Dover Castle - the oldest fort in England

 

Dover castle has been my dream for a long time. It was also the main point of today's day. I went to Dover to visit this magnificent Anglo Saxon Fort. I did not make a mistake. It is magnificent with an amazing  view for sea full of ships, harbor and town. There is a lot to see in the castle area but  tower and his kitchen  impressed me the most. I spent the day walking around the hollow corridors. And I'm not sure I was in any room. Dover Castle is the oldest fort in England and has been strategic in the countrys defence even up to and including WW1 and WW2. Originally strengthened from an Anglo-Saxon fort in 1066 by William the Conqueror with futher additions made by Henry II and Henry VIII.

more info; http://www.britainexpress.com/attractions.htm?attraction=80

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/dover-castle/history-and-stories/history/

 

 Officers' New Barracks

 

The Great Tower
The showpiece of Dover, the great stone keep erected by Maurice the Engineer for Henry II is a huge cube, measuring 100 feet in each direction, with imposing corner turrets and an elaborate L-shaped forebuilding with a further three projecting turrets. The forebuilding acts as a grand staircase, giving access, not to the first floor, as you might expect, but to the second floor, where the royal hall and solar (private apartments) are located. The forebuilding was originally roofless, so any attackers getting inside would be subjected to a rain of missiles thrown from the tower parapets above. At the point where the forebuilding stair changes direction there is a small, rather ornately carved chapel, perhaps erected as a place for more welcome guests to give thanks for a successful journey upon arrival. The hall level is double-height, with a gallery running around the exterior and several small , private chambers in the thickness of the walls. In one of these chambers is one of the most amazing - and uncelebrated - examples of medieval engineering anywhere in Britain; a well shaft, which sinks down fully 350 feet into the chalk beneath to reach water. To put that in perspective, the well shaft is as deep as the spire of Salisbury Cathedral is tall.

 

 The Queen's Chamber in the Great Tower

 

 Great Tower kitchens

 

 princess of Wales Royal Regiment Museum

 King's Gate