Photo: Chensiyuan / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
About this place
A Roman lighthouse from the first century AD partly survives within Dover Castle's walls.
The castle rises above the town of Dover in Kent, guarding the shortest sea crossing to France.
Henry II commissioned the great tower in 1179, and tunnels cut into the chalk beneath the castle later served as a wartime command centre.
English Heritage manages the site, and visitors can move between the medieval keep and the underground tunnels in a single visit.
Read more on WikipediaHistory
The castle's defensive position earned it the name 'Key to England'. An Anglo-Saxon church, St Mary in Castro, stands within the grounds and predates the Norman fortifications. The Crown held Dover Castle for much of its history before responsibility passed to English Heritage. The site is Grade I listed.
Architecture
The great tower Henry II commissioned in 1179 is a rare surviving example of a keep built to project royal power rather than just withstand siege. Later centuries added outer walls, a Napoleonic-era barracks, and tunnels driven into the chalk cliff itself.
Worth knowing
Vice-Admiral Bertram Ramsay directed Operation Dynamo, the 1940 evacuation of Dunkirk, from the tunnels beneath the castle, coordinating the rescue of tens of thousands of troops from a command post carved into the chalk.
Facilities
Plan your visit
Nearest station: Dover Priory Rail Station (0.7 miles)
Nearby properties
Peverell's Tower
View Peverell's Tower on heritage mapKnights Templar Church, Dover
View Knights Templar Church, Dover on heritage mapDover Western Heights
View Dover Western Heights on heritage mapFan Bay Deep Shelter
View Fan Bay Deep Shelter on heritage mapSt Mary's Church, Capel-le-Ferne
View St Mary's Church, Capel-le-Ferne on heritage mapHistoric places nearby
Within 5 miles of Dover Castle (CT16) there are 6 historic properties, including 4 historic buildings and 2 churchs, across English Heritage, Churches Conservation Trust and National Trust sites.
Within 10 miles of Dover Castle (CT16) there are 14 historic properties, including 6 historic buildings, 3 churchs and 3 historic houses, across English Heritage, Churches Conservation Trust and Historic Houses sites.
Within 20 miles of Dover Castle (CT16) there are 24 historic properties, including 8 historic buildings, 8 churchs and 5 historic houses, across English Heritage, Churches Conservation Trust and Historic Houses sites.
Facts
A Roman lighthouse, a 1179 Norman keep, and a secret Dunkirk command centre inside one clifftop fortress.
- Type
- castle
- Location
- Kent, England
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