Dover Castle England UK

Dover Castle & Port View 2022/ G Sutton

 Dover Castle is a place to discover nearly 2,000 years of history. The present castle dates to the time of King Henry II who ordered the construction in the 1180s.

Dover Castle stands high above the famous white cliffs of Dover--an ideal spot for defending  Britain from invaders from the continent only about 20 miles away.

The Great Tower

Within the old part of Dover castle, actors and furnishings offer a glimpse into medieval times.

Inside the walls is the small ancient church, St Mary in the Castle, which was restored in the 1800s.

The very old part of the castle is a Roman Lighthouse built after the Roman invasion in 43. This is one of three Roman lighthouses that still exist and the most complete Roman building in England.

WW II  and the Dover Castle tunnels

One of the best parts of the castle tour is a walk through the underground tunnels used during WW II when the UK stood alone against the threat of a Nazi invasion across the channel. Photography is not permitted in the area. For us, it was well worth the queue time to appreciate the experience of those defending Britain as the last outpost of European democracy between 1939 and 1945.

Dover Castle was the command centre for navy operations in the English channel. It is also the place where Britain organised the evacuation of the British Army from Dunkirk, France during May and June 1940. The evacuation plan was called Operation Dynamo.

As you can imagine from the top photo, the views of the surrounding area are amazing. Here are a few more images.

We walked from the Dover cruise port up castle hill, which does require some energy but offers great views.

Vintage photos

The photos above were from our visit in 2022.

The images below are from the summer of 1980.

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Notes

There is an entrance fee.

Admission was free with our English Heritage pass.

A guidebook is available onsite and online.

You can download a map of the castle from the website 

You can bring food and drink into the castle or purchase items at the castle from the wartime tunnels tearoom, the café in the Keep, or the NAAFI restaurant.

Link to Dover Castle information from English Heritage

It's a great place to spend a day with some 80 to enjoy.

Google Map of Dover Castle

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