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Dover Castle
A castle of international fame, Dover Castle has seen enormous changes over nine centuries. It has been lain siege to, housed some of Britain’s most famous monarchs, withstood Civil War and two World Wars and was even in operational use during the Cold War. Probably some of the biggest changes are those that have taken place out of sight; Dover Castle has underground tunnel complexes that formed an integral and essential part of its defence.
Early Beginnings
The site on which Dover Castle stands has probably been used as a fortified site
since the Iron Age. It is hardly surprising; with its high cliff top position and
commanding views of the English Channel and the surrounding countryside, attacking
Dover Castle would have been very difficult indeed.
The Romans built a pharos (lighthouse) on the site; it was one of a pair that would guide the Roman fleet into the harbour. The pharos remains at the castle, although its twin fared less well; only the foundations remain, and they are situated in the Drop Redoubt fort on the Western Heights, the cliff opposite the castle.
The Saxons filled the vacuum of power left by the departed Roman legions, and it was they who constructed the church of St Mary-in-Castro, right next to the Roman pharos. It was also in this period that the Vikings were a persistent threat; it was likely that St Mary-in-Castro is on the site of a fortified settlement that had been constructed in response to the Viking threat.
William the Conqueror consolidated his defeat of Harold by building castles as he passed through the southern counties on his way to London. Although he did construct a castle at Dover, it would have been a timber palisade motte and bailey castle, and the subsequent work in the centuries after the Norman Conquest was so vast and extensive, that any trace of William’s hastily built castle has vanished.
The Medieval Castle Takes Shape
It was replacing this Norman castle that finally gave way to the familiar structure
that we know today. King Henry II commissioned the construction of Dover Castle
in the 1160’s. His intention was for work to be completed by the 1180’s, and for
Dover Castle to be one of the most powerful fortresses in Western Europe. This phase
of the castle’s construction consisted of the keep (or Great Tower), the walls of
the inner bailey and the north-eastern section of the outer bailey. King Henry II
died in 1189 and the work at Dover Castle was continued by his son, King John. Under
John, the outer defences were completed, which included the new D-shaped towers,
which were now favoured in place of the usual rectangular towers. The D-shaped towers
deflected incoming barrages from projectiles in a siege situation far better than
the rectangular ones.
In 1216 King John broke his promises given to his barons in Magna Carta. The barons immediately rallied to Prince Louis of France, who came to their aid and was even proclaimed king. Dover Castle remained loyal to King John and under Hubert de Burgh rallied a formidable defence, despite Louis’s army using all the siege tactics of the day such as undermining. The castle did not fall, but King John died a few months later and was succeeded by his son, Henry III. Louis returned to France.
Henry III then continued with work on the castle, using lessons learned during the siege of 1216. In particular the North Entrance, which had been the focus of most of the attack, was sealed to form the Norfolk Towers and a new gateway, Constable’s Gate, was added through the western curtain wall. A considerable defensive outwork (or spur) was built beyond the ditch to the north. St John’s Tower was within this ditch and a tunnel connected the outworks and St John’s tower to the curtain wall. Other important defensive works were also added, in particular Avranches Tower, which was built on the site of Iron Age earthworks.
The shape of Dover Castle remained unchanged throughout the remainder of the medieval period. Interior designs would have changed as styles and fashions came and went, and there were certainly periods when the Royal Court came to visit, including that of Henry VIII, who was also responsible for the addition of the Moat Bulwark.
The English Civil War brought destruction to many castles throughout England. Dover Castle began the Civil War as a Royalist stronghold, but a Parliamentarian trick saw the castle exchange hands without a shot fired. Thankfully Dover was therefore spared the bombardment and subsequent dismantling ordered by Cromwell on many castles which had remained loyal to King Charles I.
The Napoleonic Era
By the late eighteenth century, Britain was once again at war with France. Artillery
had changed a great deal since Dover Castle was first built; the main change being
the introduction of gunpowder. This changed things considerably, both for attackers
and defenders, and it was clear that modifications needed to be made at Dover Castle
to maintain its usefulness as a front line fortress.
