Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Work began on consolidating the area of Wellington Dock in the reign of Elizabeth I. This enclosed area at the mouth of the River Dour became known as "The Great Pent". Construction work began on the present Dock in the 1840's; it was renamed the Wellington Dock in recognition of Wellington's work as Lord Warden of the Cinque Port. The Dock has adjacent buildings, on the quay-side, that are associated with ship building and repair. In 1849 a slip-way was constructed in the Docks, with an extension in 1888. During World War II the docks were the base for Motor Torpedo Boats. The listing includes the dock itself, Esplanade Quay on the south eastern side, Slip Quay on the north eastern side, Ballast Quay which projects into the dock, Northampton Quay on the North West side and Commercial Quay on the south west side. There is also a is a small hand-driven rotatory crane located on Esplanade Quay included in the listing and which is also a Scheduled Ancient Monument. (location accurate to the nearest 5m based on available information)

Monument Types

• DOCK (Post Medieval to Modern - 1540 AD? to 2050 AD)
• QUAY (Post Medieval to Modern - 1540 AD? to 2050 AD)
• CRANE (CRANE, Post Medieval to Modern - 1868 AD to 2050 AD)

Full description

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During the reign of Elizabeth I in 1583 work began on the consolidation of the recently formed shingle spit to enclose an extensive tract of water at the mouth of the River Dour. This enclosed area became known as "the Great Pent" and is now represented by the modern Wellington Dock. In the 1840's the present stone dock was built and was renamed the Wellington Dock in recognition of Wellingtons work as Lord Warden of the Cinque Port. The Dock has adjacent buildings, on the quay-side, that are associated with ship building and repair. In 1849 a slip-way was constructed in the Docks, with an extension in 1888. During WW2 the docks were the base for a Motor Torpedo Boats. (1)

Listing Text:

685/0/10036 Wellington Dock and associated structures, including crane situated on Esplanade Quay GII Listed

Dock. Part of the eastern side was constructed in 1832, part of the western side in 1833-4 and the remainder by 1844 by James Walker. The C20 swing bridge, C20 concrete extension to Ballast Quay and De Bradelei warehouses are not of special interest. Lined in Portland stone ashlar blocks with granite coping. It comprises a number of individually named quays which together comprise Wellington Dock. It is narrower towards the north and widens to the south where it is bounded by Union Street.

ESPLANADE QUAY: situated between the C20 swing bridge at the south end and Slip Quay to the north, is a straight section aligned north east to south west retaining a number of cast iron cleats and a crane.

To the north east of Esplanade Quay is Slip Quay, also aligned north east to south west. There is a curved section at the south end and a battered side throughout. At the south end is the early C19 Cullins Slip, comprising a sloping slipway with a surface of stone setts with some granite kerbs and two round-headed curbing stones, leading from Cambridge Road into Wellington Dock. Another narrow slipway is situated further north. The northern part of Slip Quay comprised the Patent Slip, which was filled in during the later C20. The C20 stone wall has an earlier reset cast iron lion's head mask sluice entrance feeding into the dock from the River Dour.

Ballast Quay is a narrow quay projecting between Slip Quay to the east and Northampton Quay to the west, but the northern part of the eastern side adjoined the Patent Quay and has been filled in. The eastern side slopes and the western side has vertical sides with a number of cast iron cleats, a stone mooring post and iron rings.

There is a curved northern end to Wellington Dock between the Ballast Quay and Northampton Quay.

Northampton Quay forms the northern part of the eastern side of Wellington Dock and has a fairly straight side, aligned north west to south west, terminating opposite the south end of Slip Quay. It retains some cast iron cleats and iron rings.

Further south is Commercial Quay which is of similar character but splays outwards towards the south and retains some cast iron cleats. The south side of Wellington Dock has been built out with C20 sheet piling.

CRANE: The crane is a small hand-driven rotatory crane with swan-necked jib of riveted box frame construction. It was built by the Fairburn Engineering Co. of Manchester in 1868. It was once used by the Ordnance Department and was originally capable of lifting 50 tons. It was later de-rated to 20 tons and used for lifting yachts out of Wellington Dock.

HISTORY: Although visible fabric does not pre-date the early-19th century, Wellington Dock follows the approximate outlines of part of the C16 harbour developments west of the town. The layout of the dock can be traced back to the early outline of the Great Pent built in the 16th century as the replacement to the original first paradise devised by John Clerk in the early 16th century. The arrangement of docks and basins, now comprising the Wellington Dock, Granville Dock and Crosswall Quay, was originally arranged to take advantage of a shingle bar which formed a lagoon behind which the River Dour flowed. A large cross wall was built across the lagoon to form the Great Pent. This relates to the present Wellington Dock, from whose north end the River Dour flows. Water from the River Dour was then released through a sluice to clear the other half, or Great Paradise, of silt. The position of this crosswall is still present as Union Street, now containing a C20 swing bridge, replacing an earlier one of 1849 which was probably in or near the location of the original sluice.

