Description

Early to mid 18th century. Rectangular-plan, lectern dovecote with crow-stepped gables and ogee-moulded skewputts. Random rubble with projecting sandstone ashlar rat course and dressings (formerly harled).

S (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: centrally placed, boarded timber entrance door with moulded surround and lintel, rat course above; rest of elevation blind.

E AND W ELEVATIONS: blind ends with rat course and sloped crow-stepped wallheads terminating in ogee-putts. W elevation with later inset window below rat course (lintel breaking rat course).

N (REAR) ELEVATION: blind elevation broken only by rat course.

No original glazing plan but later inset timber sash and case window (6-pane glazing in upper sash, lower sash and glazing plan missing). Slated penthouse roof.

INTERIOR: single chamber, formerly with timber nesting-boxes (now removed).

Statement of Interest

Sited about 60 yards north of Cardrona House. Originally, the dovecote would have been harled, but it has been stripped to reveal a rubble construction. The centrally placed door re-uses pieces (moulded jambs and a lintel) which may have come from the earliest house on the site. Panels and a stone from that house are re-used in the current Cardrona House (listed separately). The dovecote's walls are 2ft. thick and it measures 17ft. 1in. by 11ft. 9in. A plain rat course is found nearly 7ft. 5in. above ground level; this was designed to prevent rats from gaining entry to the dovecots flight holes and eating the birds and the eggs. Inside, the dovecote would have originally contained wooden nesting boxes; these have since been removed. A window has also been added to the west elevation (below the rat course) and this suggests the structure was used as a store after it was no longer used for the birds. This building related to the landscape of the house before the present William Burn one. Listed as a good example of a lectern dovecote with original crow-steps and rat-course still in situ.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17848644

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Cumbria: Cumberland, Westmorland and Furness (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  [(Shropshire)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1958)
• 
  Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East: Norwich and North-east v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Buildings of England)
• 
  Northumberland (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Care and Repair