Dover Castle (original title: Dover Castle) - the largest palace in terms of area occupied in England - giant building, whose history goes back 2000 years! Can you imagine how long-lived he is? And today anyone can safely visit it and see with their own eyes the “key to England.” This is what both locals and tourists call it. On at the moment there is a museum there.

Where is Dover Castle in England?

Dover Castle is located in the city of Dover of the same name, in the county of Kent, on the shores of the English Channel, namely in the Pas de Calais Strait (also called the Strait of Dover) - the narrowest part of the English Channel - only 34 kilometers from Great Britain to France. That is why the palace was an important English strategic site.


It's very easy to get to. You will also have the opportunity to admire the snow-white chalk cliffs, which are a defensive fortification for the castle and no less attractive than the palace itself.


Historical facts of the ancient castle of Dover

And what kind of castle is this and who built it and why? Let's find out.


Some buildings of the palace were built before the beginning of our era. And the fortress was protected by a giant ditch dug in the Iron Age. In the 1st century AD (around the 50s AD), the Romans came to the British Isles and built 2 lighthouses on the territory of the fortress. One of them has survived to this day. You will see it if you visit Dover.


Around the 10th century, the Church of St. Mary of Castro was added to one of the lighthouses, and the lighthouse itself served as a bell tower at that time. The church survived until today.


In the 11th century, or more precisely, in 1066, William the Conqueror captured a palace in England. And already his grandson Henry II begins to build a large main tower and a defensive wall. A huge sum of £7,000 was spent on the entire construction. The main Donjon tower cost a whopping £4,000. Now the palace is completely furnished: fireplaces in each room, restrooms, running water, two large chapels and luxurious spiral staircases decorated the interior (by the way, read about the Spanish Steps in Rome). No castle could compare in power to Dover Castle.


Then in the 13th century, after the death of Henry, the north Norfolk Gate and several towers were added by John Lackland. There were fourteen of them in total throughout the fortress. During the reign of John's son Henry III, the fortress in England acquired its modern dimensions. It expanded to the whitest rocks.


During the Napoleonic Wars, and this is the 18th century, at a depth of 15 meters under the fortress, long tunnels, in which soldiers lived, numbering 2,000 people. The castle itself was strengthened and expanded for a more reliable defense of England from the French. After 1826 the castle was abandoned. No one lived here, and its fortresses were not used in any way. But about a century later in 1939 during the Second World War, the tunnels were converted first into an air raid shelter and then into a military hospital, as well as the building.


Dover Castle - as a museum for tourists and travelers

Today the castle is a huge museum complex that can be visited by everyone. The main entrance is the Constable's (Commandant's) Gate.


You can enter the courtyard through two gates: the northern one is the Royal Gate.


And the southern one is the Palace Gate.


The castle consists of two rows of thick defensive walls, in the center of which is the main tower - the donjon. The width of the donjon walls is 6.5-7 meters. The tower itself has an almost cubic shape: length and width are 30 meters, and height is 29 meters. The location of the entrance to the main tower is unusual. It is located on the second floor. In addition, there is an external staircase leading to it. In total, the donjon has 4 floors.


The first and fourth floors of the donjon were intended for utility rooms. And the second and third, having almost the same plan, served as living rooms for the kings. In total, inside the fortress there are three large halls, a huge bedroom, six smaller rooms and restrooms.

Where is Dover Castle located on the map

Dover Castle is located on the shores of the Pas de Calais, between Great Britain and France, in Dover (Kent). Dover Castle is one of the oldest and largest English castles in area. Since ancient times it has been considered the “Key to England” due to its strategically important position on the island.

The castle owes its appearance to the Romans, who came to the islands and founded it in the 1st century. AD fortress and installed two lighthouses, one of which has survived to this day. The basis for the fortress was the white cliffs, which also entered the history of Great Britain and gave it the name Albion, from the Roman “albus”, which means white.

By 600 AD, when the power of the Roman Empire was lost, the city and fortifications began to fall into disrepair. For more than 400 years, Dover continued to exist, but nothing significant, from a historical point of view, happened here until the area was noticed by Harold II, the last Anglo-Saxon king of England.

By his order, new fortifications of the castle were built within a week, and the Church of St. Mary of Castro was built, which has survived to this day. In 1066, during the invasion of England, William I the Conqueror captured the castle. Between 1179 and 1188, Dover Castle was completely rebuilt by order of Henry II. The extensive reconstruction and rebuilding of the castle cost the king 6,300 pounds sterling, a colossal amount of money at that time, almost equal to his annual income.

