© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw
Llantwit Major Dovecot is a medieval dovecote located in Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, and is protected as a scheduled monument under Cadw reference GM140. The structure stands on bedrock of the Lias Group, a sequence of mudstone, siltstone, limestone and sandstone that was deposited during the Aalenian period of the Early Jurassic. The local geology of alternating clays and limestones provided suitable stone for medieval building in this region.
Dovecotes served as essential resources for medieval manorial estates, housing pigeons that provided both meat and eggs year-round whilst their droppings offered valuable fertiliser for arable fields. The Llantwit Major example reflects the agricultural prosperity and organisation of its parent estate, demonstrating the structured farming practices typical of medieval South Wales during the later medieval period.
The monument survives as important physical evidence of rural life and diet in medieval Wales. Its preservation under Cadw protection ensures that this specialist agricultural building continues to inform our understanding of domestic economy and settlement patterns in the Vale of Glamorgan during the medieval period.
Llantwit Major Dovecot is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference GM140. View the official record →
Llantwit Major Dovecot is a medieval dovecote located in Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, and is protected as a scheduled monument under Cadw reference GM140.
Llantwit Major Dovecot dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a dovecote. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Llantwit Major Dovecot is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Cadw — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Wales. The official designation reference is GM140.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Llantwit Major Monastic Settlement (Site of) (0 km), Llantwit Major Gatehouse (0.1 km), Castle Ditches Camp (1.3 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Llantwit Major Dovecot's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Llantwit Major Dovecot stands on Lias Group, bedrock that formed in the Aalenian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone, limestone and sandstone.