The approximate outline of the present Wellington Dock as the Great Pent can be traced on a 1595 map of Dover Haven thought to be by Thomas Digges, the 1641 map from plat of Dover Castle Town and Harbour by William Eldred, View of Dover Harbour by J Bevan of 1684/5 and the Plan of the Town, Harbour and Fortifications of Dover of 1737 by H Fouquet. There was a proposal under the Civil Engineer W Moon to line the Pent in Portland stone but the only part which he completed before his death was the Pent Quay opposite Snargate Street, later known as Commercial Quay, which was constructed by 1832. Another quay at the Pent on the opposite side was completed by Fordham in 1833-4. The Pent, forerunner of Wellington Dock, is also shown on a 1834 plan by Thomas Telford accompanying plans for proposed works at the docks which recommended construction tunnels between the Wet Dock, Basin and Harbour. This plan shows both the new quays. Telford died the same year that the plan was produced but Wellington Dock was completed to the designs of the distinguished engineer James Walker, the second President of the Institute of Civil engineers, who inherited both Telford's presidency and commissions. The Great Pent was enclosed by stone quays and later renamed Wellington Dock after the Duke of Wellington, created Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports in 1829. A stone slipway called Cullins Slip is probably of early-C19 date. A Patent Slip was erected in 1849-50, capable of housing a vessel 230 feet long. This was lengthened in 1888 to take a vessel 556 feet long but it was built over for a car park in the late-C20.

On the 1866 Ordnance Survey map the area is still known as The Pent, with Slip Quay to the north west and Commercial Quay to the south west. A number of properties are shown along Slip Quay, probably connected with shipbuilding. By the 1898 map the name has changed to Wellington Basin and a number of cranes, mooring posts and bollards are marked. Between 1866 and 1898, Ballast Quay has been lengthened. There is little change by the 1907 and 1937 maps, but on the current map further quays are differentiated. Wellington Dock is currently in use as a marina.

SOURCES:
Oxford DNB articles on Thomas Telford and James Walker.
Alec Hasenson "The History of Dover Harbour". 1980. Passim.
Keith Parfitt and Barry Corke "Wellington Warehouses and Slipway, Dover". A Canterbury Archaeological Trust Report 1998/004.
Maritime Archaeology Ltd. Report "Dover Terminal 2 - Historic Environment Baseline Report." October 2008. P56-61.
English Heritage Unpublished report "Dover Harbour-Notes on Historical and Engineering Interest" September 2008.

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION:
Wellington Dock, Dover Harbour is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Wellington Dock has historical interest because it occupies the approximate footprint of the Great Pent, shown on maps of Dover since 1595.
* The handsome ashlar walls with granite coping date from the early 1830s and were completed by 1844. James Walker, the distinguished maritime engineer who inherited Thomas Telford's unfinished commissions, is responsible for the post 1834 dock walls.
* Wellington Dock survives substantially intact.
* The crane at Esplanade Quay, Cullins slip and various cleats, bollards and mooring rings are reminders of Dover's shipbuilding and trading past.
* Wellington Dock is the part of Dover Harbour most closely linked to the town geographically, and a number of listed buildings are situated near the quays. (2)

Description of the crane from record TR 34 SW 79:
A small hand-driven rotary crane with swan-necked jib of rivetted box-frame construction. Built by the Fairburn Engineering Co of Manchester in 1868. Apparently once used by the Ordnance Dept and originally capable of lifting 50 tons was de-rated to 20 tons, and used for lifting yachts out of Wellington Dock. (TR 319410) Dock Crane, Dover. On the edge of Wellington Basin, on the E side, there stands a 20-ton hand-operated crane made by the Fairbairn Engineering Company of Manchester in 1868. Not many of these are still left in the country. This one is preserved by Dover Council. TR 319409. Fairburn-type crane, Wellington Dock. Scheduled. 326. (2)

