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Dovecote in Castleforbes Demesne

Dovecote

What is recorded here

Fifty metres west of Castleforbes, a square dovecote from the 1620s still holds rows of nesting boxes inside its walls. It belonged to the earlier house before the larger building consumed the estate, meaning doves once flew between two kitchens rather than one. The 19th-century battlements added later turned a practical bird house into a small fortress, as if the keepers wanted even pigeons to feel they were entering a castle.
Associated with the 17th-century house (LF008-012----) at Castle Forbes that was subsequently incorporated into the present 18th/19th-century house; the dovecote is c. 50m to the W of the house. A square-shaped building (4.8m N-S; 4.8m E-W) with 19th-century battlements; nesting boxes are visible internally (Casey and Rowan 1993, 192). It probably dates from the second quarter of the 17th century. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 18 February 2013

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What survives
Recorded monument

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