Description

Corbel dated 1750. Rectangular lectern type dovecot now missing mono-pitched roof and part of front wall; some stone nesting boxes still in place. Deep alighting ledge at lintel height. Rubble sandstone with ashlar dressings to crow-stepped gables.

Statement of Interest

The dovecote is an important survival in the Corehouse estate not only because of its early date, possibly contemporary with the earlier house, but also because it seems likely that the flower gardens were partly designed around it when the estate was being developed in the 1820s. The Corehouse estate is one of the main components of the Falls of Clyde designated Designed Landscape and contributes to the outstanding scenic qualities of this part of the Clyde.

It appears that the dovecote was used as a picturesque focal point on the S of the Corra Burn, with the conservatory to the N of the burn providing a similar focus. The grounds at Corehouse were laid out in what John Claudius Loudon promoted as the 'domestic picturesque'. The Flower Garden was arranged on either side of the burn and a number of paths wound through the garden and around the dovecote. The conservatory was reached by various bridges over the burn with further winding paths to the shrubbery, which was planted with specimen trees.

A representative of what was once the most common type in Scotland, the lectern doocot, which was rectangular with mono-pitched roof and usually, as is the case here, positioned to face S. The lectern type replaced the beehive design in 16th and 17th centuries, and because of its square or rectangular plan had much greater flexibility: it could be divided into 2 or 4 independent chambers and was more suitable for decorations such as marriage stones, heraldic panels and armorial designs. The Corehouse doocot is significant as a survivor of a building type that is becoming increasingly scarce.

Other elements of the Corehouse designed landscape also listed are the Conservatory and Flower Garden Walls, the Mausoleum, the Stable Court and the Stove House (see separate listings).

List description updated 2010.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q56616831

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Suffolk: West: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of History Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
• 
  Dorset (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair
• 
  Georgian Style and Design for Contemporary Living
• 
  This Old House: Restoring, Rehabilitating, and Renovating an Older House