Ancient pigeon house dating back 800 years sits on quiet Cornish cul-de-sac
The 13th century building in the middle of a housing estate was designed for breeding pigeons to eat as a delicacy
Tucked away at the end of a cul-de-sac, in the land of bungalows and conservatories, stands an unusual little building at odds with its modern neighbours. When it comes to local amenities that you might expect to find on a housing estate, this is not one of them.
Play parks? Yes. Shops? Sometimes. But 13th century dovecotes designed for farming pigeons to eat as a delicacy? Not so common. Unless, of course, the housing estate is in Wadebridge.
Taking its name from the 800-year-old building that the houses were built around, The Culvery housing estate was built in the late eighties. At the same time, to coincide with the development, Trevanion Culverhouse came into the care of Cornwall Heritage Trust, becoming the smallest site that they own.
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A culverhouse is a dovecote, also known as a pigeon house, columbarium, culverhay, or culvery. These specially designed buildings were used primarily to breed pigeons for their meat and eggs.
Dating back to the 13th century, Trevanion Culverhouse is thought to be one of only four surviving examples of its kind in Cornwall. Centuries before the arrival of its neighbours, the pigeon house would have served the nearby Trevanion Manor, at a time when only manorial lords had the right to keep doves or pigeons.
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Article first published in 2023
Cylindrical tower dovecotes like this one were common between the 14th and 16 centuries. They were built with whatever stone was available locally, and placed away from large trees from which birds of prey could mount an attack.
(Image: Greg Martin / Cornwall Live)1 of 14
According to Cornwall Heritage Trust, “the main purpose of a dovecote was to provide food. A pigeon squab (or chick) was seen as a delicacy, so squabs would be ‘farmed’ when they achieved a certain age and size (normally four weeks of age).”
(Image: Greg Martin / Cornwall Live)2 of 14
Inside the dovecote it is empty, with pigeonholes located in the walls from bottom to top, all the way around. However, originally there would have been a rotating ladder, or ‘potence’, allowing the eggs and squabs to be collected from the nesting boxes.
(Image: Greg Martin / Cornwall Live)3 of 14![At the end of a cul-de-sac on a housing estate in Wadebridge is Trevanion Culverhouse, a 13th century dovecote that was used to breed pigeons for their meat.]()
The holes that supported the wooden potence mechanism and held horizontal beams in place to secure the upper end of the potence can still be seen. The centre of the roof was designed to be open, so that the birds could enter and leave.
(Image: Greg Martin / Cornwall Live)4 of 14![At the end of a cul-de-sac on a housing estate in Wadebridge is Trevanion Culverhouse, a 13th century dovecote that was used to breed pigeons for their meat.]()
Trevanion Culverhouse is just over 20 feet high, with an internal diameter of around 11 feet.
(Image: Greg Martin / Cornwall Live)5 of 14
