Scheduled Monument: Dovecote 60m north of St George's Church (1020408)

The monument includes a dovecote which lies in the west half of the town of Dunster just to the north of St George's Church. It was originally associated with the medieval Dunster Priory, its purpose being to provide fresh meat to the priory throughout the year by the fostering of squabs (young birds) and adult pigeons. The dovecote is Listed Grade II*. The dovecote is circular and rubble-built with a conical slate roof surmounted at its apex by a wooden exit turret also roofed in slate. The walls are 1.2m thick and the dovecote is 6m high with an external diameter of 7.2m. There is a single narrow wooden-framed doorway on the eastern side which is raised from ground level and reached by two steps; there is also a small window high on the south western side which is likely to be a later addition. The internal walls of the dovecote are lined with over 500 `L'-shaped nest holes and the structure retains a wooden potence, or revolving ladder pivoted on a central post, giving access to the nesting boxes. The central post of the potence also supports two circular feeding platforms. Restoration work in 1989 enabled the potence to be dated to the 19th century although it is believed to replicate an earlier example. The dovecote formed part of the agricultural complex attached to the Benedictine priory at Dunster and it has reputed origins in the 12th century although the present structure is considered to date from the 16th century. Following the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539 the ownership of the dovecote passed from the Priory to the Luttrell family of Dunster Castle who are reported to have continued to use it to supply birds to their table until as late as 1870. The scheduling includes the garden wall which abuts the dovecote, where it falls within the 1m protective margin.