Duntisbourne Leer Farm
Dovecot
Cirencester, Gloucestershire
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Location Guide |
There are a group of villages and hamlets just
north of Cirencester, in the Cotswolds, known locally as 'The Duntisbournes'. These
are Duntisbourne Abbots, Duntisbourne Leer, Duntisbourne Rouse and Middle Duntisbourne.
| The most well known and
photographed of these is Duntisbourne Leer. It appears in most tourist guides and travel books that cover
the Cotswolds and as soon as you get there it will be instantly
recognisable, having appeared on tins of biscuits and other products. It is in fact a hamlet,
and once belonged to the Abbey of Lire in Normandy, France until 1416,
when it was given to Cirencester Abbey. It's
local parish church is in the nearby village of Duntisbourne Abbots.
As you
leave the A417 for 'The Duntisbournes' you come to a fork in the road, keeping to the left fork you will
eventually start to go downhill and at the bottom will come to a Ford, that
crosses the road, the farm house is ahead of you, its dovecote being on the
gable end wall.
From the 18th century, when fewer pigeons were
being bred for food, dovecots started to be incorporated into other buildings,
particularly farm buildings, such as barns, stables and sometimes into the eaves
of larger farmhouses. It is likely that this farmhouse has been extended at
sometime to incorporate an existing barn and therefore the dovecot within this
gable end originally was part of the barn. Today there are 46 entry points
across 8 rows on the gable end of this building, but there are also further
entry points along the front of the same structure. The day I visited there were
also white doves on the roof and near the entry points so perhaps it is still
used today, although for decoration and not food, I hope!!
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The Gable End |
Home to Roost, although as you can see some holes have been blocked
In the same position there is another house
which also has a dovecote built into it see
Duntisbourne Leer
Cottage Dovecot
for more on this.
You can drive through
Duntisbourne Leer Ford.
The roads in this area are single track so parking up can be a problem, but as
long as you only intend to take a picture and then move on, pulling on the side
where the houses park their cars in the evenings is acceptable.
Don't forget to also take the opportunity to
photograph the ford while you are here. Going through the Ford, around the sharp
lefthand bend, there is a road on the right marked 'unsuitable for motor
vehicles' so not a wise move to go down here. The reason for this is that this
is a 'Wet Lane',
Duntisbourne Wet Lane,
so if you want to photograph this at the same time find somewhere safe to park
up and take a walk down the lane. See our location guide on this to see what you
will be missing if you don't take the opportunity to see it while you are here.
The Dovecote and Ford
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