Dovecot, Corehouse

The dovecote at Corehouse dates to 1750, as evidenced by a corbel inscribed with that year. It is a rectangular "lectern" dovecote, a type that replaced the beehive design in the 16th and 17th centuries. The building now lacks its mono-pitched roof and part of its front wall, although some stone nesting boxes remain in place. It has a deep alighting ledge at lintel height. The structure is constructed of rubble sandstone with ashlar dressings to the crow-stepped gables.

Lectern doocots are rectangular, offering greater design flexibility than earlier types, enabling divisions into chambers and the incorporation of decorative elements like marriage stones and heraldic panels. This dovecote is significant as a surviving example of a building type that is increasingly rare. It originally faced south, a typical positioning.

The dovecote forms an important element within the Corehouse estate, potentially contemporary with the main house. It played a role in the landscape's design, which was developed in the 1820s and influenced by John Claudius Loudon’s principles of the "domestic picturesque." The flower gardens were arranged on either side of the Corra Burn, with paths winding through the gardens and around the dovecote. A conservatory located to the north of the burn provided a reciprocal focal point. Corehouse estate is a key component of the Falls of Clyde Designated Landscape.

References to the dovecot and the wider Corehouse estate appear on a plan of the estate by George Buchanan (1841) and a plan of the pleasure grounds (1841), as well as on the 1858 Ordnance Survey map.