Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

The harbour in its present position at the foot of the Western Heights is Late Medieval and dates from the reign of Henry VII, when John Clerk, Master of the Maison Dieu, built a pier with two forts. This pier was extended and consolidated throughout the later Medieval, post medieval and modern periods to form the harbour which is present today. (location accurate to the nearest 50m based on available information).

Monument Types

• ARTILLERY TOWER (two towers, Medieval to Post Medieval - 1495 AD? to 1788 AD?)
• PIER (Medieval to Modern - 1495 AD? to 2050 AD?)

Full description

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(Summarised from source) The harbour in its present position at the foot of the Western Heights is Late Medieval and dates from the reign of Henry VII, when John Clerk, Master of the Maison Dieu, built a pier with two forts, which went by the name of the " Wyke ", at the south-west side of the bay. The earlier historians say that this was in 1501, but Statham puts it back to 1495, in which year he says " Wardens of the Wyke " were appointed for the first time, and the accounts begin to be headed " The Town and Port of Dover ". A well-known picture, formerly at Windsor Castle and now at Hampton Court, representing the embarkation of Henry VIII for the "Field of the Cloth of Gold " in 1520, clearly shows Clerk's pier and two forts in the foreground. The construction of this pier made created harbour a small harbour which was later to become known, in the post medieval period, as ‘Paradise Pent’. According to Holinshed, Clerk's pier made a harbour "so pleasant as ever after that corner of the Bay hath been called, and is at this day, ' Little Paradise '”. In 1530 Clerk's pier was badly damaged by a gale, and one of his towers was carried away. Three years later the Mayor and Jurats wrote to Thomas Cromwell that "their harbour was utterly destroyed”. (1)

Two towers were constructed upon the pier, William Mildert, writing in 1828, states that pier and towers built by Clerk 'intended to defend the ships from the violence of the south-west winds’. (2)
In the early post medieval period, plans for the development of Dover’s harbour were drawn up and numerous improvements and enlargements were made. John Thompson, who was Rector of St. James's Church, was the author of a plan for the rebuilding of the harbour, which the King accepted, and he was appointed chief surveyor. (3) The essence of his scheme was an improvement of the existing Paradise, protecting the remains of Clerk's works by a vast pier running eastwards from near Archcliffe out to sea. These plans were never fully realised but later work in this area followed broadly the same scheme. The area occupied by Clerks pier was consolidated and built upon in the post medieval period. On a set of plans produced by Thomas Digges (dating to 1581, 1588 and 1595), showing the extent of the Elizabethan works on Dover harbour; the area of Clerks pier is sparsely occupied by a scattering of buildings. (4-6) The occupation of this area appears to have intensified throughout the post medieval period and on Eldred’s plans of Dover Harbour (1631 and 1641), the area of Clerks pier, on the southern side of ‘Paradise Pent’, is occupied by numerous streets and structures, including one of the round towers. (7-8) This area of the harbour was continuously developed throughout the post medieval period, and it eventually became one of the most densely populated areas in Dover and was known as the Pier District. ‘Paradise Pent’ was eventually infilled in the later post medieval period and further roads and dwellings were constructed within its footprint. (9).

Discussion of the pier and associated towers in relation to the Dover Western Docks Revival Scheme. (10-11)

It is possible that the remains of the original pier are situated beneath the modern features of the western dockyard, but no evidence has been uncovered to confirm this.

<1> Alec Macdonald, 1937, Archaeologia Cantiana: Plans of Dover Harbour in the Sixteenth Century Vol. 49 (Article in serial). SKE31789.

<2> William Van Mildert, 1828, A Short Historical sketch of the Town of Dover and its Neighbourhood. (Monograph). SKE32004.

<3> John Thompson, 1532, A platt of the Works done (Map). SKE31975.

<4> Thomas Digges, 1581, The State of Dover Haven (Map). SKE31984.

<5> Thomas Digges, 1588, Plan of Work at Dover Harbour (Map). SKE31986.

<6> Thomas Digges, 1595, The state of Dover Haven with the New workes (Map). SKE31987.

<7> William Eldred (?), 1631, Plan of lands belonging to the Priory and now to Master Buffkyn (Map). SKE31988.

<8> William Eldred, 1641, The Platt of Dover Castle Towne and Harbor (Map). SKE31804.

<9> William Van Mildert, 1828, A Short Historical sketch of the Town of Dover and its Neighbourhood. (Monograph). SKE32004.

<10> Maritime Archaeology, 2008, Dover Terminal 2 -EIA: Historic environmental assessment report (Unpublished document). SKE29382.

<11> Maritime Archaeology, 2008, Dover Terminal 2 EIA: Historic Environment Baseline Report (Unpublished document). SKE31717.

Sources and further reading

Related records