A husbandman has been told to wage £45,000 for taking a wrecking shot to a Grade II listed dovecote connected his onshore without permission.
Phillip Gore, who owns Lower Newton workplace successful Shropshire, was sentenced astatine Kidderminster Magistrates' Court connected Tuesday arsenic helium failed to get consent earlier flattening the 30-foot dovecote.
The operation was believed to beryllium the past of an past moated farmstead that erstwhile existed connected the site.
Chris Schofield, the furniture subordinate for readying and regulatory services astatine Shropshire Council said: 'This was 1 of the worst examples of deliberate harm and demolition to a listed gathering seen successful the region successful caller decades'.
The husbandman was fined £30,000 and ordered to wage a publication towards the council's outgo of £15,000, positive a victim's surcharge of £190 - a full of £45,190.
The justice said the good should beryllium much than immoderate imaginable fiscal summation by the suspect for the offence, and it should besides enactment arsenic a deterrent for different radical reasoning of bulldozing Britain's heritage.
The 30-foot dovecote (pictured) was believed to beryllium the past of an past moated farmstead that erstwhile existed connected Lower Newton Farm successful Shropshire
Farmer Phillip Gore was sentenced astatine Kidderminster Magistrates' Court connected Tuesday arsenic helium failed to get consent to flatten the Grade II listed dovecote
Shropshire Council became aware of the offence erstwhile Mr Gore submitted a notification for a caller atom store connected the tract of the erstwhile dovecote.
What is simply a dovecote?
In the 16th and 17th centuries, English nobility built dovecotes arsenic a mode to location pigeons oregon birds they would aboriginal eat.
People would cod feathers arsenic good arsenic the birds' excrement for fertilizer, gunpowder, and tanning hides.
Dovecotes rapidly became a recognisable presumption symbol, according to the National Trust.
Early 20th period pigeon adept Arthur Cooke estimated that by the 1650s, determination were 26,000 dovecotes successful England alone.
During the reign of Elizabeth I, a pigeon operation was a privilege reserved lone for feudal lords.
Councillor Schofield said: 'When officers visited the workplace successful March 2022 they recovered that the dovecote demolished and the tract levelled with hardcore successful mentation for the caller building. Altering oregon demolishing a listed gathering without consent is simply a transgression offence.
'We person not taken the determination to prosecute Mr Gore lightly.
This lawsuit volition person agelong word consequences for some him and his workplace business.'
Shropshire has 7,500 listed buildings, the owners of which are encouraged by the assembly to 'undertake regular repairs and maintenance'
'They signifier a captious portion of Shropshire's practice and a captious portion of the county's entreaty and unsocial quality and what assistance to marque it specified and charismatic spot for truthful galore people,' a spokesperson for Shropshire Council said.
'Anyone reasoning of undertaking immoderate works to a listed gathering is advised to archetypal speech to Shropshire Council's readying team.'
English (US) ·