At the point where the forebuilding stair changes direction there is a small, rather ornately carved chapel, perhaps erected as a place for more welcome guests to give thanks for a successful journey upon arrival. The hall level is double-height, with a gallery running around the exterior and several small, private chambers in the thickness of the walls.
In one of these chambers is one of the most amazing - and uncelebrated - examples of medieval engineering anywhere in Britain; a well shaft, which sinks down fully feet into the chalk beneath to reach water. To put that in perspective, the well shaft is as deep as the spire of Salisbury Cathedral is tall. The main attraction in the tower, however, at least for most visitors, is that English Heritage has painstakingly recreated the look and feel of the authentic Norman castle, with bedchambers, furniture, and decoration that echo as precisely as possible what the rooms would have looked like.
The one exception to the authenticity of the decor is that there are painted wall-hangings, where the original scheme would have had the actual walls painted. However, as one English Heritage room steward told me, they couldn't actually use paint on the walls in case they damaged the real medieval paint that still exists, so they did the next best thing.
I must say that the result is staggering; every surface appears to glow with colour. It reminds me of nothing so much as a s decoration scheme, with vivid, pure colours everywhere. It is worth remembering that medieval buildings were generally highly decorated, not bare and cold stone as we so often see them today. So it is a real experience for the senses to see the rooms in the tower much as Henry II or his descendants might have seen them.
The tower is contained within an inner curtain wall with 14 mural towers. Two pairs of towers are placed close together to form the earliest twin-towered gateways in England; Palace Gate and King's Gate.
Eighteenth-century barracks fill in much of the space within the inner curtain wall. This delightful cruciform church stands at the highest point of Dover Castle, its bands of red brick and pale stone standing out like a beacon. The size and layout of the building suggest that it was a minster, acting as a mother church for the region and served by a community of priests. Construction is of flint and ragstone rubble with Roman bricks reused in the quoins and around doors and window openings.
During the medieval period, sacred relics were kept in the church. The building was restored in but allowed to fall into decay in the 17th century. By the 18th century, the building was little more than a crumbling shell. Used as a fives court and a coal store, the church was finally restored in by George Gilbert Scott. The final touches were applied by William Butterfield in , and today the interior is typical of Butterfield's 'High Church' work, with polychrome decoration, a mosaic altar, and tiled floors.
Traditionally there were three different service times, with the rank and file attending the earliest service and higher ranks later in the day. Beside the church of St Mary stands the Roman pharos, erected to guide shipping along the coast and into Dover harbour sometime in the first half of the second century AD i. The lighthouse is built to an octagonal plan, using ragstone and flint with brick dressings and brick archways.
It is built with five tapering stages. The bottom four stages are original Roman work, while the top stage was added around by Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, to act as a bell tower for St Mary in Castro church. In the s the lighthouse was reroofed and restored to act as a powder magazine. The structure is in remarkable condition, though obviously suffering the effects of weathering. You can go through an opening into the centre of the lighthouse, which is hollow.
One of the most interesting - and most recent - attractions at Dover is the Secret Wartime Tunnels. During that conflict they acted as the command centre for naval operations along the south coast, and it was from here that Vice-Admiral Bertrand Ramsay oversaw Operation Dynamo, the evacuation of British and Allied forces from Dunkirk.
Access to the tunnels is by guided tour only, and the tour takes about 45 minutes. It consists of a series of audio-visual experiences which tell the story of the Dunkirk rescue. At the end of the tour is a museum area, with more exhibits about the Dunkirk story and about the role played by people who worked in the tunnels during the war.
From the tunnels, it is only a short walk to Admiral Ramsay's Lookout, which offers wonderful views across the Channel and east to the White Cliffs. I foolishly assumed that I could take my family around the castle in a couple of hours, and have plenty of time to see Dover itself, and pop down the coast to Deal and Walmer Castles. Oh, how wrong I was!
There is so much to see at Dover that I strongly, strongly advise you to leave at least 4 hours for a visit. If you have the time, allow hours and take it slow and easy. There truly is so much to see that to do justice to it all you really need a minimum of a half day, and, depending on your interests, a lot more.
The wartime tunnels alone will take at least 45 minutes - more if you take your time over the museum at the end of the tour, and that's not counting the time you may have to stand in line if it is a busy time of year. Perhaps a personal anecdote best sums up visiting Dover Castle; when my family had finished our visit our second in 4 days! I asked everyone which part had been their favourite. We each chose something different. Most photos are available for licensing, please contact Britain Express image library.
We've 'tagged' this attraction information to help you find related historic attractions and learn more about major time periods mentioned. Roman Saxon. Heritage Rated from 1- 5 low-exceptional on historic interest. Roman Painted House - 0. The Romans built a lighthouse within the by then abandoned hillfort in the first century AD and, on the other hill, they raised a second lighthouse and fort.
The Saxons fortified Dover town due to the threat from sea-borne raiders. The medieval castle was built within the earthworks of the Iron Age hillfort. The nineteenth century defences added a new fortress on the Western Heights and, later, to the north at Fort Burgoyne. The Admiralty Pier was built in The eastern arm and southern breakwater were constructed between and The castle occupies the site of a former hillfort.
