Now more likely to be considered a nuisance, pigeons and doves were considered a valuable source of all year round meat, feathers for furnishings and their waste products as manure. Dovecotes for the housing of the pigeons and doves date back to Norman times with only the

aristocracy allowed to keep them up until the 16th century. The dovecotes were therefore something of a status symbol and were often built in a prominent position and to a quite grand design.

The two dovecotes above are situated at Guisborough Priory and Caldwell respectively. Images courtesy of Pheobe Newton and Hugh Mortimer (CC BY-SA 2.0)