Summary

Dovecote, 110m south of Glebe Farm.

Source: Historic England

Details

This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 16 May 2016. This record has been generated from an "old county number" (OCN) scheduling record. These are monuments that were not reviewed under the Monuments Protection Programme and are some of our oldest designation records.

The monument includes a dovecote of 17th century date situated on level ground at the southern fringes of Embleton. The dovecote is of tun-bellied type and is conical in shape. At its base it is 3.3m in diameter internally and 5.2m externally. It has an approximate height of 6.1m and the walls are roughly 1.1m thick at ground level. The walls have three string courses with the walling between them being stepped-in and angled so as to produce the structure’s conical shape. The dovecote has a low door with a chamfered block surround on its south side. There is a window, which is a later insertion. The interior is made up of sandstone bands sandwiched between nest boxes made of whinstone. The whinstone nest boxes make up ten rows. Above a wooden platform in the interior are five rows of next boxes made of brick. The dovecote is of a type with limited distribution, but which is also found in south east Scotland, North Yorkshire and County Durham. The dovecote is a listed building Grade II*.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

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 110m south of Glebe Farm has a number of unusual features including a wooden platform, nest boxes rather than nest holes and nest boxes made from two different materials. The original fabric of the monument is substantially intact and it is a good example of a tun-bellied dovecote, which is a type characteristic of the broader region. The monument provides information on the keeping of doves as a source of food, an important practice during the late medieval and early post-medieval periods.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
PastScape Monument No:- 8297

Source: Historic England