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Dovecote by Swainsley Hall in the Manifold Valley

The dovecote may predate Swainsley Hall which was built in 1867 for a London solicitor called Roscoe. A bit of a commute in those days, one would have thought. Subsequently owned by Sir Thomas Wardle, his guests included Samuel Langhorne Clemens (a.k.a.Mark Twain) and General Sir Robert Baden-Powell. It has been said that the dovecote also served as a fishing hut but I used to fish the adjacent river and never heard of it being used as such. A dovecote would be good for the supply of dove/pigeon flesh and eggs but would not make for good shared accommodation with fishermen.