With a title like that, how on earth could we resist linking up with this wonderful and unusual article by Lauren Axelrod? Dovecotes have been around for a millennia or two but the real beauties that we have still around today are superb examples of the form. Take a look at these fantastic structures and discover some of their history at the same time.

Dovecote birdhouses were used to house pigeons for food and flesh. At the end of a residence, a square or circular building would be constructed with holes for nesting. These structures were typically used in Medieval Europe, where these signified power and wealth.