Full Report for Listed Buildings
Summary Description of a Listed Buildings
Date of Designation
29/10/1999
Date of Amendment
29/10/1999
Name of Property
Penrice Castle Dovecote
Unitary Authority
Swansea
Location
Attached to the west side of Penrice Castle (ruins).
History
Perhaps C15; there is no datable detail, but the dovecote is likely to date from the last years of the time of occupation of the castle (which was abandoned in favour of Oxwich Castle in the early C16), when the curtain wall was no longer relied on for defence.
Exterior
The dovecote is at the south east side of Penrice Castle, standing against the external face of the curtain wall, but not built integrally with the wall; it is built of stonework identical to the castle. It is conical externally and slightly bottle-shaped internally, narrowing from about 2.5m to about 0.6m internal diameter. The doorway faces south, and there is a rebate for a lost door. There are 15 rows of nestboxes but no access openings through the wall, so the birds probably entered at the top.
Reason for designation
Listed at II* as an almost complete example of a mediaeval dovecote of corbelled construction.
Scheduled Ancient Monument (part) GM047 (SWA)
Cadw : Full Report for Listed Buildings [ Records 1 of 1 ]