View of dovecot from SW

Description View of dovecot from SW

Date 4/6/1997

Collection Records of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), Edinbu

Catalogue Number D 23628 CN

Category Photographs and Off-line Digital Images

Copies SC 739009

Scope and Content Warsetter Dovecot, Sanday, Orkney Islands, from south-west Warsetter is on Sanday, one of the largest of the Orkney islands. Sanday is low-lying and almost treeless with fertile soils and a temperate climate. Warsetter, located at the highest point on the island, is a fine example of a large 19th-century, Orcadian stone steading. This shows Warsetter's 17th-century stone dovecot with its flagstone roof sloping up on three sides and weathervane on top. Its design is a variation on the square and rectangular 'lectern' dovecot which became fashionable in the 16th and 17th centuries following the popular, circular 'beehive' design. Although pigeons ate precious grain, they provided eggs and meat, particularly at times of the year when fresh food was scarce. Eggs and young pigeons were collected from nesting boxes in the dovecot. Adult birds had to be caught in nets. Pigeon droppings were also gathered for use as fertiliser on the fields. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/364896