These are the only surviving buildings from the Grange belonging to Tewkesbury Abbey. The abbey had been given the land, shortly before he died, by Robert Fitzhamon, Earl of Gloucester and first Norman Lord of Glamorgan. The grange was run by lay brethren and the revenues remitted to Tewkesbury. The Gatehouse, which dates from the fourteenth century, was the main entrance into the farm complex and may have served as the Bailiff’s dwelling or guest house. The archway, though blocked up, is clearly visible and the height of the gable walls suggest that the building was once thatched.
The dovecot dates from the same period. Doves and pigeons were not only a source of food during winter time, their feathers were also used in pillows etc, and their droppings were spread on the land as manure. The circular form of the building enabled the maximum number of nesting places to be constructed in the walls and internal wooden platforms were usually included to give easy access to collect eggs.
