Dover castle is probably one of the most iconic English castles and this gateway to England is certainly worth a visit with over 2000 years of history! Buildings on the site – and it is a huge site – extend from the Roman period to World War 2 with most medieval flavours in between.
Visiting Dover Castle
The castle is one of the biggest run by English Heritage and as such is well provided with facilities. There are well signposted and large car parks, a choice of restaurants and cafes on site, the obligatory shop and expedition and seasonal events to enhance the visitor experience. I know that sounds corny but it is actually true!
Dover really doesn’t sell itself as you drive in to visit the castle. It appears very run down and with the roads to/from the port really not being designed in any aesthetic way it definitely felt somewhere to drive through rather than stop and explore.
My Experience
This was a far too brief visit to this amazing castle. The staff were excellent and we had some good chats (yes, I actually asked questions!!) with some of them. The views from the top of the keep were quite amazing although it was too hazy for photos. We covered about 20% of the sights this visit so will have to go back soon!
The site is so vast you could easily spend a full day and the exhibitions alone could keep you busy. There is also a regimental museum on the site and the option of visiting the linked Napoleonic defences on the approaches to Dover.
This link here should link you to the English Heritage plan of the castle as a pdf, like this:
This image hopefully gives an idea of the scale of the castle and the different areas available to visit.
Dover Castle Photo Gallery
History
The Romans came to Dover and left their mark in grand style in the shape of the faros or lighthouse.
It’s the tallest Roman building north of the Italian Alps that’s still left standing.
Its stone tower is almost 2,000 years old and was used as one of the beacons to guide the Roman navy across the English Channel.
A thousand years later and Dover was under the Normans who also left their mark in the shape of Dover’s huge keep.
Built between 1179 and 1188 it was a massive symbol of King Henry II’s power.
Built entirely of Caen stone, it’s 100 feet square and just under 100 feet tall.
Hidden within its walls is a gem of a small chapel dedicated to the memory of Thomas a Beckett, the murdered archbishop of Canterbury.
By the late 18th Century Dover Castle had expanded again – three and a half miles of tunnels had been dug out, some of them 150 feet deep.
The oldest tunnels were hewn out of the chalk bedrock in the 1790s, and led to a large underground chamber.
The tunnels later became an important defensive nerve centre during the Second World War.
References
The English Heritage site has comprehensive visitor information here.
The excellent castles, forts battles sites has an exhaustive account of the castle’s history here.
The summary history above was provided by the BBC here.