Details

The monument includes the standing and below ground remains of Sharlston Hall
dovecote. The dovecote stands in isolation in a ploughed field which slopes
gently to the east.
Almost 8m square in plan, the dovecote, which is Listed Grade II,is
constructed of sandstone with a stone slate pyramidal roof. It is a single
storey building with an off-set doorway on the northern side. The doorway has
a plain surround with a recessed rectangular panel over the lintel.
High up in the centre of each side is a small rectangular opening or flight
hole through which pigeons could enter the dovecote. Externally, and running
around the building at approximately mid-height, is a rat ledge which would
have prevented rats from being able to reach the flight holes and entering the
dovecote.
Inside the dovecote the walls are lined with several hundred stone built
nest boxes with individual stone flight ledges under each box.
The dovecote is the only one of two to survive at Sharlston Hall. It is very
similar stylistically, though smaller, to the now demolished example at Home
Farm, Nostell Priory, approximately 3km to the east. The date 1771 A D
which is scratched onto one of the quoins, is likely to refer to repairs to
the building or may have been inscribed as graffiti in the 18th century. The
dovecote is believed to be pre-Reformation in date and possibly as early as
the late 15th century.

MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.
It includes a 1 metre boundary around the archaeological features,
considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

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 standing and buried remains of Sharlston dovecote, 90m south of Hall
Farm, are particularly well preserved. Dovecotes of this date and quality are
very rare in this part of the country. The interior, particularly the nesting
boxes, the old ground surface beneath the dovecote and any sub-surface
features will all retain important archaeological, ecological and
environmental evidence. Internal and external walls and the roof all hold
structutral evidence about how the dovecote was constructed and used.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
'British Dovecote Society Record' in Sharleston Hall Dovecote, ()
Other
West Yorks. Hist. Buildings Officer, Thornbarrow, Peter , Sharleston Hall Dovecote,

Source: Historic England