Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

GI Listed Building and scheduled monument located on the south eastern side of the Keep and Inner Bailey of Dover Castle. The lighthouse is 62ft. high of which the top 19ft is medieval. It has a square interior and an octagonal exterior with originally vertical stepped walls rising in tiers set back each within the last, now almost smoothed. It is in rubble with a facing of green sandstone and tufa and levelled at an interval of seven courses with a double course of brick set in hard pink mortar. It was originally one of a pair, the other which has been lost, would have been located on the Western Heights within the footprint of the Drop Redoubt, together these guided the Roman fleet round to the port of Richborough. A third lighthouse located at Boulogne, the Tour d'Odre, was used in conjunction with these to guide ships across the Channel. (location accurate to the nearest 1m based on available information)

Images

Monument Types

• LIGHTHOUSE (Roman - 43 AD? to 409 AD?)
• BELL TOWER (Constructed 1415- 1437 disused, Medieval to Post Medieval - 1415 AD (between) to 1799 AD? (between))

Full description

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The Roman Pharos on Castle Hill, Dover, is 62ft. high of which the top 19ft. are medieval, square internally on plan and octagonal externally. Originally stepped at each stage, the outside masonry was renewed in the middle ages and battered back in the process. The lighthouse is probably of a fairly early date in the Roman period. (1-2)

Excavations close to St. Mary-in-Castro Church [TR 34 SW 65] "have revealed evidence of an I.A. settlement (1st century B.C. - 1st century A.D.) and together with the I.A. remains have been found fragments of Roman tiles which it is assumed are connected with the building of the Pharos; this would suggest that the lighthouse was built in the 1st century A.D." (3)

The Roman Pharos, Dover Castle. Grade I. AD 46. Built under the Emperor Claudius. This guided the Roman fleet round to the port of Richborough. Originally one of a pair, the other sighted on the Western Heights, it would have been used with a third at Boulogne, the Tour d'Odre, to guide ships across the Channel. It was an octagonal tower with eight stepped stages rising to a height of about 24m (80ft). In mediaeval times it was turned into a belfry, by order of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester between 1415 -1437, to the Church of St. Mary in Castro (TR 34 SW 42). Four storeys, three being Roman and the top storey and remains of battlements mediaeval. An octagonal tower with originally vertical stepped walls rising in tiers set back each within the last, now almost smoothed. Rubble with a facing of green sandstone and tufa and levelled at an interval of seven courses with a double course of brick set in hard pink mortar. Round-headed windows with a small recessed spy-hole inside them. (4-5)

Additional bibliography. (6-13, 33-34)
Dover Castle and the Pharos are Scheduled Ancient Monuments (15)
Photographs (16 - 32)

From the National Heritage List for England: In around the 1st century AD a pair of lighthouses were constructed on the headlands flanking either side of the major Roman port of Dubris to help guide in cross-channel traffic. One of the lighthouses survives within Dover Castle as a stepped tower approximately 19m in height constructed of flint rubble, with tile bonding courses and a tufa ashlar facing. The architecture of the lighthouse suggests that it originally stood to a height of around 24m, but it has been extensively modified. Its top is known to have been rebuilt by Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester between 1415 and 1437 during his tenure as Constable of the Castle, by which time the lighthouse had been adapted for use as a bell tower. (35)

Historic England archive material (36)

<1> English Heritage, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Map). SKE16160.

<2> R. E. M Wheeler, 1930, Archaeological Journal: The Roman Lighthouses at Dover (Article in serial). SKE52157.

<3> E. H. Bayly, 1962, KAS Annual Report 1962: Activities around Dover, Arch Cant 77 1962 xlviii (EH Bayly) (Article in serial). SKE7873.

<4> Johnathan Coad, 1995, English Heritage Book of Dover Castle and the Defences of Dover (Monograph). SKE52106.

<5> DOE (HHR) Dist of Dover 1973 5 (OS Card Reference). SKE40242.

<6> Philp, B. J., 1981, The Excavation of the Roman Forts of the Classis Britannica at Dover 1970-1977, Ex of the Ro Forts of the Class Brit at Dover 1970-1977 1981 7-9 (B Philp) (Monograph). SKE7863.

<7> Arch 45 1880 333-35 (W Emerson Peck) (OS Card Reference). SKE34423.

<8> Lighthouses Their Archit History and Archaeology (OS Card Reference). SKE46132.

<9> R. C. Neville J Hunter, 1856, Unknown, Arch J 13 1856 84 98-99 (RC Neville J Hunter) (Article in serial). SKE7870.

<10> Johnston, S., 1976, Roman Forts of the Saxon Shore, The Roman Forts of the Saxon Shore 1976 11 12 (S Johnson) (Monograph). SKE7857.

<11> John Newman, 1969, The Buildings of England: North East and East Kent, The Bldg of Eng NE and E Kent 1983 289-90 (J Newman) (Monograph). SKE7874.

<12> The Ind Arch of SE Eng 1978 37 (AJ Haselfoot) (OS Card Reference). SKE50368.

<13> Coll Ant 4 1857 214 (OS Card Reference). SKE39102.

<14> Alan Phillip, 1964, Field report for monument TR 34 SW 3 - May, 1964 (Bibliographic reference). SKE5952.

<15> English Heritage, 1965, Dover Castle (Scheduling record). SKE6594.

<16> K. Gravett, 1963, ARCH AT GROUND LEVEL Types: LIGHTHOUSE (Photograph). SKE523.

<17> ARCHES ON WEST FACE Types: LIGHTHOUSE (Photograph). SKE519.

<18> BASE OF PHAROS Types: LIGHTHOUSE (Photograph). SKE87.

<19> VIEW Types: LIGHTHOUSE (Photograph). SKE86.

<20> DOOR OF PHAROS Types: LIGHTHOUSE (Photograph). SKE88.

<21> INTERIOR OF ?1ST CENT. LIGHTHOUSE (Photograph). SKE89.

<22> VIEW Types: LIGHTHOUSE (Photograph). SKE520.

<23> VIEW Types: LIGHTHOUSE (Photograph). SKE85.

<24> NORTH WEST ANGLE OF CHURCH AND PHAROS Types: LIGHTHOUSE/CHURCH (Photograph). SKE84.

<25> SOUTH WEST ANGLE OF CHURCH AND PHAROS Types: LIGHTHOUSE/CHURCH (Photograph). SKE83.

<26> DETAIL OF ARCH Types: LIGHTHOUSE (Photograph). SKE521.

<27> J. Physick, VIEW Types: LIGHTHOUSE (Photograph). SKE106.

<28> K. Gravett, 1963, VIEW Types: LIGHTHOUSE (Photograph). SKE522.

<29> K. Gravett, 1963, VIEW Types: LIGHTHOUSE (Photograph). SKE526.

<30> M. T Pollit, VIEW Types: LIGHTHOUSE (Photograph). SKE524.

<31> 1963, VIEW Types: LIGHTHOUSE (Photograph). SKE525.

<32> K Gravett, 1963, VIEW Types: LIGHTHOUSE (Photograph). SKE527.

<33> Allen Brown, R, 1988, Dover Castle (Monograph). SKE7865.

<34> Jonathan Coad, 2001, Dover Castle (Monograph). SKE7872.

<36> Historic England, Archive material associated with St Mary's Church and the Pharos at Dover Castle, part of the Scheduled Monument (Archive). SKE55361.

Sources and further reading

Related records

Related thematic articles

• Kent's Greatest Archaeological Discoveries? (Thematic Essay)
• Roman Kent (Thematic Essay)