Dover Town Council

A Dover Study

The following study is not an authorised report by the Council and views their in one those of the authors.

Extracts from a report by – Célia Gruet, Hélène Mouchard, Lise Girondelot, Sébastien Milliot, Yann Douillet.

INTRODUCTION

This report stems from a university study trip undertaken in Dover, on 17 and 18 March 2004, when the authors were given presentations and examined various aspects of tourism in Dover. The objective of the trip was to get a practical example of the tourist potential of a town like Dover, looking at possibilities and solutions.  This is a very much abridged version of a very comprehensive study.

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL OVERVIEW

Dover is well known, thanks to its being the world’s busiest passenger port.  This mainly explains its ranking No. 12 in a list of best-known towns in the English Speaking countries.

Weaknesses

Nevertheless, if Dover is a gateway to England via its port, it suffers also from various difficulties due to its special position.

Dover, geographically, is a valley, which makes plans for new building limited.  The town centre is also isolated from the port and the beach by the A20 highway.  The port activities do not provide the town with as much money as it used to.  Actually, it used to depend too much on the port and its economic fallout, on which it cannot rely anymore. Changes in the structure of the economy makes the port’s weight less in the local economy.  In the past, it employed many more people, for 60% of Dover inhabitants were working for the port.  Now, with the system of one week on/one week off, most of the staff do not come from Dover, making other towns in England benefit from its revenues.  Consequently Dover needs to base its economy on other activities and sources of profit.  Unfortunately, there is no major business park, almost all businesses are linked with the port, hence a need for diversification. Sources of employment are thus quite rare; furthermore, the level of qualifications is poor.

The town lacks shops and private entertainment infrastructure.  No major retailer wants to invest in a poor economy, but investment could boost the local economy.

Except for the ferry port, all transport infrastructures are outside Dover, with, for example, the Eurostar passing through Folkestone and not Dover.  There is also no high-speed train connection to and from London.  Moreover, the A20 and A2 highways (the advised routes for trucks) are congested.

DOVER’S ATTRACTIONS AND SITES OF INTEREST 

The Castle

One of the most important assets of Dover is its castle, as a symbol of the history of the town.

There are 6 places to visit at the castle:  The Keep Yard, the Secret Wartime Tunnels, the Battlements Walk, the Medieval Tunnels, the Admiralty Lookout and the Roman Pharos and Saxon Church.  These attractions provide visitors with a complete and highly recreational historic outline of Dover.

The Keep Yard presentation of the 1216 siege of the castle through a 12 minute ‘son et lumière’ recreation of Henry VIII’s court and interactive exhibition.
Secret Wartime Tunnels: This is where wartime personnel were stationed during World War II.  From this place, in 1940, Vice Admiral Ramsay and Sir Winston Churchill masterminded the evacuation of Dunkirk in "Operation Dynamo".  Objects and decor from the period, sounds, smells and film clips and the atmosphere in these tunnels show the every-day life of soldiers and officers.
It is possible to spend half a day (or even a full day) at Dover Castle: the visits to the Keep Yard and the Secret Wartime Tunnels lasts one hour each, the Medieval tunnels 45 min., and it is possible to go for a walk on the Battlements Walk and to enjoy the sight on the Channel and the town. There is a self-service restaurant on the site.
During our stay in Dover, we had the chance to have a guided tour of the tunnels. The wartime atmosphere is perfectly re-created, and this is to our mind one of Dover's best asset.

The Town Hall and the Maison Dieu

One part of the present Town Hall (called the Maison Dieu) has seen many owners and has fulfilled many functions over the last 800 years. Many rooms make a great impression on the visitor, even though, unfortunately, it is not always possible to view the building and learn more about its history.

Pilgrim's Rest (1203-1544)

The Maison Dieu was a large and important example of many medieval hospitals found from 1050 on, which were at one time as numerous as better-known monasteries.

The hospital in 1203 was probably only a large open hall with a kitchen and living quarters attached for the Master who practised hospitality to all strangers. Wounded and destitute soldiers, some staying as permanent pensioners, as well as pilgrims were accommodated. Pilgrimage to the shrine of Thomas Beckett in Canterbury ensured the hospital a steady flow of visitors.

