Dover Web

Dover Castle has often been referred to as the “Gateway to England.”  It’s a giant castle with boasts a solid determination and strength that has carried it through during troubled times.

Dover Castle stands proudly on the White Cliffs of Dover, overlooking the important Port of Dover.  The Castle has done a remarkable job of withstanding the test of time throughout its eventful history.

The current Dover Castle is dated back to the rebuilding that took place during the reign of King Henry II.  However, the site itself has been of significant importance since far earlier, back as early as the Iron Age.  We know there was an earlier castle at Dover, which was likely an Anglo-Saxon fortress.  The current fortifications were later improved when William the Conqueror arrived, and an earthwork castle was built.

Construction of the Great Tower began in the latter half of the Twelfth Century, marking the first significant work on the current Dover Castle.  The Great Tower itself is Britain’s largest, at each corner is a buttress turret, and along each wall is found a pilaster buttress. This Great Tower is four stories high and features a first and second floor and a basement with staircases connected all floors.

The amazing fore-building provides two chapels and the entry staircase.  The chapels’ decor is fascinating (the lower has a Gothic style and the upper a late Norman style). Several intact buildings at the castle were barracks that were built in the mid 18^th century, for housing a large garrison.

During Henry III’s reign, the king carried out repair and reconstruction work on the gatehouse, he also rebuilt the castle’s eastern wall.  There was additional work carried out, and the “curtain wall,” which featured 20 individual towers, creating an outer bailey that stretched to the cliff’s edge. Also, the Constable’s Gate was built; this was the time of Dover Castle’s peak potential as far as defending the country is concerned.

There is a huge network of underground tunnels hidden beneath Dover Castle.  The tunnels were built during the Middle Ages, but were extended during the time of the Napoleonic Wars, to provide shelter to soldiers.

Today the Castle is more popular than ever, but not to soldiers.  Rather, tourists find it a place of rich history and education and a must-see destination for anyone visiting Dover.