Detailed review by happysh2009
happysh2009
United Kingdom, United Kingdom97%
Going back to the 12th century Henry II built the present castle, and over the next 800 years, particularly during the second world war, it’s buildings and defences were adapted to meet the changing demands of weapons and warfare.
Today as a tourist site owned by English Heritage, the visits to Dover Castle have been divided into five areas: Dover’s early history, Medieval Dover, Dover’s defences, Garrison life and Dover at war. Each area contains highlights belonging to different periods or aspects of its fascinating history.
Main highlights:
1. The Great Tower
The Great Tower is the present castle in Dover Castle. The Great Tower was a royal palace in 1180s built by King Henry II. There is an exhibition in Arthur’s Hall to learn about the builder Henry II and his troublesome family.
Upstairs to the second floor of the Great Tower you will see the most spectacular room: the King’s Hall which dominated by its canopied throne and decked throughout with wall hangings and recreations of contemporary furniture with brilliant colours.
At the roof of the Great Tower you will have panoramic views over the castle’s immense complex of fortifications, with busy Dover Harbour, Dover ferry, Dover ferry port, Dover cruse parking and France in the distance beyond.
2. The Roman pharos and St Mary-in Castro
The Roman pharos was a tall Roman Lighthouse and is one of the highest Roman structures still standing today in the whole of Europe. Next to the pharos is the church of St Mary-in Castro which is a Saxon church and is full of mosaic walls and fine architecture.
3. The Admiralty Look-out
The Admiralty Look-out is shown its role as a First World War Fire Command Post and a naval signal station, with superb views of the White Cliffs as well as hotels in Dover. As its name, it was used for spotting enemy ships and planes during First and Second World Wars.
Nearby the Look-out there is a statue of Vice Admiral Ramsay who was responsible for the Dunkirk evacuation. Working from the underground tunnels beneath Dover Castle, he and his staff worked for nine days straight to rescue troops trapped in France by the German forces in 1940. Four years later Ramsay was appointed Naval Commander in Chief of the Allied Naval Expeditionary Force for the invasion of Normandy on D-Day.
4. The secret wartime tunnels
The secret wartime tunnels was constructed from the Middle Ages. During the Napoleonic wars the tunnels was greatly expanded to becoming in readiness for a French invasion. They were capable of accommodating up to 2000 troops. In May 1940 the tunnels became the nerve centre for Operation Dynamo, also known as the Dunkirk evacuation. The tunnels were further expanded in the Cold War for the event of nuclear weapons. However with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 the need for this facility decreased. In the early 1990s the areas of the tunnels opened to the public.
For more tourist sites in the UK please visit my blog I want to see the world: http://blossom-iwanttosee theworld.blogspot.com/
Dover Castle10