A chapel was added to the hall in 1227 and consecrated during a service at which Henry III was present. The chapel, converted into a courtroom, still survives today. The courtroom was re-opened to the public during the 90s offering the visitors re-enactment of courtroom life of the times. Unfortunately it closed in 2001 due to a lack of funding.  

A Military Storehouse (1544-1834)

The Master and Brethren of the Hall signed an oath acknowledging the 1534 act of Supremacy, giving Henry VIII supreme headship of the Church of England, which formally ended all religious connections with the Maison Dieu.  The hospital was surrendered to the crown in 1544, after a long delay almost certainly due to the position of favour the master held with the king, so that the Crown could used brewhouses, Blakehouses, barns, stables and lands as a supplies base for the army and the navy until 1830.

Civic Centre

Between 1830 and 1834 the Board of Ordnance briefly used the Maison Dieu as a depot, but in 1834 it was re-sold to the Corporation of Dover who wanted to turn the Maison Dieu into a Civic Centre of which Dover could be proud.

The prison was built below and to one side of the Hall. The prison only shut in the middle of the 20th century. During the 90s, as for the courtroom, the life in the prison was re-created in a permanent exhibition opened to the public.

Medieval Style

Seven years later, a proper programme of restoration began at last and was funded almost completely by the Council and managed by William Burges. He was a famous Victorian architect who admired the style of medieval craftsmen and builders. This can be seen in its work: grotesque animals along the doorways, and in the coats of its arms, the Lord of Wardens of the Cinque Ports ranged along each side of the wall.

The Stone Hall is the huge room you first walk across once inside the building.  Experts assume the Stone Hall with its magnificent pictures, stained glass windows, Cinque Ports Volunteer Flags arms and armour is the “Great Chamber” that dates back to 1253. The hall is 124 feet long by 28 feet wide with four-foot thick walls, strengthened by buttresses. The Six Windows on the south front of the hall are Victorian copies of the original medieval windows. The Victorian stained glass windows depict six Lord Wardens of the Cinque Ports in scenes from Dover's past.

The Square Tower attached to the hall was also built in the 14th century. The tower is not open to the public.

The Council Chamber at the end of the Maison Dieu is an impressive and beautiful room; also designed by Burges, was added in 1867.

The Connaught Hall, adjacent to the Maison Dieu, was built between 1881 and 1883 as a meeting room for the town. The building also contains rooms used by Dover's Mayor and Charter Trustees. All were designed by Burges, but completed by his partners after his death.  The hall, which can boast a magnificent organ, unfortunately out of order for two decades, accommodates numerous shows throughout the year.

The Maison Dieu is still used as a meeting hall in the District, for conferences, banquets fairs, weddings and concerts.  The Town Council wants to turn it into an even more central part of the life of the Dover's Community. Therefore, the Thanet Leisure Company was chosen by the District Council to manage and improve the activities of the Town Hall.

Dover Museum And The Bronze Age Boat Gallery

Dover Museum and the Bronze Age Boat Gallery tell the story of the town and the port of Dover since its prehistoric times.

The archaeology gallery shows Dover's history as a Roman port and fortress, and also includes finds from the nearby Buckland Anglo-Saxon cemetery, one of the largest and most important found in Britain.

The top floors covers Dover's history from 1606 to present days and include six large scale models of the town through the centuries, Cinque Ports History, Victorian objects and displays on the First and Second World Wars.

The Bronze Age Boat Gallery houses the world oldest known sea-boat. The permanent exhibition has won two awards in Great Britain.  Found in Dover in 1992, the boat is a remarkable survival from the Bronze Age. It is 3,550 years old, older than Tuntankhamon.  This unique traditional treasure was saved for posterity by the Dover Bronze Age Trust.  After 7 years of conservation, fundraising and research, the boat is now on display in the gallery. As well as the boat and a large collection of other treasures from the Bronze Age, the Gallery includes a full-scale Bronze Age home, a film show, and an interactive section: puzzles, games, video microscopes and a range of touch screen multimedia computers to bring the visitor back to the Bronze Age.

