley. It is a tall brick and sandstone in a hexagonal shape with a pyramidal stone-slate roof. Each face has a circular hole (now either glazed or blocked). The apex of the roof has an open wooden bellcote with a weather vane. Inside there are tiers of holes in the brickwork with projecting brick ledges in front of them, these number over 400. It is now used as a store. 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. In Medieval times, they were allowed only on the estates of lords or monastic land. In the 18th century, laws were passed to enable others to build them.