Details

The monument includes a dovecote situated immediately north of Hogsbush Farm
House in the village of West Yatton affording views over the valley of the By
Brook to the west.
The dovecote, which is Listed Grade II, is square 7m by 7m and approximately
8m high. It is of rubblestone construction and has a stone tiled roof with
coped gables. There is a stone tiled, pyramidal roofed wooden louvre on the
ridge of the roof. On the south side there is a low doorway with timber
lintel, with a modern barred opening directly above. On the east and west
sides there are small openings in the gable ends, the opening to the west with
a stone lintel.
The inside is lined with simple nest boxes which are coated with lime wash.
To the right of the door there is a stone carved armorial panel with a
merchants mark carved into it. The mark is attributed to Thomas Wilde, a
Bristol Merchant who owned the property in 1640.
The concrete apron fronting the building on the south side is excluded from
the scheduling, as is the cattle feeding trough and steel hooped dividers,
although the ground beneath these features is included.

MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.
It includes a 2 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 north of Hogbush Farm House survives well and is a good example
of this class of building retaining much of its original character. The
dovecote is particuarly interesting in having a carved armorial panel with
merchants mark.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Aubrey, J, Wiltshire Topographical Collections, (1862), 120

Source: Historic England