The most famous building in the Cross-Channel Geopark, Dover Castle has an extraordinary history stretching back at least to the Roman conquest of Britain nearly 2000 years ago.
Dover Castle
The most famous building in the Cross-Channel Geopark, Dover Castle has an extraordinary history stretching back at least to the Roman conquest of Britain nearly 2000 years ago.
The history of Dover Castle is also intertwined with the geology of Dover, perched as it is on the top of the White Cliffs and with miles of tunnels dug directly into the chalk.
Within the walls of Dover Castle you can find one of the oldest buildings still standing in Britain, the Roman Pharos lighthouse, which is also one of just three Roman lighthouses standing anywhere in the world! A corresponding lighthouse known as the Tour d’Ordre was built by the Romans on the other side of the Cross-Channel Geopark in Boulogne, and together these would have guided ships through the Channel. The Tour d’Ordre fell into the sea due to coastal erosion in around 1644.
The current castle was built during the reign of Henry II, and was developed by various monarchs over the years, including Henry VIII. A massive development of the castle occurred during the 19th Century to protect against the feared invasion of Napoleon from France, this also saw the development of the Western Heights on the other side of Dover. The 19th Century developments included the digging of the tunnels, which were converted during World War Two and served as the headquarters for the successful evacuation of Dunkirk.
Dover Castle recently hosted an aviary for the successful reintroduction of the Chough to Kent, and if you’re lucky you might spot these red-billed birds flying overhead.
About Geosites
Geosites are sites of geological interest across the aspiring UNESCO Cross-Channel Global Geopark, where people can visit and interact with our geological heritage. This wide range of sites will offer varying opportunities and values including cultural, heritage, scientific, educational, and aesthetic.
About the aspiring UNESCO Cross-Channel Global Geopark
Hundreds of thousands of years ago a catastrophic flood swept away the chalk ridge connecting Dover and Calais, carving out the white cliffs of Dover and starting Britain’s history as an island.
Did you know the Kent and French coasts are actually still connected today by the layer of chalk which runs below the Channel?
In celebration of the chalk and the channel, we are working to secure UNESCO Cross-Channel Global Geopark status for the Kent Downs National Landscape together with our neighbouring protected landscape in France; the Parc Naturel Regional des Caps et Marais d’Opale.
The Geopark will include both the protected landscapes and the Channel connecting them, recognising and celebrating the geological connection between us.
