A circular dovecote, medieval house sites and the earthworks of former field systems give Sibthorpe a distinct historical character. Its history ranges from the design of a single building to the structure of the village and its agricultural land. If you want to focus your trip on architecture and the history of a medieval settlement, Sibthorpe offers several points of interest: a surviving dovecote, traces of former dwellings and the historic field system.
The dovecote: its design at several scales
Sibthorpe’s dovecote is a circular stone building measuring 10 m in diameter at the base. Its roof is conical and tiled, and the building still stands at its original height. Inside, the structure is divided into 28 horizontal tiers, each containing 40 or 42 nesting boxes. The dimensions and roof shape describe its exterior, while the tiers and boxes reveal its carefully organised interior. This building combines a simple circular form with a finely detailed internal arrangement.
Village and fields: medieval traces
The abandoned area of the medieval village includes surviving standing remains, buried remains and earthworks. Rectangular platforms mark the sites of medieval houses. Parts of four medieval fields combine to form a ridge-and-furrow landscape and are among the remains of the open-field system. The platforms represent individual dwellings, while the earthworks reflect the larger organisation of the fields. Together, they reveal two distinct scales of the settlement’s history: former buildings and an agricultural landscape.
Church and college
The parish church of St Peter’s has a west tower, a chancel dated to 1335, a nave dating from the late 18th century and a vestry from the late 19th century. The chancel dates back to a medieval building phase; the nave and vestry represent much later periods. Several building phases of a single structure are visible side by side.
The College of Secular Priests in Sibthorpe existed from 1325 to 1540. Its foundation charter was issued in 1341 and provided for eight priests and two clerks. The college buildings are thought to have stood in Hall Yard, east of the church; archaeological evidence supports this assumption. Apart from the remains of a possible enclosing ditch, nothing there can be measured. No standing college buildings survive.
Top Green: double moat and fishponds
The site at Top Green is a good example of a double moat connected to fishponds. Unlike the church and dovecote, the focus here is on how the moats and ponds work together. Top Green thus adds another type of designed landscape to Sibthorpe’s historical character.
Plan your journey
A timetable for route 354, effective from 8 April 2024, lists Sibthorpe, Main Street, on the Newark–Elston–East Bridgford–Bingham route. Check the current timetable before travelling.
Discover more destinations: Upper Broughton, Coddington, Haughton, West Bridgford, East Retford, Woodborough, Chilwell, Ordsall
For the overview of the wider area: Nottinghamshire.
