Parciau Dovecote

Cadw's description

Summary description and reason for designation

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Monument.

The monument consists of the remains of a dovecote, dating to the post-medieval period. A dovecote is a house for doves and pigeons, usually placed at a height above the ground, with openings and provision inside for roosting and breeding.

The stone-built dovecote is square in plan and of two storeys. A panel, now gone, above the entrance in the west wall contained the initials and date I E E 160?. The four walls are gabled, and the corbelled roof springs from the base of the gables and supports a square cupola, also with four gablets. The columbarium is on the upper floor and is reached by a stone stair which is built into the north and west walls. It contains some 150 nests which line the four walls to a height of 3.5 m.

The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of post-medieval agricultural and settlement organisation. It retains significant archaeological potential, with a strong probability of the presence of associated archaeological features and deposits. The structure itself may be expected to contain archaeological information concerning chronology and building techniques.

The scheduled area comprises the remains described and areas around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive.