Sale Old Hall Dovecote

Sale Old Hall Dovecote is a dovecote, which was used for pigeons, built around 1880 by Thomas Worthington for Mary Worthington. It is constructed of Flemish bond brick with stone dressings and has a Westmorland slate roof. The dovecote is octagonal and consists of two stages, with the lower stage partially buried due to the construction of the motorway. The lower stage features two doorways with elaborately moulded pointed brick arches and four small lancet openings. The upper stage is corbelled out from the octagonal base to create a circular stage that housed the nesting boxes. It has a moulded eaves cornice and four decorative gabled dormer bird entries with timber decoration. An elaborate vane that once adorned the structure is no longer present, and much of the brickwork is in poor condition. This dovecote is the only remaining building from the historically significant site of Sale Old Hall. In 2003, it was relocated to its current location at Walkden Gardens due to road widening of the M60.