Courtyard Retaining Wall With Dovecote And Attached Outbuildings Adjoining Ford House To North-East

This is a courtyard retaining wall with a dovecote and attached outbuildings located to the north-east of Ford House. It dates from the early 18th century and is constructed of red brick. The wall features a high stepped plinth on the south-east side and has a chamfered red sandstone coping. It measures approximately 26 metres in length and 2 metres in height, with a blocked segmental-headed doorway next to the house.

The probable dovecote is built into the wall about two-thirds of the way along its length. It is made of red brick and has a pyramidal slate roof, standing two storeys tall. The dovecote also has a high stepped plinth on the south-east side and a dentil brick eaves cornice. On the north-west front, there is a first-floor louvred square opening with a segmental relieving arch, and an off-centre segmental-headed boarded door on the ground floor to the left. There is a small low wing that projects to the left, featuring a stone-coped parapeted gable and a segmental-headed boarded loft door at the front.

The right-hand return front of the dovecote includes a segmental-headed boarded loft door and a pair of low segmental-headed ground-floor doorways, along with flanking small square openings. One of these openings to the left has a stone ledge, and there are also a pair of small segmental-headed openings above.

Adjoining the dovecote to the north-east is a lean-to outbuilding with a corrugated iron roof, which has two windows and a door on the front. The interior of the dovecote has not been inspected. Together, the dovecote and retaining wall form one side of a service courtyard located to the north-west of Ford House.