Willington Dovecote & Stables - Open afternoon

The dovecote and stables are two of the remaining buildings that survive of Sir John Gostwick's manorial complex, built in the 1530s.
It’s believed that King Henry VIII held his council meeting at Willington and if so, Gostwick would have needed to offer lodgings fit for a King. It's possible he remodelled an earlier farm building to make accommodation for extra guests on the first floor of this building, or perhaps it could have been a hunting lodge or a banquet hall? Whatever the truth of it is, this is a high-status building, generally considered too extravagant to have been built originally as a stable
Willington Dovecote is one of the largest and best-preserved examples of a 16th century dovecote in England. Step inside and you’ll be surrounded on all sides by tall walls featuring 1,500 nesting boxes, built to house around 3,000 pigeons. A real status symbol.

Timings

Sunday 20 September:

2pm - 5pm

Location & directions

Church End, Willington, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK44 3PX

Contact on day:

Ellie Burke

Telephone number:

+441480301494

Booking information

Pre-booking requirement:

Pre-booking not required

Accessibility details

Grass parking Steep steps inside the stables to access the first floor Uneven flooring in both buildings There are no toilets or refreshments on site - there is a toilet in the church next door

Additional information

Our enthusiastic volunteers will be able to tell you lots about noth buildings You can add to your pin badge collection with a special fundraising pinbadge of the dovecote

Check out our online channels

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