Dovecote At Knights Gate

The dovecote at Knights Gate is a historic structure, possibly dating back to 1338, associated with the Knights Hospitallers, although some believe it to be from the 17th century. It is a small round building made of rubble stone, featuring a projecting square string course about 0.5 meters below the eaves of its conical stone slate roof, which has a retractable lantern "lid" topped with a renewed stone ball finial. There is a very small low doorway on the west side, with a timber lintel and a recessed plank door, along with a slit vent above and to the south. Inside, the walls are perforated with approximately 600 dove holes, stacked at an angle one above the other, above a rat rail that supports a revolving ladder on a central wooden pin, believed to be the original ladder (or potence). The roof timbers inside have been reinforced with steel straps.