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Dovecotes of the Vale A dovecote – or columbarium – provides nesting sites for doves or pigeons. Between the twelfth and seventeenth centuries only wealthy landowners could keep pigeons and a dovecote was a status symbol. The birds were reared for food (as squab), feathers, and manure. Pigeon droppings were also used for tanning leather and making gunpowder. In the Vale there is an exceptionally large dovecote at Sibthorpe. And a more typical sized one at Thoroton. Except it was reroofed after about half the second storey had been removed. It should be taller. Michael Honeybone in his 1987 book The Vale of Belvoir refers to a tall dovecote at Staunton Grange built in the seventeenth century using brick. Writing in 1927 Joseph Whitaker wrote: A short run took us to the entrance drive of Mr Player’s house at Staunton, and in days to come these nicely growing trees will make a good approach. I found Mr Player at home, and he came with me to the cote, which stands just over the wall of the entrance yard, and a very striking cote it is, brick built and mellowed with age, and higher than is usual with this sized cote. The first thing that struck me was the sunning ledges, fifteen in number, standing out from the wall about six or more inches wide. They are on three sides, south-east and west. Never have I seen any of brick before, and only one other of wood, at Balderton, in this county. The walls are 25 feet up to the square, and are one foot six inches thick. The cote measures seventeen feet eight inches from east to west, and seventeen feet from north to south, so is almost a square, and is supposed to have been built, Circa 1590. There is one string course eight feet up over-hanging about four inches, and it is two bricks thick. The gable end walls are shallow, crow-footed. This always seems to me to add much to the appearance of the roof, which is tiled. Inside there are two small windows with the old green glass panes in them. There are 1,100 nesting places. They go into the wall thirteen inches, and are five and a half inches wide and five high. The landing ledges are about three and a half inches wide, and the holes turn alternately right and left, and are about ten inches apart and a foot between the rows. The entrance holes are on the top of the south wall and number fourteen. This is not only a very pretty building, but a most interesting one, standing by itself, and near the house. Mr. Player is to be congratulated on owning such a relic of the past. I may add there were in it about two hundred pigeons of the old blue rock breed. There is a photograph here (scroll down): www.nottshistory.org.uk/books/whitaker1927/dovecotes6.htm It's Grade II Listed. Historic England in their infinite erudition style it a 'pigeoncote' so ignorant oiks like me aren't going to find it by searching their database for 'dovecot(e)s'. Nevertheless here's their brief description. If you think I'm being unnecessarily critical of Historic England then bear in mind this is not my first rodeo with their inconsistent lexicon. This article recounts how it gave me a bad dose of the run-arounds back in 2015. Honeybone also has a photograph of a mud-walled dovecot at Flintham. I've no idea if it has survived since the mid-1980s. Writing in 1927 Joseph Whitaker wrote: … and on to Orston, where in a paddock stands the Orston cote, and hard by the owner of it lives, Mr Henry Brown. It is a brick built one. The colour of these bricks is curious, for I can only describe them as of a yellowish pink. The cote is eighteen feet from north to south, and twenty-two feet from east to west. The lower part is for fowls, and there are no pigeon nesting places in it. The door into the pigeon cote is about eight feet from the ground, not large, and of a square shape. The cote part for pigeons has walls about eight or nine feet to the square, and there are nest places to the top of the gable ends. They number in all five hundred and sixty, and go in fourteen inches. The entrances are five inches wide and six inches high, and turn to right and left in alternate rows, which are a foot between each row and about the same from each entrance. There is one string course of three bricks wide, and it stands out about four inches. It is just above the lower door. The outer walls are one foot eight inches thick. On the west side are nine entrance holes, and there are twelve in the wooden glover on the top of the roof. The outside walls in the gable have shallow crow feet about half a brick, standing edgeway between two laid flat. The roof inside is of oak, and a very primitive one. The great beam across bends much and is axe