Bruton Dovecote
| Bruton Dovecote | |
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| Location | Bruton, Somerset, England |
| Coordinates | 51°06′29″N 2°27′11″W / 51.10806°N 2.45306°WCoordinates: 51°06′29″N 2°27′11″W / 51.10806°N 2.45306°W |
| Area | 6 square metres (65 sq ft) |
| Built | 16th or 17th century |
| Owner | National Trust |
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Listed Building – Grade II*
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| Official name: Dovecote about 370 metres South of Bruton Church (also known as Pigeon Tower) | |
| Designated | 24 March 1961 |
| Reference no. | 1056424 |
| Official name: Prospect tower 230 m south of King's School | |
| Designated | 14 February 1953 |
| Reference no. | 1019895 |
 Location of Bruton Dovecote in Somerset
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The Bruton Dovecote is a limestone tower that was built between the 15th and 17th century in Bruton in the English county of Somerset. The structure was once used as a dovecote, and may have been a watchtower or prospect tower prior to this. It is a Grade II* listed building and scheduled monument.
It has been associated with Bruton Abbey and the Berkley family who owned the estate after the dissolution. It is known that the conversion to house pigeons and doves took place around 1780. It was acquired by the National Trust in 1915 and they have managed the site since then undertaking restoration work.
Though the Bruton Dovecote's date of construction is not known precisely, the structure was built some time between the 15th and 17th century. Architectural historian Lydia Greeves suggests that the building was once within the deerpark of Bruton Abbey and was adapted by the monks from a gabled Tudor tower. However, John and Pamela McCann, authors of The Dovecotes of Historical Somerset, claim that the structure was not built until after the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 1530s. The authors claim that the Berkley family, who acquired the lands of the Abbey, constructed the building as a prospect tower.Dendrochronological dating commissioned by the National Trust found that timber in the door and window frames came from trees felled between 1554 and 1586.
The conversion to be a dovecote took place around 1780. Pigeons and doves were an important food source historically kept for their eggs, flesh, and dung. Although it is now a roofless ruin with some of the windows blocked up, it previously had a chimney and the fireplace can still be seen. The National Trust acquired the freehold from Sir Henry Hugh Arthur Hoare of the Hoare baronets, whose family seat was at Stourhead, in 1915. The tower was subsequently designated as a scheduled monument in 1953 and a listed building (Grade II*) in 1961.
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