At Dover, Archcliffe Fort was constructed along with a temporary gun battery known as Moat's Bulwark. No upgrades were made to the old medieval castle but a small battery was constructed on the cliff edge overlooking Moat's Bulwark. Upon the outbreak of the Civil War in , Dover Castle had a small Royalist garrison of just 20 men. However, the mercantile community that formed the bulk of Dover's populace, actively supported the Parliamentary cause.
On 21 August a number of civilians from the town scaled the cliffs, surprised the garrison and captured the castle for Parliament. Dover played no further part in the Civil War. The eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries saw regular conflicts between Britain and France culminating in the Napoleonic Wars.
Between and the medieval castle was substantially modified. Artillery was installed covering the north and east sides of the site and the medieval curtain walls were lowered and reinforced with earth banks to enable them to withstand bombardment. The buildings of the Inner Bailey, including the Great Keep, were modified to serve as barracks.
Four gun battery and Bell battery were also built at this time. Further upgrades were made between and These included casemated batteries, more barracks and administrative buildings. The network of underground tunnels was also started at this time which enabled further gun positions to be installed on the cliff-face. Concurrently, a new fortification was built on Western Heights and upgrades were made to Archcliffe Fort. In the s work started on a new and larger fortification on the Western Heights.
At Dover, work resumed on the fortifications at Western Heights and a new facility, Fort Burgoyne, was built to protect the landward approaches to the port. Dover Castle itself was equipped with new seaward facing artillery whilst the accommodation facilities were upgraded to house an enlarged garrison. Dover was a key port during the First World War through which the British Expeditionary Force departed for the continent.
It performed the same duties at the start of World War II although the rapid defeat of the Allied forces in Summer meant the port was used by warships, rather than merchantmen, throughout the war. At the castle, anti-aircraft guns were installed on the eastern curtain wall and the site served as the fire-control centre for all such batteries from North Foreland to Hastings.
The underground tunnels were also utilised as a naval headquarters and it was from these that Operation Dynamo, the evacuation of the British Army from France in , was planned. Military use of the castle ceased in when the last Regiment to garrison the site, the Queen's Own Cameron Guards, was withdrawn.
However, whilst the rest of the castle was handed over to the Ministry of Works, the underground tunnels were retained to serve as a bunker for Regional Government in the event of a nuclear war.
This remained on standby until the s after which the site was finally decommissioned.. Beresford, M. W and St Joseph, J. S Medieval England - An Aerial Study. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Brindle, S Dover Castle. English Heritiage, London. Carpenter, D The Struggle for Mastery. Penguin Books Ltd, London. Coad, J English Heritage, London. Douglas, D. C and Greeaway, G. W ed English Historical Documents Vol 2 Routledge, London.
C and Rothwell, H ed English Historical Documents Vol 3 Dyer, N British Fortification in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Fields, N Osprey, Oxford. Goodall, J The English Castle Yale University Press. Huscroft, R Pearson Education Limited, Harlow. Johnson, P Bloomsbury, London. Jones, D The Plantagenets. William Collins, London. Lyon, J Mead, A Hitting the Heights. Western Heights Preservation Society. Salter, M Castles of Kent, Surrey and Sussex.
Folly Publications, Malvern. Town Fortifications. Saunders, A. D Coastal Defences since the introduction of artillery. Footer Enjoying Exploring Castles? Then Buy My Book! Love discovering the secrets of English castles? Want to own a beautiful piece of English history? It's a gorgeous book for anyone interested in English castles. Click to begin Exploring English Castles Share with friends! Uncover tales of bravery - and subterranean ghosts.
Members are able to book tickets for those included in the membership only. Any additional bookings made will be chargeable on site. Dover Castle England is an incredible fortress that perches on the dramatic white cliffs of the English channel. Unlike any other castle in England, Dover has played an important role in British history for more than years.
You could spend the best part of a sunny day exploring the grounds: on a wet and windy afternoon in November, though, much of it is outdoors so it may be a little less appealing. It extends over three levels — which include a banqueting hall, kitchen, store-room and bedroom — and has been beautifully done-up in vibrant colours to evoke the times and life of King Henry II. In peak season, jobbing actors pretend to be King Henry and his courtiers, and give a nice insight into Medieval life.
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