Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Within the south eastern wall of the Regimental Museum (northern building) which is largley of an 18th century date, there is some rubble rising to just above ground-floor level, as if it contains the remnant of a gable. The presence of irregular rubble seems to indicate surviving medieval fabric, and most of this seems to date from the 13th century and possibly represents the former site of the 'Old Hall' in this location. (location accurate to the nearest 1m based on available information)

Monument Types

• BUILDING (Medieval to Post Medieval - 1216 AD? to 1740 AD?)

Full description

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The Prince of Wales Royal Regimental Museum (northern building) which is located on the northern side of the inner bailey, to the west of Arthurs Hall is one of the buildings within the inner bailey that appear as a group of mid-18th-century barrack blocks with a reasonably homogenous character. It is likely however that this building originated in the C13th century as the ‘Old Hall’. The surviving walls are a mix of C13th, C18th and C19th century date.

Most of the structure dates to the 1740’s and a powder magazine was shown here on pre-1745-55 map. It appears to have been built upon a ruinous medieval single-storey building which may have been a part of the ‘Old Hall’ that dates from the reign of King John (1199-1216). (1-2)

In 1284/5 there are references to repairs to the King’s Garderobe next to the Old Hall and the King’s Chamber next to the Old Hall.5 When these descriptions of the location are combined with references to the new hall, the most obvious interpretation is that the King’s Chamber lay to the north-west of Arthur’s Hall, with the Old Hall to the north-west of the chamber. (3)

Its fabric suggests that until the 18th century this building was single-storied. Its front wall has three distinct phases. The ground floor of the main façade is in irregular rubble and on the southern gable end there is some rubble rising to just above ground-floor level, as if it contains the remnant of a gable. Above this the building was raised in the mid-18th century barracks phase and the top part of the façade was added probably around 1900. (3)

A building in this location appears on the c.1570 drawing of Dover Castle by John Bereblock. (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.

<3> English Heritage, 2010, Inner Bailey, Dover Castle, Kent; Historic Buildings Report (Unpublished document). SKE31743.

<4> John Bereblock, 1570, John Bereblock's view of Dover Castle (Cartographic materials). SKE52107.

Sources and further reading

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