Chillington Hall dovecote is put in place

It weighs two tons, took seven months to build and will house 1,500 birds.

A topping out ceremony has been held to celebrate the creation of a dovecote at a Georgian stately home in Staffordshire.

The bird house has been built at Chillington Hall, near Brewood.It has been placed on top of an 18th century stable block as part of a £100,000 renovation.

It is part of a wider renovation programme at the listed home, which last year won the prestigious Sotherby's and Historic Houses Restoration Award.

A replica of an octagonal Georgian dovecote, which stood on top of a building in the hall's courtyard in the early-1730s, was created by roofers from RS Miller Roofing, in Brierley Hill, along with Horseley Huber Architects in Stafford.

Chillington Hall has been home to the Giffard family for more than 800 years.

Current occupant John Giffard, who is the 29th generation of the family, said the stables had been on the English heritage at-risk register due to its dilapidated state.

The 58-year-old former chief constable of Staffordshire Police said he hoped the work would mean it could be taken off the list.

He said: "It has been a difficult job but very skilled people have been working on it."

The dovecote was craned into place at the end of April and the work was made possible by a grant from Natural England.

Tracey Hill from Natural England was among a number of guests invited to lay the final tiles on the zroof.Mr Giffard's wife Crescent also laid a bunch of yew in the roof.

Placing an evergreen plant in the roof of a new building is traditionally considered to bring good luck.The Giffard family said it now plans to bring in doves to live in the new dovecote.