At the same time, the castle was equipped like a king. The architect placed fourteen towers around the castle, two of which were intended to protect the palace gates or, as they were also called, the King’s Gate. Live until the end construction work Henry II failed, and his work was continued by his sons - Richard (known as Richard Lionheart) and John the Landless (known as Prince John), who became one of the heroes of the legend of Robin Hood.

Most of the construction work was carried out during John's reign, as evidenced by government expenditure reports. Although in the first years John was indifferent to Dover Castle and remembered it only in 1204, when, as a result of constant wars, he lost most of his possessions in continental Europe.

From Normandy, John moved to Dover and, on his orders, additional defensive and utility structures were erected inside the castle. During the reign of Henry III, a fortification wall was erected around the castle, church and surviving Roman lighthouse. On May 22, 1216, the castle was besieged by Louis VIII. The siege lasted several months, but the castle received only minor damage. October 14, 1216 Louis VIII signs a truce and returns to London.

During the reign, Henry VIII, when the strength of the fortress walls was jeopardized by the increased power of the cannons by that time, Henry VIII ordered to strengthen the fortress walls of Dover Castle. During the English Revolution, in 1642, the castle was in the hands of the king's supporters, but was captured by parliamentarians by deception, without firing a single shot. Thanks to this circumstance, the castle was not damaged.

In the 18th century, during the Napoleonic Wars, the castle underwent major reconstruction; a system of external fortifications of Dover Castle was created, which was carried out under the leadership of William Twiss. Also, at a depth of 15 meters, inside the rock, special tunnels were cut down in which soldiers' barracks were located.

In 1803, at the peak of the war, more than 2,000 soldiers were held in the tunnels, and French prisoners of war were also held there. After the end of the war, the tunnels were used less and less, and by 1826 they were practically abandoned.

More than a century has passed and the tunnels have become in demand again. In 1939, the tunnels were converted first into a bomb shelter and an underground hospital, and in 1940, the underground tunnel also became the headquarters of Admiral Ramsey, from which he controlled the evacuation of the 300 thousandth army of British and French troops from near Dunker (Operation Dynamo).

Currently, the castle has been turned into a museum. Inside the castle, many rooms recreate the atmosphere of that time. Wherever you find yourself - in the Great Tower, which is a real palace in which kings once lived, in the tunnels, in the underground hospital, or among the stained glass windows of the restored 11th century church of St. Mary in Castro - a meeting awaits you everywhere with history. If you are lucky with the weather, you can also see the coast of France from the castle walls.

The castle has also been used several times for filming, for example in the fantasy film Avengers: Age of Ultron or the drama film The Other Boleyn Girl, about the time of Henry XVIII.

View across the Pas de Calais from France to Albion and Dover Castle

Among the huge number of castles in Great Britain, Dover Castle Museum is especially popular among tourists. This is facilitated by honorary title the most ancient castle in Great Britain, and numerous legends associated with the history of the castle, because for a long time it was the residence of royal families.

Story

A gigantic fortification structure appeared on the shores of the Pas de Calais Strait even before the beginning of our era, in the pre-Roman era of these lands. Subsequently, such a strategically advantageous location of Dover Castle between France and England secured it symbolic name- “the key to England.”

Very little of the castle’s previous prehistoric buildings has survived to this day, but even from these remains, historians can judge that the castle originally stood on an ancient cape, located much higher than the level of urban buildings. A clear confirmation of this fact is the moat that protected Dover Castle from the enemy and was created back in the Iron Age. In the middle of the first century AD, the lands of Dover were settled by the Romans, who began the systematic development of the city as a Roman port. For these purposes, two lighthouses were erected during that period, one of which has survived to this day.

By 600 AD, when the power of the Roman Empire was finally lost, the city and fortifications were empty and began to fall into disrepair.

For more than four centuries, Dover continued an unremarkable existence, from a historical point of view. Until this area attracted the attention of the last Anglo-Saxon king of England, Harold II, on whose orders new fortifications of the castle were built within a week, and the Church of St. Mary of Castro was built, which has survived to this day.

In the period from 1179 to 1188, Dover Castle was completely rebuilt by order of Henry II, the construction work was supervised by the architect Maurice. The extensive reconstruction and rebuilding of the castle cost the monarch £6,300, which at that time was equal to an entire annual income. However, the funds were not wasted; by the standards of that era, the castle was truly equipped like a king. There was running water and sewerage, each of the royal bedrooms was heated by its own fireplace, and one could get from floor to floor via two large spiral staircases. Within the walls of the castle there were two chapels, one of which was the person of the king.

