Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Significant Traces of Dover’s Medieval town wall were exposed during a contractor's excavations between the River Dour and York Street roundabout. In places, the 2m to 3m thick curtain wall survived just below the pavement level and still stood to a height of almost 5m. The southern (seaward) face of the wall was constructed from large, neatly shaped greensand blocks. The lower facing stones were water worn, demonstrating that the sea once washed the foot of the curtain. It seems probable that the wall was constructed on the original Medieval foreshore, below the high water mark (location accurate to the nearest 1m based on available information)

Monument Types

• TOWN WALL (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD (between))

Full description

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"Significant Traces of Dover’s Medieval town wall were exposed during a contractor's excavations between the River Dour and York Street roundabout. In places, the 2 to 3m thick curtain wall survived just below the pavement level and still stood to a height of almost 5m. The southern (seaward) face of the wall was constructed from large, neatly shaped greensand blocks. The lower facing stones were water worn, demonstrating that the sea once washed the foot of the curtain. It seems probable that the wall was constructed on the original Medieval foreshore, below the high water mark.

Details of the walls foundations were recorded east of Boldware Gate. The southern side of the wall stood upon a line of timber beams supported by closely spaced timber piles. Under the core of the wall there was a shallow mortared foundation of large chalk and flint lumps but no timber work. Evidence for at least three breaches of the curtain wall by the sea was recorded. The Boldware Gate entrance passage had been greatly enlarged by wave attack. Immediately to the east was a second breach and another was recorded some 50m west of the Boldware Gate. Despite the later damage, it is clear that the construction of Dover’s Medieval defences were a major undertaking, with large quantities of stone being imported from neighbouring Folkestone." (taken from sources) (1-2).

There are numerous historic cartographic sources which depict the former location and extent of Dover's Medieval town wall, these include that by john Symonds's dating to 1583-1584 (3) Thomas Miles dating to 1580 (4) Thomas Digges dating to 1588 (5)

<1> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 1993, Canterbury's Archaeology 1992 - 1993 (Article in serial). SKE7909.

<2> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 2001, Dover Sewers/A20 Project 1991–3, Assessment Report and Updated Project Design (Unpublished document). SKE31815.

<3> John Symonds, 1583-1584, Dover Harbour (Map). SKE32347.

<4> Thomas Miles, 1580, Proposal for Dover Harbour (Map). SKE31983.

<5> Thomas Digges, 1588, Plan of Work at Dover Harbour (Map). SKE31986.

Sources and further reading

Related records