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Dovecote in Nantes park |
We did not look for dovecotes today spending the time in the city of Nantes instead. The city is often compared to Paris and is sometimes even referred to as the little Paris. But I really do not believe the comparison does the city justice. It is an enchanting city in its own right and certainly worth any traveler's time and for the bird lover offers a small bonus within the botanical garden. You might notice in the picture of the 24 nesthole dovecote constructed specifically for pigeons that there are no pigeons there at the moment. But that does not imply that there were no pigeons housed there. There were many white super numeral tail feathered pigeons gracing the park and several folks were enjoying their day there a little more by feeding them. And opening up the full size image of the dovecote will reveal that every single one of the 24 nestholes if filled with nest material. But just because we did not spend the day looking for dovecotes in now way implies that there are not any to be found.
Other dovecotes in the area reported by Dr. Jean Auffret in Colombiers et Pigeonniers en Bretagne Profonde are noted below. As in other pages on the site, we have provided small thumbnail images from the book to help you identify them. More detail on these dovecotes and larger images are in the book, which we highly recommend for any enthusiast. And of course, if you have any information on any of these or others you know of in the area that you would like to share, we would love to post it.
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The dovecote of the castle of Bouaye Senegerie lies in an adjacent field and was built during the 15th century. Its general construction is of small stones, but as you can tell even from this thumbnail picture, it is graced with fancy stone and lead work above the door that has the coat or arms cut into the tufa stone and a rather elegant rat course about two thirds of the way up the main wall. It has 900 nestholes laid out in 18 rows. This is undoubtedly the most beautiful dovecote in the vicinity of Retz, and as such, deserves all the care to be the most preservation that is possible. It is currently classified in the supplementary inventory of historic monuments. It is on private property belonging to the Count of Bire, but can be seen from the road. |
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The dovecote of the castle of Villejegua is an architecturally integrated component of the castle and its grounds. Unfortunately it lost its roof during the revolution which certainly detracts from the allure it would provide. It is of rather recent vintage, considering our subject matter, being erected during the 18th century. The builder was Olivier Louis Busson. |
Area around Angers: 
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