Scheduled MonumentsEnglandAlvecote priory and dovecote

Alvecote priory and dovecote

England
List entry 1020623
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1020623
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
2.04 hectares
Grid reference
SK 25083 04236
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic England (NHLE)

Overview

History & significance

Alvecote Priory is a Benedictine priory founded in the twelfth century in Warwickshire, situated on the banks of the River Anker near Polesworth. The surviving structures include the substantial remains of the priory church, notable for its late Norman and Early English architectural features, along with a well-preserved thirteenth-century dovecote which stands as one of the finest examples of medieval dovecote architecture in England. The priory was dissolved during the Reformation in the sixteenth century, after which the site passed into private ownership and parts of the buildings were adapted for domestic use. The dovecote, with its distinctive stone construction and carefully designed nesting holes, represents the practical arrangements necessary for maintaining the priory's food stores and demonstrates the economic importance of poultry and pigeon husbandry to the monastic community.

Alvecote priory and dovecote is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1020623. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Alvecote priory and dovecote?

Alvecote Priory is a Benedictine priory founded in the twelfth century in Warwickshire, situated on the banks of the River Anker near Polesworth. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1020623.

Who is responsible for protecting Alvecote priory and dovecote?

Alvecote priory and dovecote is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1020623.

What other scheduled monuments are near Alvecote priory and dovecote?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Polesworth Bridge (2.2 km), Remains of Polesworth Abbey (2.3 km), Saxon defences (4.1 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Alvecote priory and dovecote

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Alvecote priory and dovecote's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Alvecote priory and dovecote

Alvecote priory and dovecote stands on Pennine Middle Coal Measures Formation And South Wales Middle Coal Measures Formation (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Moscovian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, coal, ironstone and ferricrete.