Dovecot, Wester Elchies

This is a substantial, probably late 17th-century dovecot situated on a south-facing slope at Wester Elchies. It is a rectangular structure built of coursed rubble with pinned elements, featuring long east and west elevations. A central entrance is located in the east elevation, incorporating some reused architectural details. A small square vent is positioned in the centre of the south gable. A slab rat course runs around the building just below the wallhead; it is capped with a piended slate roof, which covers the site of what was formerly a central ridge cupola.

The interior is lined with 594 stone nesting boxes, beginning four feet above the floor level. This dovecot is similar in style to the dovecot at Ballindalloch Castle, which is dated 1696. The surrounding site is heavily overgrown. The dovecot originally served the 17th-century tower house of Wester Elchies, which has since been demolished. The building is referenced in Robert Douglas's "The Dovecots of Moray" (1931, p. 47) and Elizabeth Beaton's "The Doocots of Moray" (1978, p. 29).