Dovecote With Remains Of Adjoining Lambing Pen Approximately 50M North-East Of Frocester Court

SO 7802 FROCESTER COURT ROAD (south end)

9/113 Dovecote with remains of adjoining lambing pen approximately 50m north-east of Frocester Court

GV II

Dovecote and remains of former lambing pen. Dovecote: partly C13 with many later restorations. Random rubble limestone; stone slate roof. Lambing pen: C17, part completely rebuilt in C19, much of shelter demolished in C20. Random and coursed rubble limestone, one wall in red brick; solid thatch roofs with corrugated iron covering. Roughly rectangular lambing pen, formerly with shelters on 4 sides; 2 chamber dovecote adjoining west corner. Near-centre doorway on north west side of dovecote, slit vent centrally to right part. Half gable on south east side with 2 slits to left. South west end originally timber framed, rebuilt in stone with corrugated cladding in C20. Lambing pen retains 2 ranges of shelters with solid thatch roofs, centrally supported on line of rough posts. Some masonry rebuilt. South east range entirely rebuilt in C19 with central gabled porch. Interior: dovecote has large numbers of pigeon holes in original walling. Lambing pen included despite being incomplete, due to the great rarity of this farm building type, this being the only example in Gloucestershire. Dovecote recorded from 1515 but masonry comparable with tithe barn (q.v.). (N.M. Herbert, 'Frocester' in V.C.H. Glos. x, 1972, pp 170-178; E.G. Price, 'Survivals of the Medieval Monastic Estate of Frocester' in Trans. B.G.A.S., 1980; and D. Verey, Gloucestershire: The Vale and the Forest of Dean, 1976)

Listing NGR: SO7876802970