Naunton, Gloucestershire

Across the fieldsThis is one of those buildings I’d seen for years across the fields, but hadn’t got round to a proper visit until comparatively recently. Maybe at the back of my mind was the fact that I’ve featured dovecotes on this blog several times – perhaps another was a dovecote too far. But having a further look at my pictures, I’m inspired to share them, especially as this one is a little different from the others because of its history.As many readers will know, dovecotes in England were restricted in use in the medieval period – only lords of the manor or members of the clergy were allowed to keep doves or pigeons and take the birds’ young as food. Many villages had one dovecote for lord or priest, but most of these fell out of use – if not earlier, then in the 19th century, when corn prices soared and birds ate more grain than the value of the meat they produced. The dovecote in the Gloucestershire village of Naunton was one that survived because it was converted for…