Dover Castle

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• Behind The Scenes: Going Underground
• The History of Dover Castle

Behind The Scenes: Going Underground

Front Line Town
Dover has always been at the forefront of Britain's coastal defences. William the Conqueror, Henry II and Henry VIII all reinforced the town in response to threats from across the English Channel. The threat returned towards the end of the 18th century as Britain found itself at war with France again. Napoleon's forces were only 21 miles (33.6 km) away. Dover had to be reinforced.

Cunning Plan
In 1779, earthwork defences were hastily thrown up around the town. Over the next century, substantial defences of brick and stone were built, as well as two large forts. In addition, tunnels were dug to house more than 2,000 soldiers in underground barracks. Contemporary sources suggest that part of the purpose of these underground barracks may have been to hide soldiers if Dover became overrun by enemy forces. The idea was that the soldiers would swarm from their hideout and attack the enemy's rear. Luckily, the plan never had to be put into operation.

The History of Dover Castle

First of its kind
William the Conqueror built a small castle here before the battle of Hastings, but under Henry II the castle was enlarged with a series of circular walls spreading out from the inner ward, the first of its kind in Western Europe. It was put to the test in 1216 when King John's rebel barons enlisted the help of Prince Louis of France. French forces landed at Thanet and attacked the outer walls with sophisticated stone throwing engines. Nevertheless, the castle survived and, by 1240, had been strongly refortified.

Civil surprise
Four hundred years later, troops at the castle had no doubt become complacent and at the outbreak of Civil War in 1642, the town of Dover supported the Parliamentarians, while the castle remained loyal to the King. In August of that year, a group of townspeople scaled the cliffs, surprised the soldiers within and captured the castle with hardly a sound.

Always at the ready
After the Napoleonic wars, the castle saw little active service, but garrisons of soldiers were always stationed there as a constant reminder that Britain remained vigilant. In the Second World War, the castle was re-armed with anti-aircraft guns, searchlights and radar.

Operation Dynamo
Early in the war, Dover once again got to play a major part in conflict. In May 1940, the War Office was planning the evacuation of allied troops from Dunkirk and needed a secret headquarters for the 700 or so personnel involved in Operation Dynamo. They chose the converted underground barracks at the castle. The tunnels, first dug under the cliffs in the Napoleonic Wars, were to be used as hospitals to receive the expected casualties.

At a few minutes before 7pm on the 26th May 1940, the order was given from beneath the castle to evacuate the troops from the French coast. It was believed that realistically the rescue operation could bring back 45,000 men - in fact 338,000 were saved - an unforgettable night in British history.

There has been an active army presence at Dover Castle right up until 1958 and the castle still houses the Princess of Wales Royal Regiment Museum. The castle is now in the care of English Heritage.

Feature supplied by Heritage magazine. About Heritage Magazine.