Reasons for Designation
A jib crane is a type of crane with a projecting arm, usually one that can be raised and lowered, to lift heavy goods. They were often placed at dockyards to enable cargo to be lifted on and off vessels. The Fairbairn type jib crane was designed by Sir William Fairbairn (1789-1874) in the mid-19th century. Sir William Fairbairn was a Scottish structural engineer of considerable repute. Amongst many other accolades he was appointed President of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in 1854 and gained a baronetcy in 1869. Fairbairn assisted Robert Stephenson with the design of tubular bridges over the Menai Strait and River Conwy. He utilised the same understanding of the mechanics of the box girder, used in the design of the bridges, in the construction of his jib crane. The crane is sometimes referred to as the ‘Swanneck Crane’ given its similarity in form to the vertebrae of a swan. It was built of wrought iron plates revetted together in a cellular construction with the back, or convex, side holding the tension and the front, or concave, side resisting the compression. The base was set in a cast iron cylinder and the crane revolved on a circular plate supported by rollers. Both the height of the winch and the direction of the crane could be controlled by hand. The Fairbairn crane had the advantage over existing designs in that the shape allowed it to reach further into the hold of a ship, bulky items could be lifted higher since it was not obstructed by a diagonal stay, and it was relatively light compared to the weight it could lift. Fairbairn type jib cranes were built at Keyham, Devonport, Birkenhead and Southampton. There are now few examples of this crane still extant. The last surviving steam-powered example, built by Stothert and Pitt of Bath in 1874-5, is a Scheduled Ancient Monument in Bristol (BS7).

The Fairbairn jib crane at Wellington Dock, Dover is a rare surviving example of its type, which remains in its original setting. The crane is a significant example of the Fairbairn principles of box girder design that were utilised on major bridges such as the Britannia Bridge over the Menai Strait. It provides a testament to Dover’s history as an important cross-channel trading port, when heavy goods were transported on and off vessels in the dockyard. (3)

The impacts of the Dover Western Docks Revival Scheme on Wellington Dock are discussed (4-7)

Other interesting non-designated historic features of note include a 19th century lantern on Ballast Quay and the iron sluice entrance in the shape of a tiny lion’s head which feeds in from the Dour. This feature is located at the north eastern end of the dock.

The shape and nature of the dock represents the long existing outline of the harbour created at Dover in the 16th century, and the present structures may well contain surviving remains of the original 16th century or later structures. The continuity in form and scale is a remarkable survival and consolidation of earlier harbour structures. The continued use of the basin to hold vessels represents an unbroken maritime use of this area spanning over 400 years. This is a good example of a very well preserved historic maritime landscape. The north west end of the dock also preserves the outline of Northampton Street, demolished after the Second World War. (7)

Numerous early post medieval cartographic sources depict wellington Dock or the ‘Great Pent’ as it was called at the time. One of the earliest these was produced by Thomas Digges and dates to 1588, on this the long wall of the great pent and the cross pent wall are clearly depicted but no work has at this point been undertaken on the outer harbour. (8) This plan shows the partial completion of the third phase of late Medieval/early post medieval development of Dover harbour (the first being Clerks pier and the second being Thompsons pier). A slightly later plan dating to 1595 shows these works after they had been completed, and include the long wall of the great pent and cross pent wall with its two sluices. (9)

Further historic cartographic sources depicting the former extent and location of the 'Great Pent' include that by John Symonds dating to 1583-1584 (10),William Eldred dating to 1631 (11) and 1641 (12) Foquet dating to 1737 (13), Hogben dating to 1769 (14)

The GIS polygon associated with this record does not represent the full extent or curtilage of the listed building but merely defines the outline of the building. For further information on the extent of the listed building please contact Dover District Council.

<1> A.J. Haselfoot, 1978, The Batsford Guide to the Industrial Archaeology of South-East England: Kent, Surrey, East Sussex and West Sussex, Ind Arch of SE Eng 1978 37-28 (AJ Haselfoot) (Monograph). SKE31890.

<2> English Heritage, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Map). SKE16160.

<3> Historic England, National Heritage List for England (Index). SKE29372.

<4> Maritime Archaeology, 2008, Dover Terminal 2 -EIA: Historic environmental assessment report (Unpublished document). SKE29382.

<5> Maritime Archaeology, 2008, Dover Terminal 2 EIA: Historic Environment Baseline Report Volume 1 (Unpublished document). SKE31717.

<6> Southern Water Services, 1993, Dover & Folkestone Wastewater Treatment scheme Environmental Statement (Unpublished document). SKE6815.

<7> Royal Haskoning, 2016, Dover Western Docks Revival Scheme, Combined Design and Access and Heritage Statement (Unpublished document). SKE31744.

<8> Thomas Digges, 1588, Plan of Work at Dover Harbour (Map). SKE31986.

<9> Thomas Digges, 1595, The state of Dover Haven with the New workes (Map). SKE31987.

<10> John Symonds, 1583-1584, Dover Harbour (Map). SKE32347.

<11> William Eldred (?), 1631, Plan of lands belonging to the Priory and now to Master Buffkyn (Map). SKE31988.

<12> William Eldred, 1641, The Platt of Dover Castle Towne and Harbor (Map). SKE31804.

<13> J. Foquet, 1737, Plan of the town, harbour and fortifications of Dover (Map). SKE31991.

<14> Thomas and Henry Hogben, 1769, The topography and Mensuration of Dover Pier, Harbour, Houses and Lands from DHB (Map). SKE31992.

Sources and further reading

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