Scheduled MonumentsEnglandWillington dovecot

Willington dovecot

England
List entry 1004503
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1004503
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
0.01 hectares
Grid reference
TL 10651 49966
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Willington dovecot is a Grade I listed structure located in Bedfordshire, dating to the sixteenth century. The building is constructed of red brick and stands as a notable example of a circular dovecot, a form of agricultural building designed for the systematic keeping of pigeons. The dovecot features internal nesting holes arranged in tiers, reflecting the importance of pigeon husbandry as a source of fresh meat and manure in the early modern period. Its survival and preservation make it a significant example of Tudor-period rural architecture and the material culture of medieval and early modern farming practices.

Willington dovecot is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1004503. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Willington dovecot?

Willington dovecot is a Grade I listed structure located in Bedfordshire, dating to the sixteenth century. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1004503.

Who is responsible for protecting Willington dovecot?

Willington dovecot 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 1004503.

What other scheduled monuments are near Willington dovecot?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Romano-British settlement south of Willington (1.7 km), Settlement site N of Chapel End Farm (1.9 km), Site discovered by aerial photography S of village (3.1 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Willington dovecot

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Willington dovecot'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 Willington dovecot

Willington dovecot stands on Kellaways Formation And Oxford Clay Formation (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Oxfordian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.