Roman Dover. The Romans built this lighthouse in the mid-second century AD. It was one of three, the other two being at Western Heights and Tour d'Odre at Boulogne, which enabled ships to determine their position in the channel. The lighthouse was still in use in the twelfth century and in the structure was modified to serve as a gunpowder magazine. The Romans also built a fort at Dover which formed part of the Saxon Shore, a Roman military command described in the Notitia Dignitatum.
A further two - Bitterne and Caister-on-Sea - are also believed to have been part of the scheme. The forts were under the command of the Count of Saxon Shore. Colton's Gate. This octagonal tower was built in the early thirteenth century and provided access into the Middle Bailey. Inner Ward. The Inner Ward curtain wall was built in the s. It was constructed from rubble with ashlar dressings and included fourteen rectangular towers. Great Tower. Constructed from Kentish ragstone it was laced with layers of Caen stone giving it a distinctive appearance.
The elaborate building incorporated a Great Hall and high status accommodation. The Keep was protected by a substantial fore building. This wrapped around the south and east sides of the Keep and provided access directly onto the Second Floor of the Keep. Various rooms within the Keep have been furnished in a medieval style.
King's Gate and Barbican. This was one of two gates into the Inner Ward and was protected by a barbican. Constable's Gate. This was originally the main entrance into the castle. It was built by Hubert de Burgh to strengthen the northern defences after the siege where the attackers successfully penetrated the castle's curtain wall although they were driven back by the garrison.
Norfolk Tower and St John's Tower were also added at this time and were connected to the castle by a series of tunnels. The Redan was added in enclosing the earlier medieval defences.
The tunnels were also remodelled at this time. Officer's New Barracks. These were added as part of a series of upgrades prompted by the fears of French re-armament in the mid-nineteenth century. Tunnel System. Underneath the southern portion of Dover Castle are a series of tunnels. The earliest date from where passages were cut through to the cliff face to provide additional artillery positions.
The Dunkirk evacuation was planned from these tunnels. They were accessed via a spiral staircase left. Dover Castle is a major tourist attraction and very well sign-posted. There is large on-site car park.
About Us. Contact Us. Terms and Conditions. UK Map. History Introduction Dover Castle is situated high on the white chalk cliffs overlooking the English channel. The Saxons In the centuries that followed the Roman withdrawal, Kent emerged into a powerful Kingdom. First Barons' War The setbacks on the continent and the personal style of King John, who was cruel even by the standards of the age, put him in direct conflict with his magnates. Hubert de Burgh For his valiant defence of Dover Castle, which arguably saved the Angevin dynasty, Hubert was appointed its constable he was also constable of the Tower of London and Windsor Castle.
Later Medieval Period Dover Castle remained an important fortress throughout the rest of the medieval period and was continuously garrisoned. French Wars The eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries saw regular conflicts between Britain and France culminating in the Napoleonic Wars. Cold War Military use of the castle ceased in when the last Regiment to garrison the site, the Queen's Own Cameron Guards, was withdrawn.
Bibliography Allen, R English Castles. Batsford, London. Booth, K The Roman Pharos at Dover Castle. Guy, J Kent Castles. Meresborough Books. Moore, D Arming the Forts. Speedyprint, Gosport. Silvius, P Notitia Dignitatum. Smithers, D. W Castles in Kent. Toy, S There is no entrance to the castle on the ground floor. The entrance to the castle is through the forebuilding on the first floor. The ground floor of the keep would have been used for storage of supplies. Henry II began the reconstruction of Dover Castle.
The work would continue for twenty years and at the end of it, a brand new keep had been built, along with the outer walls of the inner bailey and sections of the outer wall.
Richard set sail with his crusading army from Dover Castle at the end of the year. To ensure he had the allegiance of his younger brother John, Richard had bestowed upon him the title count of Mortain and had approved John's marriage to their cousin Isabelle. But Richard did not nominate John as his heir. He had been consecrated as the new archbishop of York while in Tours and his return was banned by William Longchamp.
Several days after he arrived he was arrested. Citing the Winchester treaty, John sought another meeting between himself and Longchamp. This was agreed and the two were to meet at Loddon bridge near Reading. Geoffrey was freed, but Longchamp decided to flee and headed to Dover Castle. With events going badly in France for King John, the threat of invasion was a real possibility. To help prevent that John ordered Dover Castle to be handed over to William of Huntingfield who should defend it against attack.
To ensure he did so, William's son and daughter were taken hostage and were not to be released until the castle was safely returned in person to the King or Hubert de Burgh. Prince Louis advanced on Winchester and captured the city and its castle. Elsewhere, Windsor Castle and Dover Castle were besieged by the rebel barons. Both castles were defended and held out against the sieges.
King John used Corfe Castle in the south-west as his base of operations while he planned his campaign against the rebel barons and Prince Louis. Prince Henry, the future King of England, received his first official title before he was 2 years old.
It was the Constable of Dover Castle. Parliamentarian forces attacked any Royalist strongholds they could find in Kent including the castle at Dover. The castle was captured and was placed under the control of Parliament. Transport yourself back up to a thousand years and explore historical buildings as they may have appeared in the past. Built using the popular game development tool Unity 3D , these reconstructions will run in the most of the popular web browsers on your desktop or laptop computer.
Learn More. Uncover the lives of the hundreds of kings, queens, lords, ladies, barons, earls, archbishops and rebels who made the medieval people an exciting period of history to live through. Stone Keep. Siege Engines. Tower House. Middleham Castle. Episodes Episode Index. Z List of Medieval People. Life in Medieval Times.
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