A. O. Cooke The Pigeoncote

While Mr. Cooke was not able to locate many dovecotes in these counties, and provides us with no drawings or photographs of the ones he does chronicle, our luck was a bit better. One of the most beautiful of all the dovecotes we found during this journey was located at Cotehele, which is a National Trust property; this dovecote graces the opening page of this series, and will also be noted below.  Don't despair, there are many lovely examples of dovecotes in these counties and several that are within easy reach of the avid dovecote admirer

We found this former dovecote on a small road that turns to the east off the A379, south of Exminster. The sign is labeled "Powderham 1 1/4." The structure stands in a field to the east of the road. It is clearly still in use as a cottage, but it is easy to see that it was once a dovecote. Unfortunately, a rectangular addition has been added to one side. From what Cooke said about its conversion we did not attempt to gain entrance. September 15, 1998

We found the charming village of Stoke Rivers on a quiet morning. A lady pushing a baby carriage directed us to the Old Rectory. We boldly knocked at the door, and inquired about the dovecote. A very nice woman, who introduced herself as Roz, invited us through the house and into the garden to see the dovecote. It is as described by Cooke, with platforms to hold hives in place below the roof , but bees are not kept there any more. Windows have also been added. The dovecote is in good shape, and Roz said they'd had it re-thatched a few years ago. The house was built in 1855, and the dovecote is probably the same age. We had a pleasant time talking about the dovecote, life in a small village, and Bill Clinton, while we drank coffee in the garden. Should you read this piece, Roz, thank you so much for your hospitality. September 23, 1998.

Unfortunately, we can not comment on this dovecote, as our journey did not take us to Buckland-tout Saints. Perhaps another reader could provide the missing details.

This dovecote took a little searching. We found Tamerton Foliot, but no sign of a dovecote. After driving through the village a couple of times, we stopped at an old peoples' home to ask for directions. One of the nurses directed us to the dovecote, which was down a lane that went toward the west out of the north end of the village. Our directions were quite good, and after several turns, we arrived at the dovecote. It is as described by Cooke, but the roof has fallen in, and it is in a very awful state of disrepair. Oddly, there are two doors, one with a granite surround, and the other with a more conventional arched brick lintel. September 14, 1998

This dovecote is actually visible from the eastbound lanes of the A38 dual carriageway. The road to it turns off the Ashburton to Buckfastleigh road about one mile southwest of Ashburton. The road goes over the dual carriageway, and the dovecote is immediately on the left. It is a lovely structure, and the setting would be lovely too, were it not for the incessant and loud traffic noise. The site is still an orchard, as it was in Cooke's time. A sign outside the dovecote says that it was restored in 1976/77 by the Ashburton and Totnes Amenity Society. It is in very good condition, except for a few plants that have started to grow on the exterior. September 15, 1998

We got directions to this house from a girl who worked in a butcher's shop in Grampound. Although we found the house, there is no dovecote there now. We met an elderly neighbor, who had never heard of there being a dovecote at Garlenich, although he told us about the one at Antony House. which is described later in this chapter. September 19, 1998

We found this dovecote, now in the town of Wadebridge, after a little detective work. Our map did not show a village called Trevanion. We tried Trevanson, with no success, then returned to Wadebridge, where we asked a girl in a chemist's shop if she had heard of it. She had not, but an older woman directed us to Trevanion Road, which we thought was worth a try. As we drove along it, we saw a street called "The Culvery" turning off to the east. We knew that culvery was a an old Welsh name for a dovecote.  We followed the street to the end, through a very new-looking housing development, and there was the dovecote! The turn is about a half mile from the old bridge in the center of town. The dovecote is lovely, made of flat slates, with a domed roof, as Cooke described. We counted 160 nest holes. The flat slab now only partially covers the roof hole, and there was evidence that some pigeons had been living there recently. September 20, 1998.

