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Scotland’s beehive-shaped stone domes are often doocots—purpose-built pigeon houses. Estate owners kept pigeons for eggs and meat, particularly in winter, and made use of the birds’ manure. The buildings also advertised the wealth and standing of the estates they served.
What were Scotland’s stone domes used for?
They housed pigeons, or “doos” in Scots. As Historic Environment Scotland (HES) puts it, “Doocots are purpose-built homes for pigeons or doves, known in Scotland as doos.” The birds provided food for the estate household: eggs and meat, including young pigeons known as squabs. They were especially useful as a winter food supply.
The birds also produced manure that could be collected and used to fertilise land. At Corstorphine, HES says it was likely used in gardens; the site’s manure may also have been used to make saltpetre, an ingredient in gunpowder, but that use is not established as fact for this particular doocot. HES’s history of doocots explains their uses and changing forms.
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How did a doocot work?
Inside, rows of nesting boxes gave pigeons places to roost and breed. Birds entered through flight holes in the outer walls. At Westquarter, HES describes south-facing roof openings and a projecting ledge, or perching course, around the structure. Such ledges offered a place to perch and could make it harder for climbing predators to reach the openings.
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Doocots could be positioned close to an estate house for practical reasons while remaining far enough away to avoid disturbing its occupants. Corstorphine Dovecot stood about 150 metres from Corstorphine Castle, which no longer survives. Its 1,060 nesting boxes made it a substantial estate resource; that figure belongs to Corstorphine, not to doocots generally. HES says pigeons likely supplied the castle kitchens and their manure likely went to the gardens. Corstorphine Dovecot’s HES history page gives details of the building and its estate setting.
Why do some look like domes while others do not?
The rounded beehive silhouette is one Scottish design, not a universal shape. HES describes circular beehive doocots as Scotland’s earliest purpose-built type, while other Scottish examples include rectangular buildings with pitched or sloping roofs, lectern-shaped forms, and towers or dovecots incorporated into farm steadings. Dovecots elsewhere in the UK also vary, so a domed roof alone does not identify a building’s purpose.
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Three Scottish examples show how much the form and dating can differ:
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|---|---|---|
| Corstorphine, Edinburgh | Sandstone, beehive-shaped; 16th century | 1,060 nesting boxes; associated with the now-vanished Corstorphine Castle estate. HES history |
| Tealing, Angus | Rectangular plan with pitched roof; built in 1595 | An inscription dates it to 1595 and names Sir David Maxwell and Helen. Its projecting ledge served as a perch and helped deter predators. HES history |
| Westquarter, Falkirk | Rectangular lectern type with a sloping roof; the building probably dates to the 1700s | A heraldic panel bears the date 1647, but HES cautions that the panel was reused; 1647 should not be treated as the construction date. HES history |
Why were doocots signs of wealth?
Keeping pigeons for food required land and a substantial building, so a doocot could be both useful infrastructure and a visible marker of an estate’s resources. Owners sometimes placed them prominently in the landscape or where they could be seen from the house, and decorative details could reinforce that display. The National Trust describes a similar combination of food supply and status in English dovecotes, whose designs include circular stone buildings and varied roof forms. The National Trust’s guide to dovecotes discusses their forms and social role.
How widespread are they, and why did building decline?
In a February 2025 account, HES put the number of listed or scheduled doocots in Scotland at around 750. That is an approximate count of protected structures, not necessarily every surviving doocot. The tradition extended from the late medieval period into the 20th century, but construction declined significantly in the early 19th century as farming and animal husbandry changed and complaints grew about pigeons damaging crops. HES’s 2025 account covers that history and the buildings’ later reuse.
How can you tell a doocot from an icehouse or bee bole?
A domed or mound-like outline is not enough to identify a structure. Look for evidence of its intended use:
- Doocot: built for pigeons, typically with nesting boxes and flight holes.
- Icehouse: usually a largely subterranean structure for storing ice, used to preserve food and cool drinks. Historic England’s listing for the High Elms ice house describes the form and purpose of an icehouse.
- Bee bole: a recess or shelter for a skep, or straw beehive—not a pigeon nesting chamber. The Bee Boles Register notes that most recorded examples are on private property; ask the owner for permission before visiting.
Where can you see Scottish examples?
HES has visitor information for Corstorphine Dovecot, Tealing Dovecot and Westquarter Dovecot. Corstorphine’s official page lists it as open all year round; check the site’s current visitor information before travelling, as access arrangements can change.
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