Description

Dated 1698. 2-storey, single chamber, square-plan lectern dovecote. Random rubble; ashlar long and short quoins with margins and rat (band) course. Crowstepped gables with ogival-moulded skewputts; raised wallhead with plain coping and ball finials surmounting angles.

S (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: central doorway with stone lintel (dated 1698) and surround (rebated for inner and outer doors), replacement timber door and frame; rat-course; inset central square sandstone block (aligned with door) with circular opening. Paired roof lights.

E AND W ELEVATIONS: blind; ashlar long and short quoins, ashlar rat course; crowstepped gable.

N (REAR) ELEVATION: blind with ashlar long and short quoins and rat course.

INTERIOR: not seen, 2002 but wooden nesting boxes removed some time ago.

Monopitched grey slate roof with later paired cast-iron 2-pane Carron lights to roof, original timber pigeon port concealed by slates. Later boarded timber door within timber frame.

Statement of Interest

Sited in Kailzie Gardens. This dovecote is part of the surviving landscape features from an earlier house that stood within the lands then known as Hopkailzie. The last Kailzie House was built in 1803 for Robert Nutter Campbell, a Glasgow merchant ? but this dovecote predates it by over a century. The concept of the dovecote became so popular that in 1617 the right of owning/maintaining a pigeon house was limited by statute to Lairds whose land produced 'ten chalders (tons) of victual' each year. This type of lectern dovecote was the most common in Scotland but whilst most have fallen into disrepair, this retains a good deal of original feature, such as its ball finials (central ball finial now missing), crowsteps and skewputts. It measures 16ft. 6in. by 12ft. 2in and the walls are roughly 2ft. thick. Originally, a timber pigeon-port was set in the centre of the roof. It contained 9 pigeon holes set over 2 rows. Small, square roof lights flanked it to admit light into the structure. Later, when the structure was no longer used to house birds, the pigeon-port was slated over and a pair of cast-iron roof lights were added instead. The single chamber interior once contained nesting boxes made of wood, but these were removed many years ago. Listed as a good example of a late 17th century dovecote. De-scheduled 11-DEC-1998.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17571948

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.

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