Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Granville Dock was built in 1874, to the design of John Hawshaw. It was formerly named the Basin and was the last part of the early C18th arrangement to be formalised as a C19th docks system. Granville Dock has three associated quays, Union Quay, Crosswall Quay and Custom House Quay. The dock has an area of 4.75 acres and is accessed by boat from the east, through a 65ft wide entrance with steel dock gates. (location accurate to the nearest 1m based on available information)

Monument Types

• DOCK (Granville Dock, Post Medieval to Modern - 1874 AD to 2015 AD)
• QUAY (Quays associated with Granville Dock, Post Medieval to Modern - 1874 AD to 2015 AD)

Full description

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(Summarised from listing decision notice)
Granville Dock was built in 1874, to the design of John Hawshaw. Named after the Earl of Granville, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports from 1865-1891 Granville Dock was a re building and formalisation of a pre-existing basin that had been one of the three main elements of the early C18tyh harbour. The early C18th harbour comprised the Great Pent, The Basin and the Tital Harbour; an arrangement that can be directly traced back to the outline of the Great Paradise and Great Pent built in the C16th. In the early C19th, the Harbour and the Great Pent were the subjects of a number of improvements under schemes by various distinguished engineers, including Thomas Telford, who put forward a scheme of improvements in 1834, which included systems for sluicing and channel drainage. Telford died in the same year and the commission was completed by James Walker, president of the Civil Engineers. Under Walker the Great Pent was re-built in stone and re-named Wellington Dock, after the Duke of Wellington; Lord Warden from 1829-1852. As part of this programme of works, a new access into Wellington Dock from the Harbour was created to the east of Union Street. This increased the size of the Harbour and necessitated the northerly part of the Crosswall, which became the eastern boundary of Granville Dock. Granville Dock, formerly the Basin was the last part of the early C18th arrangement to be formalised as a C19th docks system.

Granville Dock has three associated quays, Union Quay, Crosswall Quay and Custom House Quay. The name Custom House Quay pre dates the construction of Granville Dock, and is clearly shown on Telfords plan of 1834. Having gained its name from the location of the original Custom House, this name may have dated back to the C17th. The dock has an area of 4.75 acres and is accessed by boat from the east, through a 65ft wide entrance with steel dock gates. Union, Custom House and the southerly part of Crosswall Quays are of red brick construction while the northerly part of Crosswall Quay is of stone, similar to that on Wellington Dock. (1)

In the later Medieval and post medieval period the area occupied by granville dock was incorporated within a larger 'Tidal Harbour', the extent of this tidal harbour is depicted on numerous historic cartographic sources, including that by John Symonds dating to 1583-1584 (2)

One of the earliest cartographic sources that depicts the 18th century alterations which were made to Dovers western docks, including the area encompassed by Granville dock separated from the 'Tidal Harbour', is that by Foquet dating to 1737. (3) Another, slightly later map by Hogben, dating to 1769 also shows these alterations. (4) Historic OS maps dating to the end of the 19th and early 20th centuries show the dock and provide abbrieviated labels for many of the associated features located within or around it. (7-11)


Discussion of the dock in relation to the Dover Western Dock revival Scheme (5-6)

<1> English Heritage, 2009, Listing Decision Notices, Granville Dock, Hoverport, North Pier, South Pier and Dunkirk Jetty (Unpublished document). SKE32052.

<2> John Symonds, 1583-1584, Dover Harbour (Map). SKE32347.

<3> J. Foquet, 1737, Plan of the town, harbour and fortifications of Dover (Map). SKE31991.

<4> Thomas and Henry Hogben, 1769, The topography and Mensuration of Dover Pier, Harbour, Houses and Lands from DHB (Map). SKE31992.

<5> Royal Haskoning, 2016, Dover Western Docks Revival Scheme, Combined Design and Access and Heritage Statement (Unpublished document). SKE31744.

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

<7> Landmark, Ordnance Survey 1:2,500 map (OS 1st edition 1862-1875): Landmark Epoch 1 (Map). SKE30964.

<8> Landmark, Ordnance Survey 1:2,500 map (OS 2nd Edition, 1897-1900): Landmark Epoch 2 (Map). SKE30965.

<9> Landmark, 1907-1923, Ordnance Survey 1:2,500 map (OS 3rd Edition, 1907-1923) (Map). SKE30966.

<10> Landmark, Ordnance Survey 1:2,500 map (OS 4th Edition, 1929-1952) (Map). SKE30967.

<11> C. E. Goad, 1905, Kent Fire insurance plans sheets 1-7 (Map). SKE51666.

Sources and further reading

Related records