MSO8017 - Late medieval dovecote at Blackford Farm (Building)

[SS 9247 4528] The mansion house of the manor of Blackford belonged to the Lovel family in the 13th Century. The dovecote, a building of 15th Century character, still remains intact. [1] The manor house was burnt down in the late 19th Century. Its site at SS 9241 4526 is now occupied by modern farm buildings. The dovecote, a circular building with 302 nests, is in a good state of repair. See GP AO/65/181/4 [2,13,3] Dovecote belonging to Blackford Farm. Grade II*. Circular medieval dovecote, rubble with conical stone roof. [4] (SS 9247 4528) Dovecot (NR). [5] SS 925 453. Blackford Farm Dovecote. Scheduled. [6] Dovecot. Late medieval. Coursed random rubble, partly roughcast, conical stone roof rising from moulded cornice, open in centre. Circular in plan. Square headed plank door with renewed brick lintel. Interior: 11 tiers of irregularly spaced nesting boxes rising to eaves level, said to number 302 in all. No evidence of a potence or other interior features. The manorhouse at Blackford was destroyed by fire in 1875 and the dovecot was aquired by the National Trust in 1944. Scheduled Ancient Monument (Somerset County No 207). [7-9] SS 92474528. Late medieval dovecote at Little Blackford. Scheduling affirmed with new national number (was Somerset 207) on 3 September 2002. [10] Associated with the mansion house of the manor of Blackford which was burnt down in the 19th Century. [11] The Scheduled Monument Condition Assessment of 2009 gave the site a survival score of 3. [14] The building was visited in May 2012 as part of the rapid condition survey of Exmoor's Listed Buildings 2012-13. It received a BAR score of 4. [15] The site was surveyed in April 2015 as part of the 2015 Exmoor Scheduled Monument Condition Assessment. It was given a survival score of 9. [16] The dovecote is depicted and labelled on 2020 MasterMap data. [17] This record was enhanced as part of the National Record of the Historic Environment to Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record data transfer project. [18] The building was surveyed as part of the 2018-19 rapid condition survey of listed buildings. It received a BAR score of 3A. [19]