The Dovecote Tower

The Dovecote Tower, commonly known as the Pigeon Tower, stands at the northwestern edge of the Terraced Gardens.

Italian in style, the Tower was built in 1910 by Lord Leverhulme as part of his extensive Rivington estate. The first two floors were home to ornamental doves and pigeons, whilst at the top was a small sitting room that was used as a lookout over the boating lake and by Lady Lever as a sewing and music room. The three floors are linked by a solid stone staircase that runs up the semi-circular spine of the building. On rare occasions when the metal barricaded door allows access, one can still see in the top room the ornate fireplace engraved with the initials of William Hesketh and Elizabeth Ellen Lever running in a circular wheel above the family motto, MUTARE VEL TIMERE SPERNO – “To change or to fear I spurn”. Over recent years the Tower has had its floors renovated in 1974, and its roof replaced in 2005.