Dovecote And Attached Garden Walls

The dovecote and attached garden walls date from the early to mid-18th century and are located in Valentines Park, Ilford. The dovecote is two-storey and octagonal in shape, built from plum brick with red brick dressings. It features ogee windows at first floor height and has a shallow pitched slate roof. The dovecote is connected to an L-shaped walled garden that is open to the north. The garden walls are made of both red brick laid in English Bond and yellow and philstock brick. There are several arched openings in the walls, some of which are blocked. The western section of the walled garden was originally the kitchen garden, while the eastern section is a formal garden. The wall to the north of the mid-19th century gardener's cottage on the west side is notably wide, with a heated internal cavity designed for fruit growing. A bronze plaque commemorating the '1951 Festival of Britain' is affixed to the site, marking the location of a famous vine that once grew there. Valentines Park is also recognized in the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens at grade II.