Inveraray Castle Estate, Carloonan, Dovecot View of dovecot showing entrance

Description Inveraray Castle Estate, Carloonan, Dovecot View of dovecot showing entrance

Date c. 1988

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

Catalogue Number B 19102 CN

Category Photographs and Off-line Digital Images

Copies SC 458408

Scope and Content Dovecot at Carloonan, Inveraray estate, Argyll and Bute Archibald, 3rd Duke of Argyll, who succeeded to the title in 1743, was responsible for replacing the 15th-century Inveraray Castle with the present castle. He also initiated the removal of the town of Inveraray half a mile south to a new site. This circular dovecot was one of the first two buildings to be built in the policies of the 3rd Duke. Roger Morris (1695-1749) designed it in 1747 and it was completed in 1748 by the mason, William Douglas (b.1736) at a cost of £53. Dovecots were a necessary feature of most Scottish estates as pigeons provided fresh meat with which to vary the monotonous winter diet of salted meat. Dovecots were unusual in the Highlands due to the lack of corn, which was needed to feed the birds. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

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