Dovecote at Patcham Court Farm, 80m north west of All Saints Church

Reasons for Designation

Dovecotes are specialised structures designed for the breeding and keeping of doves as a source of food and as a symbol of high social status. Most surviving examples were built in the period between the 14th and the 17th centuries, although both earlier and later examples are documented. They were generally freestanding structures, square or circular in plan and normally of brick or stone, with nesting boxes built into the internal wall. They were frequently sited at manor houses or monasteries. Whilst a relatively common monument class (1500 examples are estimated to survive out of an original population of c.25,000), most will be considered to be of national interest, although the majority will be listed rather than scheduled. They are also generally regarded as an important component of local distinctiveness and character.

The dovecote at Patcham Court Farm, 80m north west of All Saints Church, is a good example of a post-medieval, functional dovecote. It survives well, mostly in its original condition, and retains much of its internal integrity including, unusually, its wooden potence. Its construction as part of a contemporary farm complex provides a valuable insight into the growing popularity of dovecotes amongst the non-manorial landowners at this time.

Details

The monument includes a dovecote, situated within the garden of Patcham Court Farmhouse, on the northern outskirts of Brighton. The dovecote, which is a Grade II Listed Building, has been dated to the 17th century, and is considered to be contemporary with the surrounding buildings which formed part of Patcham Court Farm. The circular building has a diameter of about 6m and is built on gently sloping ground. Its substantial, flint faced walls are supported on the southern, downhill side by three flint and brick-built buttresses. It is topped by a conical, clay tiled roof, lit by a dormer window on its western side and surmounted by a small pitched roof above the flight hole. Access for humans is through a low doorway on the north eastern side. Three brick steps lead down to the floor level, around 1.5m below the surrounding ground surface. Internally, the lime washed walls are lined with about 550 brick-built, square nesting boxes. Additional boxes have been infilled during past repairs to the walls. Human access to the nesting boxes is by way of a rotating wooden framework, or potence. Its central post is raised about 0.4m above the ground by a vertical oak plinth on which it pivots. Those parts of the later garden boundary walls which abut the northern and southern sides of the dovecote, and which fall within its 2m protective margin, are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath them is included.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract. It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features, considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

32271

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Law, W, Brighton and Hove Archaeologist in Our Ancient Dovecotes, Vol. 3, (1926), 128-142

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