Dover

I

Introduction

Dover, town and local government district, Kent, south-eastern England. Dover is situated at the mouth of the River Dour on the Strait of Dover, and is the closest town on the British mainland to continental Europe; Calais is just 34 km (21 mi) and Boulogne 40 km (25 mi) away. Population 104,490 (2001).

II

Economy

Its position, combined with an excellent harbour, has helped to make Dover Britain’s busiest ferry port, shipping cargo and passengers on international, particularly cross-Channel, routes. The British end of the Channel Tunnel (opened 1994) is at nearby Folkestone. Dover’s proximity to continental Europe has also meant that it has been in the first line of British defence against invasion. In addition to being a port, Dover has a variety of small-scale industries, including electronic equipment and paper products factories.

III

Places of Interest

The sheer, white chalk cliffs that flank the town provide the first and last sight of England for many ferry passengers; in the past, and particularly during World War II when they were immortalized in song, the cliffs symbolized Britain’s separateness from the Continent and its impregnability. The beauty of the cliffs, and the area generally, has been recognized by its designation as the Dover-Folkestone Heritage Coast. Dover Castle is another famous landmark. It is a notable example of medieval fortification. Its grounds contain the nearly intact remains of the Pharos, one of two lighthouses built by the Romans, and of the church of St-Mary-in-Castro, which also pre-dates the castle. The remnants of World War II fortifications are also located here. In the town is the Maison Dieu (House of God) founded in the 13th century by the English statesman Hubert de Burgh as a hospice for foreign pilgrims travelling to visit the tomb of St Thomas à Becket in Canterbury and now Dover’s town hall. Dover Discovery Centre houses a museum, a library, and a performing arts complex.

IV

History

Dover has a rich history. The site was first settled almost 4,000 years ago, but its growth began with the Romans who established the town of Dubris as an important port of their colony. Dover became a Saxon stronghold in the 4th century ad. The present Dover Castle, which overlooks the town from the eastern heights of the chalk cliffs, was built in the 12th and 13th centuries on the site of earlier Saxon, Roman, and Iron Age structures.

After the Norman Conquest, Dover was enfranchised as one of the Cinque Ports (a quasi-independent group of five English Channel ports supplying naval defence). During the Napoleonic Wars, cavernous brick shelters were built in the cliffs for troops stationed in the town to defend the coast against French invasion. During World War I, Dover harbour was the base for the flotilla known as the Dover Patrol, which was responsible for keeping the Straits of Dover open to shipping. During World War II, Dover was subjected to heavy German bombing and shelling, and was extensively damaged. As a result, many of the buildings on the seafront date from the early post-war period. Dover district was established in 1974 and includes the former municipal boroughs of Deal and Sandwich.