In the closing years of the 18th century work began on Dover Castle by reducing the height of the medieval towers. The ditches were widened and deepened and four bastions were added, all with underground communications with the main body of the castle. These four bastions are East Demi, Horseshoe, Hudson’s and East Arrow Bastions. The spur by St John’s Tower was strengthened and caponiers were added to give flanking fire down the ditch. As all this work was going on, a major new phase began beneath the castle itself with the excavation of 7 casemates, known to day as Admiralty casemates. Four of them were for soldiers waiting to be sent to fight Napoleon on the continent. The other three were longer and were for the officers. They were built in direct response to the need to barrack these men during the Napoleonic War.
After Waterloo in 1815 work eased, but the French threat of invasion was renewed again in the 1850’s and further caponiers and ditch defences were added. In the 1870’s Hospital Battery and Shot Yard Battery were built; both face the harbour. Remodelling work was also done to East Demi Bastion.
The Twentieth Century
Dover Castle was still an active fortress during the First and Second World Wars,
and for some time afterwards. Light anti-aircraft batteries were positioned around
the castle, the most obvious being the four Bofors embrasures along the Battlements
Walk. However, this was nothing compared to the amount of work that was going on
underground.
The advent of aerial bombardment had necessitated much better shelter for equipment as well as people. The Napoleonic casemates were converted to a combined HQ for the armed forces, and became part of a huge complex of tunnels that eventually spread over three levels. The top layer, Annexe, was the site of a field hospital. Beneath that, encompassing the casemates, was Casemate level, housing all the communications and operations offices. It was from here that Operation Dynamo was planned, and Churchill visited these tunnels throughout the War.
The level beneath that is known as Dumpy level (Deep Underground Military Position Yellow). Construction began in 1943 of more tunnels to serve a similar purpose to those in Casemate. However, these tunnels were prone to collapse and were eventually abandoned. The excavation work in Dumpy did not go to waste; during the Cold War these tunnels became a Regional Seat of Government (RSG) in the event of a nuclear attack and were not stood down until 1984.
Brief History:
1179 - 1189 - Henry II begins construction of the stone castle, including the keep and the inner bailey
1199 - 1216 - the reign of King John sees completion of the outer curtain wall.
1216 - Dover Castle is lain siege to by French Prince Louis; defence of the castle is successfully led by Hubert de Bourgh. King John dies and is succeeded by his young son, Henry III.
13th Century - Henry III is on the throne until 1272 and carries out further work on Dover Castle, in particular outer defensive works such as Avranches Tower and Constable's Gate.
15th/ 16th Century - Henry VIII adds Moats Bulwark as a coastal defence. The castle later falls into poor condition as it has not been maintained since the Middle Ages. Much work is needed to prepare for a visit by Elizabeth I in 1573.
1625 - Dover Castle is greatly refurbished in preparation for the reception of Henrietta Maria, wife of King Charles I. Despite the work done, she is not impressed by the castle!
1640's - English Civil War - Dover Castle begins the war in Royalist hands, but a Parliamentarian trick ensures the smooth transition of occupants without a shot being fired. After this point, Dover Castle ceases to be a Royal residence and is a fortress garrison only.
1745 - Fears of French invasion prompt works to be undertaken at the castle, including partial demolition of some of the towers to reduce them in height, thereby providing platforms for guns and to clear the field of fire.
C.1800 - Napoleon poses a significant threat of invasion and in order to provide barrack accommodation for British soldiers prior to depolyment, casemates are excavated within the chalk cliffs directly beneath the castle.
19th Century - Throughout the remainder of the 19th century, major works were undertaken as a direct response to the threat of French invasion firstly from Napoleon Bonaparte and then in the 1850's onwards by Napoloeon III. Four major bastions were built; Hudson's, East Demi, Horseshoe and East Arrow vastly improved the fire power of the castle. Shot Yard and Shoulder of Mutton Batteries faced the harbour.
1914 - 1918 - Dover Castle was mainly used for mobilisation purposes.
1939 - 1945 - Dover Castle was a main HQ for Navy, Coast Artillery and Anti-Aircraft defences. The Napoleonic casemates were greatly extended, eventually covering three levels, providing medical care on the top level and operational areas within the lower two.
1945 - 1984 - The lowest of the three levels, Dumpy, remained in use as a Cold War Regional Seat of Government until it was finally decomissioned in 1984. Dover Castle passed into the care of the Department of the Environment, later named English Heritage.