Tag Archives: Dover Castle

August 9, 2023 · 5:35 am

Jewel of the Seas — Dover; More on Dover Castle


Dover Castle battlements

Today I will continue to show you the sights of the largest castle in the United Kingdom — Dover Castle. This immense fortification dates back to Henry II in the late 12th century, but it’s military history spans well beyond that all the way through World War II. Indeed, the tunnels that were so useful during WWII, when they served as both an underground hospital and military command center, were repurposed in the early stages of the Cold War as a shelter for the Regional Seats of Government.

Dover Castle

The castle itself was of vital military importance throughout WWII, as evidenced by the measures implemented to protect it:

Dover Castle artillery piece
More Dover Castle artillery

And where do you house these many military personnel? In the barracks, of course:

Dover Castle

Remember that old Roman Pharos (lighthouse) that was repurposed as a belltower for St. Mary in Castro? Here are some other views:

St. Mary’s Church and Roman Pharos used as a belltower

The castle and old Roman ruins are not the only views from high up on this hill. The vantage also affords great views of Dover far down below:

The view from Dover Castle

By now I’m thinking you’d probably like to know the opening hours for this place, and if those hours change according to season. Well, ask no more:

Dover Castle visitor information

I’ll complete today’s tour with this photo gallery/slide show. As always, just click on any image to enlarge, and to engage the slide show:

Слава Україні! (Slava Ukraini!)

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August 7, 2023 · 5:35 am

Jewel of the Seas — Dover; St. Mary’s Church and Dover Castle


Historic Dover

There are actually two St. Mary’s Churches in Dover. One resides east of town, high up on a hill next to Dover Castle (St. Mary sub Castro — St. Mary in the Castle), and it’s an ancient Saxon structure dating back to at least AD 1000, and perhaps even before. That’s not the one I’m going to show you today. Today’s St. Mary’s Church (Church of St. Mary the Virgin) is the one you glimpsed in Monday’s article. This Anglican church is around 100 years younger (circa AD 1100), with an extensive restoration conducted in 18943-1844.

The nave of St. Mary’s

As for the stained glass. I assume these pieces were part of the restoration rather than older. At any rate, they are spectacular:

St. Mary’s stained glass
St. Mary’s stained glass
St. Mary’s stained glass

The church sports eight bells:

The Bells of St. Mary’s — not to be confused with the Bing Crosby film

And these bells are located in… where else…? the bell tower:

Bell control ropes hanging from the belltower

I’ll be moving on to Dover Castle and the impressive fortifications there, but first a gallery of St. Mary’s before we do:

Now I’ll show you Dover Castle, which overlooks the city of Dover from the east. This is the view I gave you of it last Monday, as seen from Castle Street:

Dover Castle as seen above Castle Street

But today we’re going to take a much closer look:

Dover Castle

This enormous complex of fortifications, tunnels, and other structures began life as a keep built for Henry II between the years AD 1179 to AD 1188.

Dover Castle

The castle is by far the largest in all the U.K. It is at least 50% larger than even Windsor. You will spend hours walking around this place. Below you can see that other St. Mary in Castro (left background) and the ruins of a Roman lighthouse (pharos) which was later repurposed as a belltower for the church (right background):

That other St. Mary’s Church (left background), and Roman Pharos (right background)

The battlements surrounding the complex are certainly impressive:

Dover Castle battlements

We’ll really go wild looking over this enormous castle on Wednesday. Until then, here’s Peverell’s Gate:

Peverell’s Gate along the battlements of Dover Castle

Слава Україні! (Slava Ukraini!)

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