St Mary in Castro and the Roman lighthouse in in the part of Dover Castle which I visited. This delightful cruciform church and the Roman pharos look wonderful together.
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The Roman Lighthouse
Beside the church of St Mary stands the Roman pharos, erected to guide shipping along the coast and into Dover harbour sometime in the first half of the second century AD (i.e. roughly 125AD). The lighthouse is built to an octagonal plan, using ragstone and flint with brick dressings and brick archways. It is built with five tapering stages. The bottom four stages are original Roman work, while the top stage was added around 1430 by Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, to act as a bell tower for St Mary in Castro church. In the 1580s the lighthouse was reroofed and restored to act as a powder magazine. The structure is in remarkable condition, though obviously suffering the effects of weathering. You can go through an opening into the centre of the lighthouse, which is hollow.
Beside the church of St Mary stands the Roman pharos, erected to guide shipping along the coast and into Dover harbour sometime in the first half of the second century AD (i.e. roughly 125AD). The lighthouse is built to an octagonal plan, using ragstone and flint with brick dressings and brick archways. It is built with five tapering stages. The bottom four stages are original Roman work, while the top stage was added around 1430 by Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, to act as a bell tower for St Mary in Castro church. In the 1580s the lighthouse was reroofed and restored to act as a powder magazine. The structure is in remarkable condition, though obviously suffering the effects of weathering. You can go through an opening into the centre of the lighthouse, which is hollow.
St Mary in Castro church
This delightful cruciform church stands at the highest point of Dover Castle, its bands of red brick and pale stone standing out like a beacon. Begun around 1000AD, and heavily remodelled in the Victorian period, St Mary served as the church for the garrison of Dover Castle. The size and layout of the building suggest that was a minster, acting as a mother church for the region and served by a community of priests. Construction is of flint and ragstone rubble with Roman bricks reused in the quoins and around doors and window openings. During the medieval period sacred relics were kept in the church. The building was restored in 1582 but allowed to fall into decay in the 17th century. By the 18th century the building was little more than a crumbling shell. Used as a fives court and a coal store, the church was finally restored in 1862 by George Gilbert Scott. The final touches were applied by William Butterfield in 1888, and today the interior is typical of Butterfield's 'High Church' work, with polychrome decoration, a mosaic altar, and tiled floors. Traditionally there were three different service times, with the rank and file attending the earliest service and higher ranks later in the day.
This delightful cruciform church stands at the highest point of Dover Castle, its bands of red brick and pale stone standing out like a beacon. Begun around 1000AD, and heavily remodelled in the Victorian period, St Mary served as the church for the garrison of Dover Castle. The size and layout of the building suggest that was a minster, acting as a mother church for the region and served by a community of priests. Construction is of flint and ragstone rubble with Roman bricks reused in the quoins and around doors and window openings. During the medieval period sacred relics were kept in the church. The building was restored in 1582 but allowed to fall into decay in the 17th century. By the 18th century the building was little more than a crumbling shell. Used as a fives court and a coal store, the church was finally restored in 1862 by George Gilbert Scott. The final touches were applied by William Butterfield in 1888, and today the interior is typical of Butterfield's 'High Church' work, with polychrome decoration, a mosaic altar, and tiled floors. Traditionally there were three different service times, with the rank and file attending the earliest service and higher ranks later in the day.
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