It is generally supposed[1] that this building was originally a belfry of the monastery, and that it was, at a subsequent period, converted into a pigeon house; but it is much more likely that, besides being the belfry, it was also the pigeon house of the monastery from the first. It appears to be still very much in its original state. The walls which support the central portion (Fig. 1408), which rise from arches in the interior (Fig. 1409) and give the structure its belfry-like aspect, are evidently as old as any other part of the structure, and the supporting arches with their corbels are not insertions.
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Fig. 1408.—Monastery of Red or Trinity Friars, Dunbar.
It will be observed that in order to get solidity and strength in the walls under these arches, the nests or pigeon holes are almost entirely left out in those portions (see Fig. 1409). The cross beam and upright post seen in the sketch are old. The ladder, which is fixed, enabled a man to go up and search for the eggs.
This monastery was founded in 1218 by Patrick, sixth Earl of Dunbar,
- ↑ History of Dunbar, by James Miller, p. 184.
