On many Scottish estates a dovecote (or doocot) can be found. It may be disguised as a classical temple, transformed into a cottage orn.e or incorporated into a cupola, but many doocots are more humble structures of random rubble with simple dressings that date from medieval times, when pigeons and their eggs were a valuable source of food, while their dung was used for fertiliser and even gunpowder. This book traces the development of simple beehive and lectern pigeonhouses into increasingly elaborate architectural structures associated with pioneering agricultural improvements, the enclosure of estates, and the design of pleasure grounds.