Details

The monument includes a dovecote situated at Elm Tree Farm, approximately 490m
north east of All Saints Church. The building is thought to date from the
19th century.
The dovecote takes the form of a two-storeyed brick structure with a pantiled
roof. It is rectangular in plan, measuring 5.6m east-west and 4.6m
north-south. A wooden door in the north wall leads to the ground floor of the
building, which would originally have served as a storage area, and was later
used as an animal shelter. It is divided into two by a timber partition and
there is a blocked window in each of the east and west walls. The joists which
rest on the top of the ground floor walls are made of large reused timbers;
these support a floor of timber and lath construction with a plastered ceiling
beneath. Above it is the upper storey where the nest boxes are located.
Occupying all four walls, the nest boxes are constructed of brick with
pantiled internal divisions, and have brick alighting ledges. In the upper
part of the south wall is a rectangular opening which served as a flight hole.
The corrugated iron shed which abuts the north and east sides of the building
is excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath it 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 dovecote at Elm Tree Farm survives as a complete standing structure in
which most internal features, including a full range of nest boxes, are
preserved intact. The ground beneath the dovecote will include archaeological
deposits relating to its construction and use which, together with the
building itself, will preserve valuable evidence for the way in which
dovecotes were used in agricultural establishments of this period.

Source: Historic England