WILTSHIRE 



roof and small arched doorway, Is in the yard at 

 Wick Farm, Lacock. "Wick" was the pseu- 

 donym that Jefferies gave to his old home of 

 Coate; was it this place he had in mind? The 

 building, which may very well date from as early 

 as the fourteenth century, contains about five 

 hundred nests, as well as the remains of a for- 

 mer potence. 



One of the most curious and interesting 

 of Wiltshire dovecotes exists at the ancient 

 manor-house of Wilcot, near Pewsey, a place 

 mentionedin Domesday Book, andstillexhibit- 

 ing traces of monastic buildings. The "Monks' 

 Walk" is the name given to a path beside the 

 ponds known asthe "Eel Stews";and close by is 

 what isverypossiblythe almost equally ancient 

 dovecote, a circular brick building with a cone- 

 shaped roof. Above the low doorway is a small 

 square grated window. 



The door gives access to four steps, the dove- 

 cote's floor being several feet below the level of 

 the ground outside. We shallshortly see an even 

 morestrikingexampleofadovecote being part- 

 ly underground. The internal diameter is some 

 twelve feet,theheight toeaves about eighteen. 



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