Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Dover Priory station originally opened in 1861 as the terminus of the London, Chatham and Dover Railway (LCDR), and was named ‘Dover Town’ station. It later became a through station with the completion of a tunnel though the Western Heights to gain access to the Western Docks area and in 1863 it was re-named ‘Dover Priory’ Station. The station was re-designed in 1930-32. (location accurate to the nearest 1m based on available information)

Monument Types

• RAILWAY STATION (Post Medieval to Modern - 1861 AD to 2050 AD)

Full description

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Dover Priory station originally opened in 1861 as the terminus of the London, Chatham and Dover Railway (LCDR), and was named ‘Dover Town’ station. It later became a through station with the completion of a tunnel though the Western Heights to gain access to the Western Docks area and in 1863 it was re-named ‘Dover Priory’ Station. The station was modernised between 1930 and 1932 in a style which was common in most of the southern railway station buildings. During the Second World War the station saw much traffic including the evacuation of the children of Dover in June 1940. In September 1940 it became the victim of the first shell to hit the town, which destroyed the passenger footbridge. In 1994, after the closure of Dover Marine Station, Dover Priory became Dover’s only railway station. The station building was the focus of major renovations in August 2006. (1-2)

It is visisble on all of the OS maps of the town, the 1930's modernisation of the sation is clearly shown in the Fourth Edition (1929-1952) (3-6)

Historic England archive material: BF006462 DOVER PRIORY STATION, DOVER

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

<2> 2016, Dover: Lock and Key of the Kingdom, Dover Priory Station (Website). SKE32305.

<3> Landmark, Ordnance Survey 1:2,500 map (OS 1st edition 1862-1875): Landmark Epoch 1 (Map). SKE30964.

<4> Landmark, Ordnance Survey 1:2,500 map (OS 2nd Edition, 1897-1900): Landmark Epoch 2 (Map). SKE30965.

<5> H. P. White, 1964, A Regional History of the Railways of Southern Britian Vol. 2 (Monograph). SKE32114.

Sources and further reading

Related records