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Falkirk, Redding, Dovecot Road, Westquarter Dovecot
Dovecot (18th Century)
Site Name Falkirk, Redding, Dovecot Road, Westquarter Dovecot
Classification Dovecot (18th Century)
Canmore ID 47901
Site Number NS97NW 4.01
NGR NS 91329 78716
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/47901
- Council Falkirk
- Parish Grangemouth
- Former Region Central
- Former District Falkirk
- Former County Stirlingshire
NS97NW 4.01 91329 78716
(NS 91329 78716). The dovecot near the W end of Dovecot Road is in excellent preservation; apart from a renewed roof, it is virtually in its original state. Rubble-built, it measures 18'3" by 16'3" over 2'10" thick walls.
The door is in the centre of the S side, and above this a heavy rounded perching-course runs around this building. Resting on this, above the door, is a heraldic panel dated 1647. However, the gerneral appearance of the dovecot, and some architectural details suggest that it is not older than the 18th century. It seems probable that the panel originally formed part of some other building, perhaps an earlier dovecot, and was incorporated in the present structure when it was being built.
RCAHMS 1963, visited 1953.
Westquarter Dovecote (Information from DoE {HBM} name board), is as described.
Visited by OS(JP) 10 January 1974.
Publication Account (1985)
This well-preserved lectern type dovecote now lies within a 1950s housing estate, but formerly it stood in the grounds of West quarter House which was demolished to make way for the new houses. It is rectangular on plan with a perching course for the pigeons running right around the building above the level of the door. The side walls are crowstepped half way up the upper portion of the roof and above this there is a parapet topped by scrolls and pilasters with ball finials at the corners. There are two rows of openings for the birds-a set of three above the door and a set of six halfway up the roof. Between the lower set and top of the doorway there is an heraldic panel dated 1647 which bears the initials of Sir William Livingstone of West quarter and his wife Dame Helenore Livingstone, who were married in 1626. At first sight this would seem to suggest that the dovecote was of mid 17th century date, but on architectural grounds this is unlikely, and it is probable that the panel either belonged to an earlier dovecote, or was brought from a different building altogether. In the interior there are the remains of several hundred nesting boxes, but the potence (a ladder which rotated around a central pivot, giving access to all the boxes) is missing, its position being marked by a circular socket in the centre of the floor.
For other examples of dovecotes see Newark Castle (no. 26), Crossraguel Abbey (no. 54) and Dunure Castle (NS 252158).
Information from ‘Exploring Scotland’s Heritage: The Clyde Estuary and Central Region’, (1985).
