Dovecotes were popular from medieval times through the nineteenth century, housing domesticated pigeons or cliff doves. These birds were a valuable source of winter protein, and by the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, their guano became a prized fertilizer. Early Bedfordshire dovecote references include one at Cainhoe in 1272, part of a large estate; another at Stevington, ruined after the 1349 plague; and a dovecote and rabbit warren being added to Bedford Friary in 1460.
The Willington dovecote, built by John Gostwick in the early 1540s, is particularly significant. Gostwick came from a family of tenant farmers but rose to prominence as Comptroller of Thomas Wolsey’s household, responsible for overseeing expenses. In 1529, he bought the manor of Willington, and despite Wolsey’s fall, Gostwick remained in favour with Henry VIII, who tasked him with collecting revenue from religious houses in the area. He later managed funds from the dissolution of monasteries and was knighted in 1540. Henry VIII even visited Willington in 1541, holding a meeting of his Council at Gostwick’s manor.
In Tudor England, large dovecotes, like the one Gostwick built, symbolized wealth and status. Pigeons were a luxury food, served at banquets or given as gifts, affordable only to the rich. Gostwick's dovecote, likely lime-washed on the outside, was cool and dark inside, protecting birds from predators. It contained 1,500 nesting boxes, capable of housing up to 3,000 birds, with new hatchlings arriving frequently. At the season's end, the best birds were kept for breeding, while older birds were given to servants for food.
However, for local tenant farmers, the pigeons posed a problem. They fed not only on leftover grain after harvest but also on seed grain and vegetable leaves, making them a threat to crops. Despite this, the dovecote was an unmistakable sign of Gostwick’s wealth and success.
Willington Dovecote is managed by the National Trust. The exterior can be viewed all year round but access to the interior is limited to one afternoon a month from April to September.
This article is a summary of the original article found on the CPRE Bedfordshire website here.
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