With its number and scale of towers, Dover Castle surpassed any english castle.

The architect, with great skill, was able to place as many as fourteen towers around the castle, two of which were intended to protect the gates of the palace or, as they were also called, the King’s Gate.


Henry II did not survive to see the completion of construction work, and his work was continued by his sons - Richard (known as the Lionheart) and John Lackland (known as Prince John), who became one of the key heroes of the legend of the valiant Robin Hood. Most of the construction work was carried out during John's reign, as evidenced by government expenditure reports. Although in the first years John was indifferent to Dover Castle and only remembered it in 1204, when as a result of military actions he lost most of his possessions on the continent. From Normandy, John moved to Dover and, on his orders, additional economic and defensive structures inside the castle.


During the reign of Henry III, a fortification wall was erected around the castle, church and surviving Roman lighthouse. Later, when the strength of the fortress walls was jeopardized by the increased power of the cannons by that time, Henry VIII ordered the fortifications of Dover Castle to be strengthened. In the mid-17th century, a revolution broke out in England; Dover at that time was in the hands of monarchists, but was soon captured by deception by supporters of a parliamentary republic, without firing a single shot. Thanks to this circumstance, the castle was not damaged and has been perfectly preserved to this day.

In the 18th century, during the Napoleonic Wars, the issue of the location of soldiers, weapons and provisions in the castle was resolved in a very original way. They decided to place the soldiers’ barracks under the castle, for which purpose special tunnels were cut out of the rocks, going down to 15 meters deep. In 1803, when the war with Napoleon reached its climax, there were more than two thousand soldiers in the tunnels.

At the end of the war, they began to be used less and less, and by 1826 they were completely abandoned. But it turned out that after a little more than a century, the tunnels will begin to be used again. Second world war turned the underground tunnels first into a bomb shelter and then into a hospital. In 1940, the underground tunnels became the headquarters of Admiral Ramsay, from which he directed the evacuation of British and French soldiers from Duncker.

Dover is called "the key to England". For more than two thousand years, this fortress, crowning the white limestone cliffs above the English Channel, protected the island from all invasions from the continent. The French coast is only twenty miles from here - this is the most bottleneck Strait. And it is not surprising that Dover Castle has always been the most important strategic point, a real gateway to England. And at all times, the defenders of the island sought to strengthen this point in every possible way, for whoever owned Dover eventually owned all of England.

No other castle in England has such a long history. Yours military significance Dover survived from the early Iron Age until the Second World War. And evidence of this today are numerous historical relics of the Celtic era, found by archaeologists on the territory of the castle, a lighthouse built by the ancient Romans, walls and towers of the Middle Ages, gray from antiquity, gun platforms built during the Napoleonic wars, tunnels punched in the rocks, where during the Second World War II there were hospitals and air-raid shelters...
People lived in these places back in the Stone Age. Rising sea levels have virtually destroyed traces of the ancient inhabitants of Dover, and only a small number of stone tools have fallen into the hands of archaeologists. The age of these objects exceeds 6 thousand years. Later the Celts came here. It was probably they who erected the first fortification at the top of the White Cliffs. And the well-trained and armed Roman legions, led by Julius Caesar, who landed in 55 BC, unsuccessfully tried to take possession of it. on the coast of England - they managed to do this only a century later, in 43, under Emperor Claudius.

From the Roman Dubris - as Dover was then called - a 24-meter high stone lighthouse, the light of which once showed Roman ships the way to the port of Dover, has survived to this day. In those days it was one of largest cities England. And after the fall of the Roman Empire, Dover became the capital of the small Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Kent, founded by Germanic tribes that invaded the island. From the Saxon period, the chapel of St Mary in Castro, built in the 10th century for the garrison of Dover Castle and still used as a functioning temple, has survived to this day.

1066 was a turning point in the history of England. The Normans, led by William the Conqueror, who landed on the coast defeated the militia of the Saxon king Harald at Hastings and invaded the territory of the island. First of all, William hastened to take possession of Dover. The Normans stormed the castle and burned it, but literally the next day they began to restore the fortress: neglecting this most important strategic point would be madness.
The army of William the Conqueror stood in Dover for eight days, hastily strengthening the castle. Dover became the stronghold of the Normans, and later, when England was conquered, the main sea gate of the country. All without exception English kings they took care of strengthening the castle, but the main work was carried out here in 1168-1188, under King Henry II Plantagenet. In those years, towers and walls of the inner ring were built, the construction of an external defensive line and a massive gate tower, square in plan, began, which later received the name Constable Tower: the commandants of the fortress, the constables, lived in it.

