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Monument details
| HER Number: | TR 34 SW 2555 |
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| Type of record: | Monument |
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| Name: | Ditch and counterscarp on the eastern side of Dover Castle |
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Summary
The ditch and counterscarp on the eastern side of Dover Castle between Avranches to the Cliff established in the 1790’s and though they are on the probable line of the medieval defences none of the original work is now apparent. (location accurate to the nearest 1m based on available information)
| Grid Reference: | TR 3273 4183 |
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| Map Sheet: | TR34SW |
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| Parish: | DOVER, DOVER, KENT |
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Monument Types
- DITCH (Altered, Post Medieval to Modern - 1750 AD to 2050 AD)
- SCARP (Altered, Post Medieval to Modern - 1790 AD to 2050 AD)
Full description
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The ditch and counterscarp on the eastern side of Dover Castle between Avranches to the Cliff established in the 1790’s and though they are on the probable line of the medieval defences none of the original work is now apparent.
Between Avranches and the cliff the outer defences incorporate two distinct sections of similar length with a distinct kink between them. The southern section towards the cliff is orientated north-to-south while beyond the kink the defences extend in a north-westerly direction. It has been speculated that this kink results from the outline of the Iron Age hill fort whose defences that are thought to underlie the later works. a wide terreplein above the wall for guns and in the northern half there are substantial earthworks protecting four expense magazines which may have been added in the 1850s. There are eight 19th-cent. Gun embrasures in this area, close to Ashford Flank. The northern part of the outer defences, though essentailly medieval in character between spur and avrances also incorporate C18th century work. The couterscarps, and second tall bank are likley contemporary with the the bastions created by Twiss in the 1790's. Summarised from sources (1-2)
<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 English Heritage, 2014, Dover Castle Conservation Management Plan Volume 2 Gazetteer (Unpublished document).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.
Sources and further reading
| Cross-ref.
| Source description | | <1> | Unpublished document: English Heritage. 2014. Dover Castle Conservation Management Plan Volume 2 Gazetteer. |
| <2> | Monograph: Johnathan Coad. 1995. English Heritage Book of Dover Castle and the Defences of Dover. |
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