Crabble Corn Mill

The Crabble Corn Mill in Dover is one of Britain's finest working mill. It is currently run by a handful of volunteers. The water mill on the Dour River is surrounded by wild gardens. The volunteers propose a visit of the mills (guided or not) from the 6th to the 1st floor.

The Mill

Britain's finest working 19th century water-mill with its award winning tours explains the history of milling, and the story of Crabble Corn from King Henry III's charter to the Monks of St. Radigund's Abbey in 1227 to the present mill. It was built in 1812 to produce flour on an industrial scale for the British troops stationed on the Kent coast ready to repel the French forces under Emperor Napoleon.

Nowhere else can be seen such a complete system of ingenious machines dating back to the start of the Industrial Revolution, simply powered by river water.  Full-scale models portray life, work and tragedy in the mill. The visitors have the opportunity to see the machinery working as the waterwheel turns.  Millers give regular demonstrations producing the Mill's organic stone-ground flour just as millers did in Georgian and Victorian times.

Other Places Of Interest (Historic Town Trail)

Market Square (+ Museum & Bronze Age Gallery): Dover corporation kept its instruments of punishment here - stock, pillory and whipping post.

St Mary's Church: Parish Church founded c 1100 AD, rebuilt in 1843 because of unsafe foundations due to the number of burials under the floor.

Roman Painted House: Exceptionally well-preserved town house, with extensive intact paintings and elaborate under-floor heating.

St Edmund's Chapel: St Richard, Bishop of Chichester died here in 1253.  His internal organs were buried in a crypt under the chapel altar.

Dover Priory (Dover College): Founded in 1130 as a monastery. King Stephen allegedly died here in 1154.

Pencester Gardens:  Stephen de Pencester became constable of Dover Castle and Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports in the 13th Century.

Maison Dieu Road: Victorian residential street. The steep stairs of Harold Passage lead directly up to Dover Castle.

Laureston Place:  Turnpike: This was the main road into Dover, used by stagecoaches travelling from Deal. A French invading army camped here in 1216.

Old St James' Church: founded in Saxon Times, and used not only as a church but also by the Barons of the Cinque Ports for several official courts until 1851.

Moat Bulwark & East Cliff:  Remains of fortifications built in 1540 during the reign of Henry VIII.

Marine Parade:  The centre of the seafront promenade, fashionable during Victorian times.

Waterloo Crescent:  A row of elegant houses built between 1830 -1838. Before World War II they extended along the seafront.

Western Docks:  This area has seen a number of important and famous people leave and arrive the shores of England: Henry V returning from Agincourt in 1415, Charles II returning from Exile in 1660, Henry VII on his way to France in 1520.

Newbridge:  This area was developed as town houses for the gentry and Charles Dickens lived here temporarily.

Grand Shaft:  A unique 140 feet triple spiral staircase dug through the cliff between 1806-1809 to get troops from the Western Heights down to the Harbour very quickly.

Blériot Memorial: Marks the steep spot where on 25 July 1909, Louis Blériot landed his aircraft after making the first crossing of the Channel by aeroplane.

The Port

Dover is the busiest passenger port in the world. There are two leading activities: cross-channel and cruises. Sea France, P&O and Norfolk lines operate the cross-channel lines. There are 2 cruise terminals and 400 berths in the 3 marinas.  

At the same time the number of staying trips in the entire White Cliffs Country (Dover + Deal + Sandwich) is 453,000, and the number of day visitors is 3.25 million.  This is far below the 15 million passengers arriving in the port of Dover each year.  

The decrease in number of passengers during the last few years is due to the competition of Eurotunnel and low cost air companies.  

Actually, this port is the main gateway to the United Kingdom. This is a chance for the town, but until now this potential has not been exploited.  People arriving at the port tend not to stay in Dover and prefer to continue their way to other places in England (such as Canterbury or London) or to the Continent.  The aim of the various Town Council is to work together with all the other appropriate bodies to attract visitors to stay and enjoy the benefits available.


Abridged and edited by Donald Shrubb OBE.