Minster Lovell Dovecote

Adjacent to Minster Lovell Church and the ruins of Minster Lovell Manor stands this 15th century dovecote and forms part of the manorial farm next to the manor house.

It is a circular in plan made of stone rubble with a stone slate conical roof topped with a wooden cupola. It has an internal diameter of 6.2 metres. Its stone walls are 1.2 metres thick and, including its stone slate roof, it stands approximately 5.5 metres high.

The interior has eighteen tiers of nest holes and every row has a perching ledge. Of the six hundred nesting holes those in the bottom have now been blocked.

Some of the 600 nest boxes inside	A view of the conical roof from inside

The dovecote formed part of the economy of the adjacent farm which provided for the needs of the manor to which they both once belonged. Today it is looked after by English Heritage.

Access to the dovecote is through the grounds of the church and into the ruins of the manor house. Along the left is gate that leads across the fields via public footpaths which are popular with local people to walk their dogs. As you go through the gate there is a barn on the left and you can see a fenced gravel path, follow this it will take you to the dovecote, which the English Heritage website says only the exterior is visible, however the day we visited we were able to go inside.

As you approach from the fenced path	The path around to the door

As you enter the field and walk towards the gravel path that takes you to the dovecot

Location: Minster Lovell Dovecote, nr Witney, Oxfordshire Grid Reference: SP324114 Ceremonial County: Oxfordshire Map Link: Multimap Aerial photo: Multimap Aerial Getting there: 3 miles west of Witney off the A40. From the A40 take the B4047 and follow the brown tourist signs to the site. Access: Via gravel walk through the church yard into the grounds of the ruins of Minster Lovell Hall, then through a gate and follow the path to the left which takes you round the outside of a wall, then a path which circles the building. You can park in the road by the church. Website: English Heritage Other Useful Websites: Pastscape Email: Address: Postcode: Telephone: Opening Times: All reasonable times. Exterior only. Charges: FREE Nearby Locations: Other Location Pages: Other Relevant Pages: Dovecots    Dovecots in England    Dovecots in Wales Doocots in Scotland Notes:

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By: Tracey Park	Section: Heritage Section	Key:
Page Ref: minster_lovell_dovecot	Topic: Dovecots	Last Updated: 09/2010

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