Dovecote is a Grade II* listed building in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park local planning authority area, Wales. First listed on 14 May 1970. Dovecote.
Dovecote
- WRENN ID
- guardian-wicket-equinox
- Grade
- II*
- Local Planning Authority
- Pembrokeshire Coast National Park
- Constituency
- Mid and South Pembrokeshire MP: Henry Tufnell (Lab)
- Country
- Wales
- Date first listed
- 14 May 1970
- Type
- Dovecote
- Address
- Dovecote, Manorbier Castle, Manorbier
- OS grid reference
- SS 062 978
- Coordinates
- 51.64604, -4.80159
- Source
- Cadw listing
Description
The dovecote is located in an isolated position 100 meters northwest of Manorbier Castle, accessible by a side path that passes the ruined corn mill. The structure is partially hidden by the village sewage works.
This dovecote is likely the manorial dovecote of Manorbier and probably dates back before the castle began to decay in the early 16th century. It bears a strong resemblance to the dovecote at Angle, which is believed to be from the 15th century.
The dovecote is large and cylindrical, topped with a corbelled-dome roof. Its walls are made of large limestone rubble, roughly arranged in courses, and are approximately 1.1 meters thick, including the nest boxes on the inside. The corbelled dome is constructed from smaller stones. A low doorway faces east, featuring a flat arch with a relieving arch above it. Internally, the doorway is rebated for a lost door-frame. The internal diameter of the dovecote is about 4.8 meters, and the height to the base of the dome is around 5 meters.
There are three levels of entrance holes for pigeons, with about seven holes at each level that pass directly through to the interior. Inside, there are 12 rows of nest holes in the walls, plus one row at the base of the dome, totaling 23 holes in a full circle.
At the base of the dome, there is a stone shelf that projects about 10 centimeters. The dome tapers to an eye at the apex, which is about 1.2 meters in diameter. Above this point, there are broken slabs, and there is no evidence of a potence.
This dovecote is recognized as a Grade II* structure due to its well-preserved state as a late medieval example of a West Country type.
Local climate
Dovecote sits in one of the wettest parts of the UK, with an average of 1,190 mm of rain a year. This makes it wetter than 91% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is greater than that of 98% of listed buildings.
It experiences an average of 4 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 98% of listed buildings. Of these, 1 follows at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.
Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.
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- Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
- Flood risk assessment
- Radon risk assessment
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