Details

The monument includes the standing and below ground remains of Tankersley
dovecote. The dovecote stands in the yard of Glebe Farm abutted to a range of
farm buildings.
The two storey dovecote, which is Listed Grade II, is square in plan with a
cart shed on the ground floor. It is constructed of coursed sandstone blocks
with large quoins (corner stones) and ashlar dressing for the doorway. The
pitched roof is capped with stone slates and a continuous drip mould runs
around the building just below the eaves.
The entrance to the cart shed on the ground floor has a segmented archway
above. A doorway has been inserted at ground level on the northern side of
the cartshed but this has since been blocked. There are glazed windows high up
on three of the walls. The fourth window on the north side of the dovecote is
a two light mullioned window but this has been blocked. Three of the windows
are protected by grills of metal spikes, some of which have barbed points on
the ends. These were used to prevent birds of prey entering the dovcote. The
door to the dovecote is above an external flight of steps, and has a square
faced surround with a keystone and date stone above which reads RGDD 1735.
Internally the dovecote retains its small, whitewashed, brick and clay nest
boxes on all walls. A floor, spreading approximately two thirds across the
dovecote, has been inserted just below the roof line. The nest boxes have
been used to support the joists which in turn support the floor.
The initials on the date stone above the door refer to Richard Goodwin,
rector of Tankersley and Prestwich between 1715 and 1752. Originally, Glebe
Farms were attached to the church and were used to provide an income for the
rector. It is thought that the dovecote at Tankersley, in the yard of Glebe
Farm, was built by or for the rector who lived in the adjacent rectory.
The barn abutting the dovecote on its east side where it falls within the
monuments protective margin is excluded from the scheduling, although the
ground beneath this is included.

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 Tankersley dovecote at Glebe Farm are
particularly well preserved. It is a very good and relatively rare example of
a dovecote over a freestanding cart shed. The survival of the metal spikes
over three of the windows is exceptionally rare. Taken as a whole Tankersley
dovecote will enhance our understanding of the construction and use of
dovecotes in the area and their position in the wider landscape.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Hunter, J, South Yorkshire The History and Topography of the Deanery of Don, (1828), 300-305

Source: Historic England