The Doves and Doos of Aberdour Castle and it's Dovecot
Hello Hello Hivians and Hivers
"A dovecot is not just a birdhouse; it's a statement that says, 'I am of rank, and I shall have fresh squab for supper.'"
This quote is attributed to the modern Pro 3 version of my wee Gem Gemini AI tool December 15th 2025.
It does give prelude to what is to come!
Today we talk or more accurately show you the inside of a dovecot or doocot.
I have so many pictures that I have not put on the interwebbyy thing yet, well thanks to the weekly contest from @qurator I can post some pattern pictures here!
The Eye of the Doocot
Picture details .. Sat 17 May 2025 12.32 Aberdour, Scotland Camera: Google Pixel 9 Pro XL ƒ/1.7 1/24 2.02 mm ISO365 PXL_20250517_113242917.MP.jpg 12.5 MP 4080 × 3072 Ultra HDR
Apologies in advance if I intercahnge dovecot with doocot, in Scotland we call a dove a doo so dovecot is often referred to as a doocot!
It is quite tricky to actually only choose one picture that illustrates a theme of patterns, so here are a few more that highlight the dovecot and so I shall pin this post and add it to WorldMapPin.
Aberdour Castle Dovecot Bee Hive design
The dovecot is specifically described as being "beehive-shaped" and is a circular, free-standing structure.
The beehive design is considered the most elegant type and is usually one of the earliest designs, denoting its primacy as the first dateable dovecot in the parish.
The dovecot dates from the 16th century, and is first recorded in a charter from 1540!
500 fluffing years young!
Bee-ware!
I can testify to the bees working in the orchard! There are numerous bee hives in the apple orchard and it is a joy to behold!
Birds eye view!
Rows upon rows of nesting boxes!
The interior contains a large number of stone nesting boxes. In 1979, a survey recorded that there were 597 stone nesting boxes inside, though some sources suggest it could house up to 600 pairs of birds.
The only human entrance!
What was a dovecot for?
Its purpose was to provide the household with a reliable supply of meat (squab) and manure, especially during the winter months.
Have you counted 600 nesting boxes yet?
Go on, count some more!
Flabberghasted
I love history and find it fascinating that here we are standing inside something that was built 500 years ago.
The mind boggles, how many people have been inside there cathing the doves or squabs to eat?
View from the Orchard
Aberdour Castle
the dovecot was built during the time the castle was owned by the Douglas Earls of Morton. Regent Morton, the 4th Earl, who governed Scotland in the 1570s, was an enthusiast for French architecture and landscape gardening and was responsible for improvements to the gardens and terraces, near where the dovecot is located.
The dovecot was still in use as late as 1746.
View from the castle
Ruined but not dead!
Aberdour Castle is located in the beautiful village of Aberdour, in Fife, Scotland.
The earliest part of the castle, a modest hall house, dates back to the 12th century (around the mid-1100s or 1200), making it one of the oldest standing masonry castles in Scotland. It was then successively expanded and adapted over the next four centuries.
We visited in May 2025 and it shows that Scotland does indeed get good weather!
If you want to see why I am showing you a Wings picture then I implore you to go read ... Qurator's Photo Quest | Patterns
Yes I am sharing a picture with the theme Patterns
Thanks for visiting and enjoy the rest of your day and week too!
Some facts are courtesy of my Gemini 3.0 Pro account but all images and ramblings are from me, the mad Scotsman TengoLoTodo unless otherwise stated. All photos captured with my Google Pixel 9 XL Pro on Saturday 17th May 2025 at Aberdour Castel, Aberdour, Fife, Scotland... @tengolotodo December 15th 2025
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Magic thank you and Merry Christmas to you guys
You have been manual curated and upvoted by @ecency
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Cheers Mick and Merry Christmas
That is one way to make use of the space to have so many dove. because here soem of the dove lovers use cages like nest, and it took quite a lot of space, and the poo, is something else.
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it is amazing that they are still standing strong although they are that young. outlived their builders.
anyway, all the best on the contest Ed. :)
Thanks Eka, well this was like bird farming, and when we are hungry we need to eat! There are lots of these all over the country in different shapes. Thankfully it was not in use, so yeah no poo
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I never would have guessed the use for it. That is pretty cool though. It seems to have stood the test of time quite well compared to the other structures. I guess that just speaks to the design of the building.
Yeah considering it has not been used for close to 300 years it is in great shape. There are tower shaped ones here too, and it made for a great source of food. The landed gentry had to have their daily meat after all!
Very interesting!
For a non-English audience, it's not an easy task to find the meaning of "dovecot", mostly because the biggest open-source mail server for Linux wears that name... 😃 I thought that I knew what you were writing about, but I didn't see any doves, so I got in doubt... 😃
Now that everything is crystal clear, I have to admit that seeing a dovecot standing for over 500 years isn't something that you can expect to see... Some castles didn't survive that long!!! It looks like doves kept this one in order...
Thanks for sharing! I had no idea what a dovecot looks like! Always happy when I learn something new!
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There are quite a few dovecots here, most seem to be the typical tower type, but it is always fun seeing a beehive desgin. I am surprised you guys didn't have them back home. Thanks for the pic and glad you found out the meaning. Mind you the lack of live doves or doos mught have thrown you! Doo and Doocot is my brainwave for today and will use on Mrs T's youtube video for her Scottish word of the day section!
Have a magical week Zoltan and Merry Christmas to you and the family.
Whaur are the doos? 🤔
Been dead for nearly 300 years!
😮 I missed a line from the script, I didn’t pass the audition. 🤣
That house looks so comfortable...
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Thank you for the curation
I would just admire it from a distance. I would be scared to come inside. My imagination is running wild😌😌😬
It is safe now, but yes 300 years ago when they used lol imagine the hundreds of birds 🤣
Fascinating design, with history to be told, absolutely stunning seeing this through your lens. Aye a sunny day for sure, must be dreaming it was only like yesterday!
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Hive block chain is like a school to learn. This is my first time of seeing and hearing about Dovecot. It is truly fascinating.
I have read so much about Scotland in book..I will visit someday
I think I would die of claustrophobia if I went in there, and after Hitchcock, I feel like birds aren't so harmless. hahaha. Excellent photos, especially the one of the dovecote roof. Hugs and congratulations! We won yesterday
These things are so cool! I was in the one in Crail and it was a grand old sight loooking upward to see all the nesting boxes!