Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

During works associated with the A20 road and sewer scheme remains of the Medieval Boldware gate were located near the junction of Bench Street with Townwall Street. (Location information accurate to the nearest 1m based on available information).

Monument Types

• GATE (GATE, Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)

Full description

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Boldware Gate [NR] (site of) (1) Remains of the Boldware gate were discovered at the south end of Bench St. The surviving remains were fairly meagre, the major part of the structure destroyed by the sea. Gateway originally a square/ rectangular tower, pierced by a single entrance passage. Part of the western side of the gate-tower remained, although the masonry had collapsed and when discovered it was leaning at an angle of about 30 degrees from the vertical. On the eastern side of the fallen fragment, cut into a column of large, squared ragstone blocks was a well-defined vertical slot, clearly for a portcullis. Beach shingle abutted the wall on the seaward side containing frequent lumps of fallen masonry from the curtain and gate tower. Part of a statue was found, possibly once set in the wall. The gate was a water gate, giving access from the town to the harbour. (2-3)

Numerous historic cartographic sources depict the location of this Medieval gate, including that by John Symonds dating to 1583-1584 (4)

<1> W. Batcheller, 1836, The New Dover Guide (Monograph). SKE31913.

<2> Keith Parfitt, 1993, Canterbury Archaeology, 1992-1993: Fieldwork: Sites in Dover. Vol 18. (Article in serial). SKE31774.

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 Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 2001, Dover Sewers/A20 Project 1991–3, Assessment Report and Updated Project Design (Unpublished document).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

<4> John Symonds, 1583-1584, Dover Harbour (Map). SKE32347.

Sources and further reading

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