Exploring Kent's Past

It should not be assumed that this site is publicly accessible and it may be on private property. Do not trespass.

Monument details

Summary

A road named Cross Pent Wall Street, is located between the 'Great Pent' (today known as Wellington Dock) and Dover's main eastern harbour on early post medieval mapping (location accurate to the nearest 20m based on available information).

Monument Types

• ROAD (Post Medieval to Modern - 1588 AD? to 2050 AD?)
• WALL (Post Medieval to Modern - 1588 AD? to 2050 AD?)

Full description

If you do not understand anything on this page please contact us.

A road, named Cross Pent Wall Street (labelled 'The Cross Pente Wall Strete' on William Eldred's map), is located between the 'Great Pent' (today known as Wellington Dock) and Dover’s main western harbour in the approximate area which is today occupied by Union Street. On William Eldred's map (sheets 3/4), which dates to 1641, the road/wall is bounded on both sides by land which has been divided into separate plots and built upon. (1)

Construction of the Great Pent which was designed to retain both fresh and salt water at high tide and, by means of sluices, control its outflow at low tide, was undertaken on the most part in the summer of 1583. The controlled rush of water would then scour the harbour and clear its mouth of any accumulated shingle and debris. Thomas Digges, who was an engineer and mathematician and who had studied the nature and construction of the ports in the Netherlands, was one of the most active and esteemed combatants in the design process of the new harbour and produced a number of important plans which included this crosswall and associated sluices. (2)

An early plan of Dover Harbour by Thomas Digges, which dates to 1581, at first glance shows the harbour (or absence thereof) as it was after the creation of Clerks Pier, Thompsons Pier and Paradise Pent, but before any other major works were undertaken on the Great Pent. A closer look however reveals a fine line starting from just north east of the river mouth, running south-west about half way towards the Paradise Pent, and returning at a slightly obtuse angle to join the cliffs under the Western Heights. (3)

The first definite appearance of the Cross Pent Wall and associated sluice gates is actually on a map which was drawn (again by Digges) just after the above mentioned, in c. 1588. On here the entire extent of the Great Pent is clearly depicted, including the long wall on its seaward side, the cross pent wall and associated sluice gates, in a form which is recognisable on later mapping, for the first time. (4)

Another map by Digges, entitled 'The State of Dover Harbour with the new works' dating to 1595 expands upon the work completed on the Great Pent in the 1580's and shows the finished harbour after all of the 16th century work on it had been completed. This plan represents a precise and very detailed example of an early cartographic source. The Pent, Cross pent wall and sluice gates are all numbered and labelled on this map. (5)

Shown on further Historic maps including that by Symonds dating to 1583-1584 (6), another possibly by Eldred dating to 1631 (7), Foquet dating to 1737 (8), Hogben dating to 1769 (9)

The impacts of the proposed Dover Western Dock Revival Scheme on the Cross pent wall are discussed (10-11)

<1> William Eldred, 1641, The Platt of Dover Castle Towne and Harbor (Map). SKE31804.

<2> Stephen Johnson, 1994, Making mathematical practice: gentlemen, practitioners and artisans in Elizabethan England (Monograph). SKE32014.

<3> Thomas Digges, 1581, The State of Dover Haven (Map). SKE31984.

<4> Thomas Digges, 1588, Plan of Work at Dover Harbour (Map). SKE31986.

<5> Thomas Digges, 1595, The state of Dover Haven with the New workes (Map). SKE31987.

<6> John Symonds, 1583-1584, Dover Harbour (Map). SKE32347.

<7> William Eldred (?), 1631, Plan of lands belonging to the Priory and now to Master Buffkyn (Map). SKE31988.

<8> J. Foquet, 1737, Plan of the town, harbour and fortifications of Dover (Map). SKE31991.

<9> Thomas and Henry Hogben, 1769, The topography and Mensuration of Dover Pier, Harbour, Houses and Lands from DHB (Map). SKE31992.

<10> Maritime Archaeology, 2008, Dover Terminal 2 -EIA: Historic environmental assessment report (Unpublished document). SKE29382.

<11> Maritime Archaeology, 2008, Dover Terminal 2 EIA: Historic Environment Baseline Report (Unpublished document). SKE31717.

Sources and further reading