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Monument details
| HER Number: | TR 34 SW 1138 |
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| Type of record: | Monument |
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| Name: | Site of the former guard chamber at the Grand Shaft entrance courtyard, second phase of constructuion, Snargate Street, Dover. |
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Summary
The Grand Shaft was designed to connect the Western Heights to the harbour. In c.1859 a series of additions and alterations were made to the structures within the Snargate Street entrance courtyard which included a large extension of the early guard chamber (location accurate to the nearest 1m based on available information).
| Grid Reference: | TR 31653 40893 |
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| Map Sheet: | TR34SW |
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| Parish: | DOVER, DOVER, KENT |
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Monument Types
- GUARDHOUSE (Post Medieval to Modern - 1860 AD? to 1969 AD (between))
Full description
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The Grand shaft was designed to connect the fort on the Western Heights with the harbour. Its entrance at the foot of the cliffs, off Snargate Street consisted of a courtyard, gate and associated military guard buildings. A number of phases of development have been identified within the courtyard; a series of major additions and alterations that were made to the entrance courtyard to the Grand Shaft in the mid-19th century constitutes the second phase. One of the major changes was to the original guard house, which was situated in the north eastern corner of the courtyard. The original guard chamber to the Grand Shaft, constructed after c.1807, was deemed unsuitable for purpose so it was extended towards the south east by approximately 10m. The brickwork in all of the buildings associated with the second phase of development of this site consisted of an English Bond set in a moderate cream-yellow sandy mortar with frequent small chalk/lime fragments (2-8mm) and occasional smaller angular flint fragments (2-8mm). Most of the structures occupying this courtyard were demolished in about 1969 and the entire monument remained derelict until it was largely restored by Dover District Council in the 1970's (1).
An architect’s plan of the elevation and sections of the proposed extensions to the entrance structures dates to 1859. This phase of development of the site must therefore be later than this.(2-3)
<1> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 1993, The Dover Grand Shaft Project: Report on Archaeological Work at the Snargate Street Entrance (Unpublished document). SKE6833.
<2> 1859, Historic Plan: Plan, elevation and section of proposed extensions to the (Grand Shaft) entrance structures (Cartographic materials). SKE31699.
<3> 1947, Grand Shaft guard rooms etc. c.1947 (Cartographic materials). SKE31701.
Sources and further reading
| Cross-ref.
| Source description | | <1> | Unpublished document: Canterbury Archaeological Trust. 1993. The Dover Grand Shaft Project: Report on Archaeological Work at the Snargate Street Entrance. |
| <2> | Cartographic materials: 1859. Historic Plan: Plan, elevation and section of proposed extensions to the (Grand Shaft) entrance structures. |
| <3> | Cartographic materials: 1947. Grand Shaft guard rooms etc. c.1947. |
