Dover's 12th Century Norman Castle

[John Latter]

The grounds of Dover (http://www.panoramio.com/user/250345/tags/Dover)'s 12th Century Norman Castle (http://www.panoramio.com/user/250345/tags/Castle) contain traces of earlier fortifications which are most noticable in the form of the Saxon church of St Mary-in-Castro (http://www.panoramio.com/user/250345/tags/St%20Mary-in-Castro) (which wasn't always a church), the Roman Pharos (http://www.panoramio.com/user/250345/tags/Pharos) (a lighthouse/watch tower built in AD 46), and Iron-Age earthworks.

Below is a popular view of Dover Castle showing the Keep (http://www.panoramio.com/user/250345/tags/Keep) on the left and the Constable's Gate entrance just right of center:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1055/1471953278_5b7fd2dfba.jpg (http://www.panoramio.com/photo/2379302)

Click on any of the following thumbnails for a larger view and/or more background information.

This view of Queen Mary's Tower and Constable's Tower was taken looking north from under the archway of Peverell's Tower, all three are on the West Outer Curtain Wall:

http://static1.bareka.com/photos/thumbnail/5358840.jpg (http://www.panoramio.com/photo/5358840)

The Roman Pharos and Church of St Mary-in-Castro (only the nave is visible here) stand on a huge horseshoe-shaped earthwork delineated by the low wall beginning in the left-hand corner of the photo. Colton Tower (see below) appears above the low wall, just left of center:

http://static1.bareka.com/photos/thumbnail/5586024.jpg (http://www.panoramio.com/photo/5586024)

Colton Gate or Colton Tower (alt. Coclico) from the south. A Norman tower built on a Saxon or even earlier base:

http://static1.bareka.com/photos/thumbnail/5504764.jpg (http://www.panoramio.com/photo/5504764)

A view looking northwards of the West Outer Curtain Wall of Dover Castle. The photo was taken from the bridge of Canons' Gateway (Canons' Gate) and shows, from right to left, Fulbert's Tower, Peverell's Tower, Queen Mary's Tower and Constable's Gate:

http://static1.bareka.com/photos/thumbnail/5543155.jpg (http://www.panoramio.com/photo/5543155)

The statue erected to Admiral Sir Bertram Home Ramsay, KCB KBE MVO, (January 20, 1883 - January 2, 1945) stands in the grounds of Dover Castle, near to the cliff edge. Vice-Admiral Ramsay co-ordinated Operation Dynamo, the evacuation of the British Army from Dunkirk in May/June 1940, during World War II (http://www.panoramio.com/user/250345/tags/WW2):

http://static1.bareka.com/photos/thumbnail/5629560.jpg (http://www.panoramio.com/photo/5629560)

John Latter / Jorolat

[photostar_1]

An interesting set and a bit different in presentation too.

[ben g]

i think the shot of Colton Tower is my choice of the pictures.:thumbs:
it would have been nice to see all the pictures at viewing size in the post, as it takes quite a while to load the links. People could always then link through if they want more background info (which is very extensive BTW, are you a local historian?):)

[John Latter]

Thank you for your comments, Photostar and Ben :)

I'm just trying different presentation formats at the moment. Sometimes, when I'm looking at photo #8 in a post, photo #4 decides to belatedly appear and #8 is whipped out of view - and this can happen several times on a long post because (on my clockwork computer, at least) pics aren't always loaded in the correct order.

I thought if I showed one big pic followed by thumbnails then people could choose to view the ones they liked rather than having no choice at all.

If there are too many complaints then I'll think again :)

I'm not a local historian as such although I do like finding out info - in the case of Dover Castle, its really interesting that no two internet or non-internet sources can agree on the characteristics of any of its component parts.

Sometimes, when I'm looking at a photo that has no info, I feel I'm looking at an interesting car that has no engine (if you see what I mean). Perhaps this attitude will change as I (eventually) learn more about photography.

And while I'm here...

Constable's Tower, as big as many other castles in its own right, is only a 'gateway' to Dover Castle. It was built by John de Fiennes under William the Conqueror and for this reason was once known as Fiennes' Tower:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1371/1471953276_6fa64da0a4.jpg (http://www.panoramio.com/photo/2363901)

At the end of the eighteenth century, during the wars with Revolutionary and Napoleonic France, Colonel William Twiss modernized Dover Castle. As part of the program he constructed the Canons' Gateway to help troop movements between castle and town defences (I like this one because of the 'green sky'):

http://static1.bareka.com/photos/thumbnail/2363956.jpg (http://www.panoramio.com/photo/2363956)

A view from the north-east of the round tower of Peverell's Gate (alt. Peverell's Tower) which lies between Gatton's Tower and Queen Mary's Tower on the West Outer Curtain Wall:

http://static1.bareka.com/photos/thumbnail/5516495.jpg (http://www.panoramio.com/photo/5516495)

Avranches Tower (designed for crossbows) is located on the first corner where the East Outer Curtain Wall of Dover Castle briefly changes direction before continuing on its way to the cliff edge:

http://static1.bareka.com/photos/thumbnail/5170563.jpg (http://www.panoramio.com/photo/5170563)

Queen Mary's Tower is a fairly typical medieval D-type tower but its location within the garden grounds of Constable's Tower makes close-ups difficult to get:

http://static1.bareka.com/photos/thumbnail/5487483.jpg (http://www.panoramio.com/photo/5487483)

John Latter / Jorolat