Rendall Doocot

There can be no doubt that I rather like oddities. Dovecotes come into that category and back in 2004 I came across one on the mainland of Orkney. For those that don’t know, that’s the island group just off the North Coast of Scotland. And in that part of the world they call these structures Doocots Here is the one at Rendall.

This structure was to house pigeons. This wasn’t because they looked pretty, but rather because they tasted good. In England laws governing who was allowed to have a dovecote were strict and stringent. Unless you were a lord of the manor you could forget it. I do not know if the same law applied in Scotland. This doocot dates from 1648. This was before the union between the two countries in 1707 so although by the time this doocot was built England had a Scottish King, the two countries remained separate.

Inside the dovecote there are ledges in the wall for birds to nest.

There’s a hole in the top for birds to gain access.

Back in 2004 I was trying out one of those pairs of binoculars with inbuilt camera. It really wasn’t all that good but here’s a photo of the doocot taken with it.

Should you wish to go Doocot hunting on Orkney to find this one you take the A965 from the ferry terminal at Stromness and then turn left onto the A966 near Finstown. The last bit of the journey involves minor roads through places such as Isbister and Gorseness.

Tags: 2004, doocot, Dovecote, Orkney, Scotland