Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

The Officers’ Quarters occupies a sunken area on the south-east side of the Citadel, parallel to the tenaille. It was until recently used as the Administration Block of HMYOI Dover at it is a GII listed Building. In the early phase of works on the fort two large buildings were situated at this location though these appear to have been removed after 1815. In around 1860, the sunken area was enlarged to east and the building was probably completed in 1861, the date which appears on the royal coat of arms above the central north entrance. (location accurate to the nearest 1m based on available information)

Monument Types

• OFFICERS QUARTERS (Disused, Post Medieval to Modern - 1861 AD? to 1945 AD?)

Full description

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Summarised from report:

The Officers’ Quarters occupies a sunken area on the south-east side of the Citadel, parallel to the tenaille. It was until recently used as the Administration Block of HMYOI Dover at it is a GII listed Building (1375598) (1). In the early phase of works on the fort two large buildings were situated at this location though these appear to have been removed after 1815. In around 1860, the sunken area was enlarged to east and the building was probably completed in 1861, the date which appears on the royal coat of arms above the central north entrance.

The lack of suitable quarters for officers was recognised in 1853, when proposals were made to complete and re-arm the Citadel. It appears that these quarters were constructed in response to the negative feedback given in the 1858 report by the Barrack and Hospital Improvement Commission as at that time, temporary provision was made for officers in some of the existing casemates. The building, in a Tudor Gothic style, has an elongated cruciform plan, the principal axis lying roughly north-east to south-west – here treated as east-west – with short central projections, or porches, to north and south. It consists of two storeys set over a basement and beneath what was formerly a bombproof roof capable of being used as a fighting platform. It is the only Citadel building to be distinguished by the use of red brick as its principal facing material. The brickwork is laid in English bond, with limestone dressings (mostly concealed by stucco repairs), including door and window surrounds, the moulded top course of the plinth, and the corbelled eaves, from which the stone-coped brick parapet rises. The heavily fortified and buttressed ends of the building, however, which are comparable in detailing to the contemporary caponiers at Drop Redoubt and Detached Bastion, have more durable gritstone masonry and are divided into three by pointed buttresses incorporating shouldered set-backs. Similar pointed buttresses flank the entrances in the north and south porches, which have flush stone quoins to the corners. The building consists of fifteen bays, all of similar length with the exception of the seventh bay from the west, which is longer. The principal front was on the south side, here the eaves decoration is much more elaborate than on the north elevation, reflecting the fact that the upper part was visible from outside the Citadel. Further in depth detail about the interior feature and the defensive features of the structure are available within the RCHME report. The GIS representation is based upon the basement plan. (2)

Detail of this structure appears on a plan dating to 1871 which shows all of the works which were undertaken under the reccomendations of the Royal Commission (3)

Plans detailing the interior features of this structure, on all of the floors including the basement, were produced in 1859, these are likley the original construction plans. (4)

<1> English Heritage, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Map). SKE16160.

<2> English Heritage, 2004, The Western Heights, Dover, Kent: Report No. 2: The Citadel (Unpublished document). SKE17690.

<3> Captain H S Palmer (?), 1871, War Department OS 1:2500 Sheet LXVIII.15, revision of 1871, annotated with positions of magazines in the Citadel in 1877 (Map). SKE51524.

<4> Unknown, 1859, Dover Citadel, Officers’ Quarters. First Floor and Ground Floor plans. (Map). SKE51527.

Sources and further reading

Related records