Dovecote no longer at risk!

We are delighted to announce that the dovecote at Canons House & Grounds has been officially removed from Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register. This is fantastic news!

The dovecote at Canons House & Grounds is thought to be the oldest building in Mitcham and is Grade II listed. There is a date stone inside the building which reads 1511, however we cannot be sure that this marks the construction of this building or whether the date stone was repurposed from another older building. That said, the dovecote certainly dates back to the medieval period, is very, very old, and predates the building of Canons House (1680).

Pigeons or doves were an important food source in the medieval period and dovecotes were built as a place for the birds to nest. Feathers were used inside homes and dung as a fertiliser on the land.

We wish to thank Simpson and Brown, Buxton and Southern Green for their work on the conservation of this important historic building and The National Lottery Heritage Fund and National Lottery Community Fund.

There will be opportunities to come and visit the dovecote in the new year.