The 800-year-old 'pigeon house' that sits in the middle of a housing estate

For most people, parking up next to an 800-year-old 'pigeon house' would be an unusual experience.

But for those living on The Culvery housing estate in Wadebridge, it's an everyday occurrence.

Trevanion Culverhouse is a 13th-century dovecote - also known as a pigeon house, columbarium, culverhay, or culvery.

It sits at the end of a cul-de-sac on The Culvery housing estate, which was named after the dome-shaped building.

While it is now empty and surrounded by modern buildings, the 800-year-old pigeon house was once used to breed the birds for their meat and eggs.

It is now the responsibility of the Cornwall Heritage Trust - and is the smallest site the trust cares for.

"A pigeon squab (or chick) was seen as a delicacy," the Trust says. "So squabs would be ‘farmed’ when they achieved a certain age and size (normally four weeks of age).”

Pigeonholes line the walls from top to bottom, all the way around.

Originally, there would have been a rotating ladder, or ‘potence’, allowing the eggs and squabs to be collected from the nesting boxes.

Holes supported the wooden ladder mechanism and held horizontal beams in place to secure the upper end of the ladder can still be seen. The centre of the roof was designed to be open, so that the birds could enter and leave.