During the Middle Ages, Dover Castle was the largest and strongest of the English fortresses. In 1216, under King John the Landless, the castle was besieged by Prince Louis, heir to the French throne. England, tormented by internal turmoil, could not muster enough troops to rescue the garrison of Dover. By undermining, the French destroyed the bridgehead - the barbican - and the tower of the eastern gate. The fate of the castle hung in the balance, but at that time news arrived of the death of King John. His son and successor, King Henry III, who had the support of the church and many influential barons, managed to unite the English forces, and the French were forced to retreat. After this, Henry III allocated significant funds to repair and strengthen Dover Castle. It was after this restructuring that it acquired its current appearance.

The castle is protected by a double ring of fortress walls. Its center is a four-story donjon tower - the tallest structure of its kind in England. Its height is 30 m, the thickness of the walls is up to seven meters. The second floor of the tower is occupied by the arsenal; the third floor housed the royal chambers. The tower is surrounded by several residential buildings, where the garrison and courtiers were located, and the Great Royal Hall, the place of official ceremonies. In 1227, the Constable's Gate was built, protected by several round towers, from which the entire area in front of the gate was covered.
In 1642, during civil war, the castle was captured by a detachment of supporters of parliament and remained in the hands of Cromwell until the restoration of the monarchy. No fighting took place here, and thanks to this, Dover Castle remained intact, unlike most other castles in England.
During the Napoleonic wars of 1792-1815. The castle has undergone significant reconstruction. It was additionally surrounded by earthen redoubts, some towers and sections of walls were rebuilt and turned into gun platforms. The network of underground tunnels under the castle, in the depths of the White Cliffs, built in the Middle Ages, has been expanded and enlarged. Units of British troops were stationed in these tunnels, drawn from all over the country to Dover to repel a possible French landing.

Dover Castle played a role in both the First and Second World Wars. Under the protection of its mighty walls there was a battery of heavy naval guns that defended the English Channel coast, and an underground hospital, bomb shelters and barracks were built in the tunnels. In 1940, the remnants of the British troops defending Dunkirk were evacuated here.
Today this castle, with its venerable age and glorious history, is one of the most popular tourist sites in England. Monuments from various eras have been preserved here. Most of the buildings date back to the 18th - early XIX centuries, when Dover housed a large military garrison.

Large and impregnable Dover Castle, England

Dover Castle is one of the largest and most impregnable castles in England. Located in the city of Dover, Kent, on the coast of the Pas de Calais between France and Great Britain. Due to its strategic location, it has always been considered the “Key to England”.

In the 1st century AD The Romans came to the British Isles, they founded a settlement on the site of modern Dover and built two lighthouses, one of which still stands on the grounds of the castle.

In 1066, during Norman conquest England, William I the Conqueror captured the castle. According to historians, after taking the castle, William spent a week building new fortifications.

During the time of King Henry II Plantagenet, the castle was significantly rebuilt. In 1179-1188, under the leadership of the architect Maurice the Engineer, a huge donjon and external fortifications around it were built.

On May 22, 1216, Dover Castle was besieged by Louis VIII. After a 3-month siege, the castle received only minor damage and on October 14, 1216, Louis signed a peace treaty and returned to London.

In 1642, during the English Revolution, Dover Castle was in the hands of the king, but was captured by deception without a shot being fired. This is what allowed the castle to survive so well to this day.

In the 18th century, during the Napoleonic Wars, the castle underwent another reconstruction. William Twiss created a system of external fortifications, and tunnels were built at a depth of 15 meters in which soldiers' barracks were built. At the height of the war, more than 2,000 soldiers lived in the tunnels.

In 1939, the tunnels were converted into an air-raid shelter, and then into an underground hospital and command post.

Dover Castle is a huge keep, surrounded by two rows of fortified walls. Donjon of Dover long time was the largest building in England, its height is 25.3 m.

At the south-eastern and north-eastern walls there are extensions, from which steps lead to the donjon, passing through three pylons. The roof over the steps was built in the 15th century.

The courtyard is surrounded by a wall with 14 powerful towers. You can enter the courtyard through the Royal (northern) or Palace (southern) gates. All gates are flanked by towers. The modern gates and swing bridges were built in the 18th century.

After the siege of the castle in 1216, the northern gate, which was damaged during the assault, was sealed. The main entrance to Dover Castle was the Castellan Gate.

In the 18th century, huge semi-bastions were built to provide the castle with additional firing positions on the eastern side. WITH west side The Bastion of the Constable was erected.

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