Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Hospital battery, which was located towards the centre of the castle’s cliff-edge boundary, was constructed in 1874 as part of of a major re-armament of Dover Castle. It is one of four new batteries constructed within the castle at this time, the others being East Demi Bastion, Shoulder of Mutton Battery and Shot Yard Battery. The battery comprised three U-shaped gun pits, each for a single 10 inch RML gun, constructed from brick and concrete and with magazines located beneath and between the pits. In the early 20th-century a Fire Command Post and then a Port War Signal Station were constructed over the obsolete battery. (location accurate to the nearest 1m based on available information)

Monument Types

• BATTERY (Altered, Post Medieval to Modern - 1874 AD to 1904 AD)
• GUN EMPLACEMENT (Altered, Post Medieval to Modern - 1874 AD to 1904 AD)
• MAGAZINE (Altered, Post Medieval to Modern - 1874 AD to 1904 AD)

Full description

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Hospital battery, which is located towards the centre of the castle’s cliff-edge boundary, was constructed in 1874 as part of of a major re-armament of Dover Castle. It is one of four new batteries constructed within the castle at this time, the others being East Demi Bastion, Shoulder of Mutton Battery and Shot Yard Battery. The battery comprised three U-shaped gun pits, each for a single 10 inch RML gun, constructed from brick and concrete and with magazines located beneath and between the pits.

In May 1886 military authorities recommended dismantling the battery due to fears that firing the large guns could destabilise the cliffs below and after some dispute between the Royal Artillery/Royal Engineer Works Committee and the top-level Defence Committee a civil engineer confirmed the recommendation to dismantle. From 1891 Position Finding Cells were placed in each of the three empty gun emplacements and then in 1905 a centralised Fire Command Post was constructed over the central emplacement of the obsolete battery. In 1914 a Admiralty Port War Signal Station (PWSS) was added over this and then during the Second World War the structure, which is now known as the Admiralty Lookout was further altered. Summarised from sources (1-3)

GIS based on hsitoric plan of the battery dating to 1877 (4)

<1> English Heritage, 2014, Dover Castle Conservation Management Plan Volume 2 Gazetteer (Unpublished document). SKE52105.

<2> Johnathan Coad, 1995, English Heritage Book of Dover Castle and the Defences of Dover (Monograph). SKE52106.

<4> Royal Engineers, 1877, DOVER CASTLE, HOSPITAL BATTERY (Map). SKE52149.

Sources and further reading

Related records