Standing Building Recording

Date 6 November 2012 - 7 November 2012

Event ID 993343

Category Recording

Type Standing Building Recording

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/993343

NO 4968 5648 (centred on) An historic building survey was carried out, 6–7 November 2012, of Finavon Doocot, the largest doocot in Scotland, prior to a proposed repair programme. The external and internal elevations of the large double-lectern doocot were surveyed electronically and an analytical record of the structure produced. The 1978–9 partial restoration of the doocot had replaced about a quarter of the building’s original fabric including wall tops and the S wall. This work had removed any evidence of phasing which may have been present in the original building, though some of the stone reused in the restoration hints that there were some historic alterations. In particular, it seems that the finials and gablets may have been added in the late 17th or 18th century, and the crow-steps were possibly renewed at this time. The date of the original building is uncertain, but the doocote was probably constructed around the time of Finavon Castle which was probably built by the Earl of Crawford after 1608. The original building appears to have had yetts in the doorways, an important security measure to protect a doocot of this size.

Archive: RCAHMS (intended)

Funder: The National Trust for Scotland

Tamlin Barton, Alder Archaeology Ltd, 2013

(Source: DES)