We were feeling quite confident about our ability to find dovecotes after finding the one at Wadebridge; however, we had little hope of finding the one at Trevena, since not only was it not on our map, but no nearby village was mentioned that would help us find it. Thinking we would have to give up on this dovecote, we decided to visit Tintagel. Arriving there, we were stunned to learn that the former name of Tintagel was Trevena! We asked directions to the rectory, and the owner kindly let us look at the dovecote in the garden. It is very similar in design and materials to the Trevanion dovecote. September 20, 1998.

Starting on October 1, 2008 C. J. Canner emailed us and informed us that this was his home between 1950 and 1976. He noted that It has survived in modern times because the vivarage and its outbuildings were maintained by the Diocese of Truro.Presumably the original purpose of the pigeons became unnecessary in the 19th century but some later vicar introduced a few>The birds were mentioned in Dovecotes of Cornwall by Charles Henderson (Essays in Cornish history). It was first published in 1935 after his premature death and reissued in 1963. He states that the dovecote at Tintagel has doves in residence in the chapter about 'Cornish culver-houses' at pp. 211-214. He must have seen it during 1920s or 1930s. This is further confirmed by an article over sixty years ago when Cornwall  was the subject of a guide in the King's England series (edited by Arthur Mee). His brief account of the Tintagel dovecote is as follows: "... dovecot with 213 nests. Pigeons were flying about it when we called  and we saw that it still has a perch for every bird. The dovecot and the little chapel are both complete and  both built of slate.A great sycamore tree shades the dovecot ..."

I have a watercolour must be earlier (from the period 1851-1894) and is perhaps the work of the Vicar during that period, the Rev. R. B. Kinsman. He may also have been responsible for introducing the colony of doves which continued in some form at least into the 1970s.

Ihave also found also a drawing  (1981), a photograph of the building (early 1960s) and mention ofit in the book The parish of Tintagel : some historical notes, 1982, my father (A. C. Canner) included two pages on this building. In 2008 the diocese of Truro has decided to sell Tintagel Vicarage so the situation you described may changebut it does now have listed building status. http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?

The Crafthole dovecote sits on a golf course, and has a stunning view of the ocean. We braved the flying golf balls, and walked up to it so we could look inside. It is in good repair, and is used now to store lawnmowers, hoses, rakes, and such. It is by far the most picturesque building we've ever seen on a golf course. September 16, 1998.

Cotehele

Two beautiful dovecotes, not mentioned by Cooke, are found at two National Trust properties, one at Cotehele and one at Antony House. The Cotehele dovecote is of similar construction to the other domed dovecotes at Pridhamsleigh, Trevanion, Trevena, and Crafthole. The Cotehele dovecote, however, has a cupola. It is in a gorgeous setting, near the old stewpond in the garden of the manor house. It is also inhabited by pigeons! We made an appointment to come back later, and were able to look inside, where we found a working potence. The caretaker and manager of this property were quite amused that two Americans wanted to brave the pigeon droppings and walk around inside the dovecote.  This is by far one of my top ten dovecotes in Great Britian. Not for its size, but rather for the most beautiful setting one could wish to linger in.  Even without the dovecote, this is a most serene spot, with it, it is close to heaven.  I became so lost, that I simple forgot to count nestholes, notice their specific construction, or even the size and height of the dovecote itself.  

Antony House

The Antony House dovecote sits behind the manor house, and is made of brick. It has a wooden cupola with a pointed roof. At first we thought the cupola had been completely screened off, to prevent the entry of pigeons, but one section had been left open, and pigeons were living inside. Through the door, we could see a little flock of squeakers on the floor. Unfortunately, we were unable to get inside this dovecote.

Also at Antony, in the woods near the house, is a much older, ruined dovecote. It is made of flat stones, with buttresses on the outer walls, and the thickness of the walls is easy to see, since they have partially collapsed.

Blackford

ne other dovecote not mentioned by Cooke, is at Blackford, south of Selworthy, in North Devon. It is also owned by the National Trust. We got directions to it from a caretaker at Selworthy. It stands near other farm buildings on a small road. It is of stone, with a conical roof and an interestingly-shaped round opening in the top. There is a good history of the dovecote posted inside.