cut. The wood, however, is in good preservation, showing the roof covering, which is of tiles, has been looked after. This cote is quite one to be proud of, speaking as it plainly does of long past times. There is a photograph here (scroll down): www.nottshistory.org.uk/books/whitaker1927/dovecotes6.htm Historic England's 'Farmstead and Landscape Statement' for the Vale states 'Nationally important cob buildings survive in the Vale of Belvoir, including free-standing dovecotes' but do not list where they are. If anyone knows please email me: bobtrubs@indigogroup.co.uk Source: historicengland.org.uk/research/results/reports/8065/TrentandBelvoirValesEasternArable Back to top of this page     Back to home page   This website does not gather or store any visitor information. Copyright Bob Trubshaw 2025 No unauthorised copying or reproduction except if all following conditions apply: a: Copy is complete (including this copyright statement). b: No changes are made. c: No charge is made. www.hoap.co.uk/chronicle

Chronicle entries home page what's new? the geology of the Vale the boundaries and rivers of the Vale long, long ago prehistory in the Vale prehistoric boundaries in the Vale north-south prehistoric routeways Romans roads in the Vale Roman settlements in and near the Vale long ago introduction to Anglo-Saxons place-names of the Vale waterborne transport around the sixth century Orston's early church Anglo-Saxon sculpture in the Vale why Orston lost out to Bingham and Bottesford what the Normans did for the Vale Granby's importance in 1086 Granby's lost castle the Vale's watermills in 1086 Romanesque sculpture in the Vale St Remigius why Bottesford is in Leicestershire the Vale in medieval times medieval gargoyles of the Vale Eastwell's chancel screen St Ethelburga's church other early saints Elston's old chapel Muston and Long Clawson saltways of the Vale the Vale's medieval tile collection the Vale in Tudor times Dissolution in the Vale not that long ago the Vale in the C17th the 'great and the good' of the Vale Bottesford's effigies 'wicked practice and sorcerye' the whales on the Whalley memorial Car Colston's bigoted GP cum JP the Vale's very own regicide Wiverton Hall five rare C17th fonts in the Vale pinfolds and pounds in the Vale dovecotes in the Vale the Vale in the C18th turnpiking the Vale gravestones and C18th trade routes goodbye 'Belvoir Angels' C18th gravestone carvers in the Vale Daffy's Elixir the Marquess of Granby Stilton from the Vale springs and spas of the Vale outstanding organs in the Vale Grantham canal changes in the Vale's agriculture since 1800 Eastwell's recusant priest house and chapel Colston Bassett's ruined church seems like yesterday windmills in the Vale stained glass in the Vale village life in the southern Vale 1850 to 1880 folklore of the Vale Flintham museum lacemaking in the Vale gypsum pits in the Vale brick and tile works in the Vale ironstone quarrying in the Vale ironstone railways ironstone quarries of Leicestershire (YouTube video) The Vale's railway stations Orston's famous architect Mothers Union banners of the Vale redundant telephone exchanges in the Vale WWII airfields and pillboxes in the Vale the Vale in 1944 location shooting at Belvoir Castle Screveton's giants researching and writing local history the Vale as a verb getting started free advice from 2005 asking curious questions (YouTube video) local history groups in and around the Vale Aslockton (Cranmer LHG) Bingham Heritage Trails Association Bottesford Eastwell Harby Harlaxton Hickling Redmile archive Belvoir Villages History and Memories Group Belvoir Angel Society Grantham Canal Society you may also be interested in free PDFs written by Bob Trubshaw Earliest Churches in Nottinghamshire How Anglo-Saxons Found Their Way Anglo-Saxon Leicestershire Conversations in Churchyards Little-known Leicestershire and Rutland Bob Trubshaw's YouTube channel Introduction to medieval carvings Anglo-Saxon and Romanesque carvings How Anglo-Saxons found their way Anglo-Saxon shrines at fords Meetings at triangles Rota's Land and Franni's Land Reading Romanesque fonts Church and manor The significances of square headdresses Early churches and waterborne trade Charnwood slate gravestones and C18th trade routes Ironstone quarries of Leicestershire Roman roads in north-east Leicestershire Salt ways in Leicestershire Why Melton Mowbray needed to called 'middle town' Evolving Anglo-Saxon agriculture Nottinghamshire's earliest churches Ploughs not piety? Economic regeneration in the C7th Were Anglo-Saxon weaving huts women-only places? Barrowby Until Now website Rutland Village by Village website Sepulchral Effigies of Leicestershire and Rutland