Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

The shop , located on the south western side of the inner bailey, originated in the medieval period as ‘Arthurs Lesser Hall’, immediately north west of the Palace Gate. Medieval building material still clearly exists within its eastern and western walls despite the building having been converted in the C18th to barrack acoomodation. (location accurate to the nearest 1m based on available information)

Monument Types

• GREAT HALL (Medieval to Post Medieval - 1300 AD? to 1740 AD?)

Full description

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Summarised form sources:

The shop , located on the south western side of the inner bailey, 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 medieval period as ‘Arthurs Lesser Hall’, immediately north west of the Palace Gate. The exact construction date of this building is unclear but the c 1570 John Bereblock’s drawing shows ‘Arthur’s Lesser Hall’, immediately to the west of the Palace Gate suggesting that it was in existence by at least the late C16th. By this date the Inner Bailey may have been able to boast three halls, the third being the ‘hall’ in the Great Tower. (1)

In the mid-1740s this building was converted into accommodation for enlisted men, this conversion reused the Medieval fabric where it was available. Where older fabric was being employed without being refaced, the existing rubble was tidied up. The eastern gable and the lower storey of the main elevation contains significant amounts of irregular rubble. Arthur’s Lesser Hall has a clear dichotomy between the neat upper parts of its façade and the rubble in its eastern gable and on the ground floor of the northern elevation appears to be medieval. The buildings interior was extensively modernised in the 1920s and 1960s and contains no original fittings. (2-4)

During an archaeological watching brief undertaken by CAT prior to rennovation of the building in 1990 The Medieval Masonry was again noted in the eastern wall of the building. Alongside this a brief examination of the northern wall of the building was also undertaken during this work. This revealed early fabric in Caen Stone including a blocked doorway and a well defined change in the mortar and fabric type, the same as that presen within the eastern wall. Thus suggesting that the C18th refacing of this building rests directly on top of Medeival foundations. (5-6)

<1> John Bereblock, 1570, John Bereblock's view of Dover Castle (Cartographic materials). SKE52107.

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

<3> Johnathan Coad, 1995, English Heritage Book of Dover Castle and the Defences of Dover (Monograph). SKE52106.

<4> English Heritage, 2010, Inner Bailey, Dover Castle, Kent; Historic Buildings Report (Unpublished document). SKE31743.

<5> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 1990, Canterbury’s Archaeology 1989–1990 Excavations: Kent Sites (Article in serial). SKE52111.

<6> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 1990, Archaeologia Cantiana: Interim report on work carried out in 1990 by the Canterbury Archaeological Trust (Article in serial). SKE52127.

Sources and further reading

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