More information : (TQ 5054 0553) Alciston Court (NAT) Formerly Alciston
Place (NR) (1)
(TQ 5052 0557) Dovecot (NR) (2)
Alciston Court - timber-framed house altered and enlarged in
the 18th c. and later. Irregular in plan, but the front forms
a half - H and the back an L. Alciston was a grange of Battle
Abbey. (3)
Ruins of a medieval, possibly 14th c. square dovecot. An
L-shaped tithe barn, probably 16th c, is one of the longest in
the county.
Alciston Court in aspect is not outstanding, though the
interior contains some early, possibly 14th c arcading, and a
fine "king-post" roof.
The tithe barn at TQ 5050 0552 is outstanding and in excellent
condition. The dovecote at TQ 5054 0556 is ruinous. See ground
photographs. (4)
5208 ALCISTON The Tithe Barn
south west of
Court House Farm
TQ 5005 36/135B 13.10.52
2.
Alciston was a grange of Battle Abbey. This was part of the
grange buildings. Large L shaped building which is one of the
longest barns in the county and one of the finest. Probably C16.
Faced with flints with red brick quoins. Hipped tiled roof.
Hipped waggon entrance and two dormers on the south. Similar
entrance with one dormer on west side and without any dormer on
the north. Inside, the roof has alternate tie-beams with
diagonal braces and tall curved quasi-braces almost like a
cruck with a small piece across at the top instead of a point.(5)
The ruins of the dovecote measure around 11m in length and 6.5m wide, and survive to a height of about 4.5m. The walls are faced in flint, with stone quoins and chalk nesting boxes. Substantial amounts of red brick and reused masonry from subsequent repairs and alterations, suggest that a significant proportion of the building has been rebuilt, and it is estimated that only 120 of around 700 original nesting boxes survive. A later partition wall, constructed across the centre of the dovecote, divides it into 2 bays. The northern bay has partly collapsed and remains roofless, and the southern bay has been converted into outbuilding use.
As the dovecote is appropriately protected by Listing, scheduling is not recommended. The dovecote is included in the 1999 Buildings at Risk Register. (6)
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