Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Site of Harbour Railway Station built in 1909-1915 played a major role in transporting troops to the continent in WWI, over 1.75 million troops passed through it. The received its last rail passengers in 1994. An assessment of its significance was made in 1997, This study has established that the arrangement of this station is highly unusual Despite the loss of the various other elements of the original layout, the station complex remains the largest, most architecturally distinguished and most complete example of a major harbour station in Britain and the only large example with an assured long-term future. (location accurate to the nearest 1m based on available information).

Monument Types

• RAILWAY STATION (RAILWAY STATION, Post Medieval to Modern - 1864 AD to 1914 AD)

Full description

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In 1909 work on a new station at the landward end of Admiralty Pier, to be called Dover Marine, intended to be the most prestigious on the South-East and Chatam Railway outside London. It was built by W. E. Blake and designed P. C. Tempest, the railways chief engineer, the Ironwork being supplied by Butterley Company. In December 1914 it was decided to complete the unfinished station for war service. The station opened for military traffic on the 2nd of January 1915and became one of the main points for embarkation of the troops to France. Over 1.75 million troops passed through the station between 1915 and 1919. Railway ownership of the ferries came to an end in 1985 and the last public train finally drew into marine station in 1994. (1-3)

From The National Monuments Record:
Terminus of the South Eastern Line from London to Dover, built in 1862. It was always susceptible to closure during heavy seas. It was replaced in 1914 by Dover Marine Station (TR 34 SW 434), which was built on reclaimed land at the North end of the pier.(4)

The impacts of the Dover Western Docks Revival Scheme on this station and associated features is discussed (5-6).

An assessment of its engineering significance was made in 1997 by Oxford Archaeology. This study has established that the arrangement of this station is highly unusual. Despite the loss of the various other elements of the original layout, the station complex remains the largest, most architecturally distinguished and most complete example of a major harbour station in Britain and the only large example with an assured long-term future. (7)

Historic England archive material: BF006460 DOVER ADMIRALTY PIER STATION, DOVER

<1> H. P. White, 1964, A Regional History of the Railways of Southern Britian Vol. 2 (Monograph). SKE32114.

<2> James Bird, 1963, The major seaports of the United Kingdom (Monograph). SKE31929.

<3> Oxford Archaeological Unit, 1997, Dover Western Docks Station (Formerly Dover Marine) Admiralty Pier Dover, Assessment of Engineering Significance (Unpublished document). SKE7176.

<4> English Heritage, Register of Scheduled Monuments (Scheduling record). SKE16191.

<5> Maritime Archaeology, 2008, Dover Terminal 2 -EIA: Historic environmental assessment report (Unpublished document). SKE29382.

<6> Maritime Archaeology, 2008, Dover Terminal 2 EIA: Historic Environment Baseline Report Volume 1 (Unpublished document). SKE31717.

<7> Oxford Archaeological Unit, 1997, Dover Western Docks Station (Formerly Dover Marine) Admiralty Pier Dover, Assessment of Engineering Significance (Unpublished document). SKE7176.

Sources and further reading

Related records