Down a quiet cul-de-sac a short walk from the centre of Wollaton village lies Wollaton's hidden gem, the 16th century Dovecote where you will step into a remarkable building and back into Wollaton history. This is one of the main attractions in Wollaton but remains little known.

Built around 1565 by Sir Francis Willoughby in fine hand-made red brick and original pantile roof, it has his initials in black brick above the main door. The Dovecote is one of the oldest buildings in the village and pre-dates the completion of Wollaton Hall; it is also one of the oldest dovecotes in the country. Dovecotes were an important source of food in the winter and were kept by most important people. It originally stood in the middle of a field to prevent the nervous birds being disturbed.

It continued to be used as a dovecote even after Sir Francis built the 'new' Wollaton Hall in 1588. By the 1880’s it had been converted into stables and three windows, a rear door and a floor had been added. However, after the sale of Wollaton Hall and its Park and the wider estate in 1925 to Nottingham City Council, it began to fall into disrepair; by the 1960’s it was in danger of being demolished. A local campaign ensured its survival and it was restored by the Nottingham Civic Society and re-opened in 1987; it is now a Grade II listed building, owned by Nottingham City Council.

Now housing the Wollaton Historical & Conservation Society’s Dovecote Museum, volunteers put on a variety of exhibitions in the summer months.

• Events: Our current programme can be found on the Events page.
• Admission: Free admission and free walk (on selected dates). The museum receives no funding and relies entirely on visitor donations. Donations are most welcome on the day, or by using the Donate button shown on the bottom of our Home page.
• Groups: The Dovecote Museum welcomes group visits by prior arrangement. (We will tell you about the Elizabethan building, its restoration, life in Tudor times, as well as the exhibitions and specific display items.)
• Location: Dovecote Drive, Wollaton, NG8 2NB. Click the Google Maps link.
• Travelling by bus: NCT no. 30 to 'Admiral Rodney' / trentbarton the two to 'Birdsall Avenue' (then a short walk).
• Facilities: There are no toilets in the Dovecote Museum, although there are facilities nearby.
• Safety: Due to uneven floors and steep stairs please take care when visiting and be responsible for your own safety.
• Contact: For general enquiries and group bookings please use our Contact form.

The Dovecote is owned by Nottingham City Council and leased by Wollaton Historical & Conservation Society.

A bit more history

The purpose of the building was purely to provide fresh meat and eggs all year round to the Willoughby household and guests. Sir Francis was one of the wealthiest men in England, and the importance of the building as a status symbol and means of providing fresh meat cannot be overstated and the Wollaton Village Dovecote is a unique and remarkable building.

Originally there would have been no windows, floor or internal walls. Access was from the one door, which now leads to a private garden. The building is 41 ft by 21 ft with a height of 33 ft. It faces south-east to catch the early morning sun. Originally there were approximately 1,180 L-shaped nesting boxes on all four walls, sufficient for over 5,000 birds.

The doves were domesticated descendants of the rock dove, the same size and appearance as the town pigeon of today. They came and went through two glovers, an anglicised French word for 'opening', one centrally placed on the ridge and the other at the eaves. The doves foraged for themselves but, especially in winter, they were given supplementary food such as hard grain or grey peas. There would also be a supply of water and somewhere for them to bathe.

A pair of doves produced two chicks up to eight times a year, often starting a second nest before the first brood flew. From May to September the young birds, called squabs, were a regular source of food. They were usually culled at four weeks before the breast meat was toughened by exercise. Adult birds would be eaten after long, slow cooking and were also supplied to falconers as food for their birds of prey. The feathers and down were used for bed quilts and pillows. The dung was a very valuable fertilizer and a source of saltpetre (potassium nitrate) used for making gunpowder and for tanning leather.

After the sale of the Middleton Estate in 1925 the building fell into disrepair. In 1951 the building was described as 'derelict' and by the 1960's Dovecote Drive was constructed and new houses built. The dovecote was now surrounded by houses and was effectively abandoned, covered in a mass of ivy. This photograph was taken in 1969 after a stable, on the right of it, had just been demolished to make way for a bungalow being built nextdoor.

Restoration of the building was funded by Nottingham Civic Society and supervised by John Severn and Eddie Woolrich. The official opening ceremony was held on Saturday 18th July 1987. It is from that restoration that Wollaton Village Dovecote Museum was created.

A tour of the Dovecote

The stairs off the entrance room are the fire exit so to progress through the museum please go through the archway (mind the step!) and notice the small door to your right. This is the original oak door which provided the only access for people into the building. The birds came through the glover on apex of the roof. The building has opened as a museum since 1987 when the first few artefacts were displayed on a table top. Over the years the collection has grown as local people have donated items and the parlour and scullery you see today displays just some of them. Can you see the pieces of needlework, knitting, crocheting and the sewing machine? How many things do you see which remind you of your childhood?

Photograph albums of classes of pupils at The Russell School over many years are available to see. Did you attend the Russell School? Can you find yourself on a photograph and can you remember names of your school friends?

There is also an album of photographs of weddings which have taken place at St Leonard's Church. Every wedding ceremony which takes place is a part of history and this album is an important record of local history, conserved for the future. Were you or any of your family married at St Leonard's Church? Would you consider letting us have a photograph to scan so we can include it in the album? If the albums are not out on display, please ask one of our volunteers for help.

Research into the old families of Wollaton is included in a series of folders. These are also available to browse through. 

Now take the stairs to the first floor. Take care because the stairs are steep but there are hand-rails on each side. Note that if you are uncertain, it is easier to come down again backwards. Volunteers are on hand to guide you. In 2019 a display of old maps 1774 to 1952 includes aerial views and photographs guiding visitors through the story of how Wollaton grew from a Medieval hamlet to the present day 21st century city suburb. There is a distinctive shape of the road junction from Church Hill into The Square outside the Admiral Rodney and it is easy to pick up that shape on each map and fascinating to see the development of Wollaton Village.

Room Two upstairs is dedicated to the restoration of the Walled Garden at Wollaton Park.

Exhibitions

• There is a replica parlour and scullery dressed with objects and furniture from the late 1800’s to early 1900’s.
• Regularly changing exhibitions of old photographs and plans of Wollaton through the ages.
• The history of the Wollaton Dovecote and its restoration.
• The story of the 508th American Airbourne at Wollaton Park.
• Exhibition of Tudor Costumes, which first appeared in 2018.

Also available for viewing are details of recent research projects:

• Details of those who lived in the Wollaton area who served in the First World War.
• Comprehensive data relating to burials at the St Leonard's Church cemetry and the newer cemetry on Bramcote Lane.
• Many years of the Russell School, with photographs.
• Results of research in the development of Parkside.
• Transcriptions of census records.

We hope you enjoy your visit to the Dovecote Museum and will come again. The more you look at the exhibitions, the more you see, so it is well worth a re-visit!

There would never have been a garden at the Dovecote, it is a functional building, surrounded by farmland. Since the 1987 restoration a garden has been created. The garden is popular with visitors.

The Dovecote Museum garden first received a prestigious Green Flag award in 2019 recognising the achievement of a national standard for parks and green spaces and has continued to do so every year. 

The Britain in Bloom 'It's Your Neighbourhood' scheme awarded the garden a Level 4 assessment of "Thriving".