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Monument details
| HER Number: | TR 34 SW 1132 |
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| Type of record: | Monument |
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| Name: | Castlemount, Dover |
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Summary
Castlemount was originally built in 1876 as a school, but had many uses throughout its life including as barrack blocks, a WWI Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD), a monastery and as the HQ for a barrage balloon squadron. The site was devastated by a fire in 1973 and was eventually demolished in 1991. (location accurate to the nearest 5m based on available information)
| Grid Reference: | TR 32210 42024 |
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| Map Sheet: | TR34SW |
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| Parish: | DOVER, DOVER, KENT |
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Monument Types
- SCHOOL (Post Medieval to Modern - 1876 AD to 1911 AD)
- MONASTERY (Modern - 1911 AD to 1914 AD)
- BARRACKS (Modern - 1914 AD to 1918 AD)
- HOSPITAL (Modern - 1914 AD to 1918 AD (between))
Full description
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Castlemount was originally built in 1876 as a school. It was a substantial mansion built of red brick and stone embellishments, with terraced lawns cut into the hillside. In 1911 it was taken over by French Monks who came to England because of an anti-clerical movement in France at the time. The monks left Castlemount at the outbreak of the First World War and the house was commandeered by the military for the use as barracks. During this time it was also used as a Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) Hospital for 13 officers and 65 O/Rs. The monks returned briefly after the First World War but left Dover for the last time in 1940 when the RAF took over Castlemount as the HQ for the barrage balloon squadron. After the war the building was taken over by the Kent Education Committee and turned into a mixed secondary school which opened in 1948. It was extended in the mid 1960’s. In 1973 the original 1876 house was devastated by a fire, the school was rebuilt and finished in 1977. The school was closed in 1991 and plans for the use of the old site came to nothing leading to its eventual demolition shortly after the schools closure. The site was re-developed for housing now known as Monastery Avenue. (summarised form source) (1-2)
<1> Hazel Basford, 2004, Kent VAD - the work of voluntary aid detachments in Kent during the first World War (Unpublished document). SKE31644.
<2> 2016, Dover: Lock and Key of the Kingdom, Castlemount (Website). SKE32366.
Sources and further reading
| Cross-ref.
| Source description | | <1> | Unpublished document: Hazel Basford. 2004. Kent VAD - the work of voluntary aid detachments in Kent during the first World War. |
| <2> | Website: 2016. Dover: Lock and Key of the Kingdom, Castlemount. |
