Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Pencester Tower has been largely lost but it originally formed part of the eastern defences which are largely Medieval in origin. The slight remains of Pencester Tower stand at the southeast end of the middle bailey barbican (also lost) at the head of the medieval curtain wall descending to the cliff edge. (location accurate to the nearest 1m based on available information)

Monument Types

• TOWER (Demolished, Medieval to Post Medieval - 1190 AD? to 1790 AD?)

Full description

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Pencester Tower has been largely lost but it originally formed part of the eastern defences which are largely Medieval in origin. The slight remains of Pencester Tower stand at the southeast end of the middle bailey barbican (also lost) at the head of the medieval curtain wall descending to the cliff edge.

The remnants of Pencester’s Tower is the last remaining part of the south-east end of the Henry II C12th curtain and the Middle Bailey barbican. This tower and two others, which were located within the now lost barbican (Ashford and Godwin’s Towers), were all either largely or completely removed in the late 18th-century reworking of the eastern defences by Twiss. Despite this a substantial stone tower with a battered base standing above the ditch at the south-west end of the Avranches Flank. (summarised from sources) (1-3).

<1> D. F. Renn, 1969, Archaeologia Cantiana: The Avranches Traverse Dover Castle (Article in serial). SKE52130.

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

<3> English Heritage, 2014, Dover Castle Conservation Management Plan Volume 2 Gazetteer (Unpublished document). SKE52105.

Sources and further reading

Related records