In Wellington, the Stocks House dovecote is a very fine example of a dovecote. It’s early 18th century, octagonal with “diaper patterns in flared headers” – the brickwork patterns outside. The interior is circular and there are row upon row of nests, reaching all the way down to the ground. The lantern – the entrance / exit point for the pigeons, and a statement architectural feature, formerly had a ball on the top of a spike. The lantern, and the dovecote itself, has repeatedly fallen into repair. Most recently it was restored by James Matthews and Stephen Makin in 2016 with the pinnacle being topped by a typical weathervane.
There’s a small display of the history of this and other dovecotes, and how Wellington dovecote has been used as an emblem for the village in recent decades.
You can visit the dovecote any day throughout the festival during daylight hours. There is parking at Wellington Community Centre (by the School) and it is a short walk down the village to the dovecote.
The dovecote is opened by kind permission of the Makin family.
