History

Perhaps C15; there is no datable detail, but the dovecote is likely to date from the last years of the time of occupation of the castle (which was abandoned in favour of Oxwich Castle in the early C16), when the curtain wall was no longer relied on for defence.

Exterior

The dovecote is at the south east side of Penrice Castle, standing against the external face of the curtain wall, but not built integrally with the wall; it is built of stonework identical to the castle. It is conical externally and slightly bottle-shaped internally, narrowing from about 2.5m to about 0.6m internal diameter. The doorway faces south, and there is a rebate for a lost door. There are 15 rows of nestboxes but no access openings through the wall, so the birds probably entered at the top.

Reasons for Listing

Listed at II* as an almost complete example of a mediaeval dovecote of corbelled construction.
Scheduled Ancient Monument (part) GM047 (SWA)

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q17743956

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

• 
  Hampshire: South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Development and Design of Heritage Sensitive Sites: Strategies for Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas
• 
  Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Gwent/Monmouthshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Wales)
• 
  This Old House: Restoring, Rehabilitating, and Renovating an Older House