Stables And Dovecot Approximately 40 Metres East Of Painsford Manor

The stables and dovecot, located approximately 40 metres east of Painsford Manor, date from the late 17th century. They are constructed of slate rubble with Beerstone window frames and feature a grouted scantle slate roof that has a hipped end on the south side and a gabled end on the north side. The dovecot has a gable-ended corrugated iron roof.

The building has a long rectangular plan consisting of six bays, with a carriageway situated in the bay to the right of the centre. Above the carriageway is a hayloft, accessible from the north gable end where the ground level is higher. At the north end, on a higher ground level, is a large rectangular dovecot.

The exterior is one storey with a loft and has 3 bays on the left and 13 bays on the right. The carriageway features a dressed slate segmented arch with chamfered imposts. To the left of the carriageway are three windows, and to the right are two windows, all with Beerstone cross-mullion-transom frames that are ovolo-moulded on the outside and cyma-moulded on the inside, each with dressed slate segmental relieving arches. The front is partly obscured by 20th-century outbuildings, but the windows remain intact. The rear wall is mostly blind, except for the carriageway arch and a loft doorway on the left. The north gable end has a large loft doorway with a chamfered timber lintel. The dovecot features a wide doorway and path, a blocked window with a chamfered timber lintel, a slate dripmould, and a large slit above in the gable.

Inside, the sides of the carriageway are flanked by stone rubble walls that rise to the height of the imposts of the arches. To the right, two of the original posts from the three bays of stalls remain intact; these are Tuscan timber columns, though the stall partitions have been removed. On the left, the loft floor is supported by square-section posts, indicating this end may not have been the main stabling area. The dovecot has plaster walls with pigeon-holes on all four sides and a 20th-century roof structure. The roof features late 19th-century softwood scissor-braced trusses.