Corsbie, Dovecot

A dovecot once stood near the steading of Corsbie but was demolished in 1970. It may once have functioned as an ancillary structure attached to the now-ruinous Corsbie Tower.

Photographs taken in 1961 show that the dovecot was a square structure with a slated roof. It was built from coursed rubble with dressed quoins, or corner stones, and lintels over the doors and windows. There is some evidence of alteration work to the building, as some windows appear to have been blocked up. This may reflect a change of use at a later stage in the building's history.

Pigeons offered a regular supply of fresh meat during the long winter months. Dovecots come in a variety of shapes and forms, but all had a similar internal layout, with stone nesting boxes arranged to prevent foxes and rats from destroying the roosting pigeons.

Text prepared by RCAHMS as part of the Accessing Scotland's Past project

NT64SW 55.02 60658 44116

Square type, demolished c. 1970.

C A Strang 1994.