Cof Cymru: National Historic Assets of Wales · Wales
Penrice Castle Dovecote
Penrice, Swansea, Wales
The record
- Designation
- Listed building, Grade II*
- Broad class
- Domestic
- Date of designation
- 29 October 1999
- Locality
- Penrice
- Community
- Penrice
- Unitary authority
- Swansea
- Country
- Wales
- Coordinates
- 51.57507, -4.16983
- Cadw reference
- 22539
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
Shown on 5 historical map sheets, the earliest the 1636 "Cornubia : Devonia, Somersetus, Dorcestria, Wiltonia, Glocestria ..." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
Cadw's description
Location
Attached to the west side of Penrice Castle (ruins).
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.
Reason for designation
Listed at II* as an almost complete example of a mediaeval dovecote of corbelled construction.
Scheduled Ancient Monument (part) GM047 (SWA)
Nearby in the register
- Penrice CastleCastleunder 1 mi
- Penrice Castle (Ruins)Defenceunder 1 mi
- Penrice Castle StablesDomesticunder 1 mi
- Penrice Castle (Mansion)Domesticunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.