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No fortress in England can boast a longer history than Dover
Castle. Commanding the shortest sea crossing between England
and the Continent, it has served from the Iron Age onwards
as a vital strategic centre. One of the country's biggest
castles, it sits high above Dover's famous white cliffs, protecting
the gateway to England. It has played an important part in
British history due to its prominence to mainland Europe,
lying just 22 miles from France, divided by the English Channel.
History of Dover Castle
There has been a defence on this site since the Iron Age
but it was King Henry the Second who built the castle
which is on this site today back in the twelve century. Dover
is the oldest recorded defence post in Britain.
Military tunnels
Not only do the white cliffs provide the backdrop to the Castle,
hidden inside them is a fascinating and secret world - a network
of tunnels carved into the chalk deep inside the cliffs.
They were built back in the Middle Ages but played an important
part in the Napoleonic war invasion in the nineteenth
century (1798), then again during the Second World War
(1939 to1945). Seven tunnels were built that could hold over
2,000 troops - the only underground barracks ever built in
Britain. The castle walls have heard secret war stories, seen
death, and were the nerve centre of Operation Dynamo
when 338,000 allied soldiers were evacuated from Dunkirk in
1940. In the early 1960s the almost empty tunnels were again
equipped and modernised, this time to serve as a Regional
Head of Government. The whole complex remained on the Secret
List until it was abandoned in 1984.
Ghost tour
If you visit the Castle it is possible to take a tour of the
tunnels, which are also thought to be haunted. Although there
are many sightings of ghosts in castles, there has
been a particularly high number of reported apparitions in
Dover Castle. Visitors and staff have seen a headless drummer
boy, a lady in a red cloak walking through the keep, and the
lower half of a man in the king's bedroom. English Heritage
also runs evening tours with a psychic investigator to delve
deeper into the paranormal activity at the Castle. The ghost
walks are held weekly during October and November for an additional
charge.
How to get to Dover Castle
Dover Castle lies high on a hill about one mile out of the
town center. Dover can be easily reached by train or bus from
London and regular ferries run form here to Calais in France.
The Castle also has a large car park and disabled facilities.
The Castle is open year round. |
