DOVER. 



57 



Dover, the west front is Norman, and likewise the first three 

 ""Y"""*' arches, and the columns which sustain them on each 

 side of the nave : the two next arches on each side are 

 elliptical, the most eastern one having a very large 

 span. Beyond these, on each side, are two pointed 

 arches of unequal size. The Norman columns have flu- 

 ted capitals, and most of the columns are large and 

 massy. A very fine organ was erected in 1742. The 

 galleries are large, and the church is well paved. 



St James's church, which is of Norman origin, is an 

 irregular building, with a square tower at the west 

 end. It fonnerly belonged to Dover castle, and the 

 courts of chancery and admiralty for the Cinque Ports 

 are still held in it. 



Besides these two places of worship, there are meet- 

 ing houses for Baptists, Methodists, Quakers, &c. 



A new and handsome custom-house has recently been 

 built, and an elegant hospital has been newly erected, 

 near Archcliff Fort, for the soldiery. The town-hall, 

 which stands in the market-place, is adorned with se- 

 veral good portraits, and a curious print of the embar- 

 kation of Henry VIII. for France. There are like- 

 wise in Dover, a neat assembly-room, a theatre, and 

 two circulating libraries. In the Apollo library, there 

 is a handsome public reading room, furnished with the 

 London papers, with music and musical instruments. 

 A good free school was established here in 1771, and a 

 charity school in 1789- 



Dover castle occupies nearly the whole summit of the 

 high eminence which bounds the south-east side of the 

 deep valley in which the town is built. This eminence 

 is steep and rugged towards the town and harbour, but 

 towards the sea it is a precipice 320 feet in height. 

 The castle consists of a lower and an upper court, de- 

 fended by ditches communicating with the inner towers, 

 The lower court, excepting on the side next the sea, is 

 encircled with an irregular wall, called the curtain, 

 which is flanked at unequal intervals with a number of 

 towers, the workmanship of different ages. None of these 

 towers are supposed to nave been built by the Normans. 

 The 1st tower, commencing from the cliff on the western 

 side, is called theOld Tower, and had formerlya gate and 

 drawbridge. 2. Albrancis, or Rokesley tower, is of a 

 pentagonal form. 3. Chilham, or Calderscot tower, is of 

 a square form, and was built by Fulbert de Lucy. 4. 

 Hurst tower, is named after a dependent manor in Chil- 

 ham parish. 5. Arsic, or Sayes tower. 6. Gatton tower. 

 7. Peveril, Beauchamp, or Marshal's tower, built over 

 a Saxon gate- way, is connected with a draw-bridge, the 

 abutments of which were discovered about 20 years 

 ago. 8. Perth's, Casting's, and Queen Mary's tower. 

 9- Fiennes tower, through which is the principal en- 

 trance into the lower court ; it is generally called New 

 Gate, to distinguish it from the ancient entrance. On 

 the right of this tower are the apartments of the gover- 

 nor and lieutenant-governors, together with an armory 

 of small anus. There are also modern barracks for the 

 soldiery about this entrance. 10. Clopton's tower. 

 11. Godstoe tower. 12. Crevequer's, or Craville's 

 tower, is remarkably magnificent. There is a subter- 

 raneous passage by this tower, leading to a very large 

 Tault, which is defended by a moat of prodigious 

 depth, and a draw-bridge, and also by a kind of round 

 tower. In an angle opposite to this tower, is an ad- 

 vanced work called the Barbican. 13. Fitzwilliani's or 

 St John's tower. A spacious sally-port was formerly 

 connected with this tower, and in the underground 

 passage were a gate and portcullis, the stone grooves of 

 the latter being still visible. 14. A common watch 



TOL. VIII. PART I. 



tower. 15. A common watch tower. 16. Averanche's, 

 or Maunsel's tower, stands in an angle formed by the 

 curtain wall, and is a fine specimen of Norman architee* 

 ture. 17. Veville, or Pincester tower. 18. Good- 

 win's tower. 19. Ashfordian tower. Beyond this are 

 three other towers, or rather platforms, that have no 

 particular name. 



In ascending from the lower to the upper court, the 

 road is steep, and leads to King's Gate and Bridge, form- 

 ing the entrance to the upper court, which is encir- 

 cled with a strong wall and numerous towers. On the 

 eastern side are three towers which command the whole 

 vallum and ascent to the principal entrance of this 

 court. The other principal towers, are Suffolk tower, 

 which is a stately fabric and old arsenal tower, and a 

 variety of others which we cannot find room to notice. 

 The keep, or palace tower, which stands in the centre 

 of the upper court, is in very good preservation, and is 

 used as a magazine. The walls are from 18 to 20 feet 

 thick, and contain the galleries. The summit is em- 

 battled, and has a turret at each angle. It is nearly 92 

 feet high, and about 466 feet above low water mark. 



When the public were alarmed with the threats of 

 invasion by the French, government erected many bat- 

 teries for the defence of Dover castle, and furnished 

 them with a formidable train of artillery. They con- 

 sist of casements excavated from the solid chalk rock, 

 covered ways, and subterraneous apartments, capable 

 of accommodating 2000 men. A new road has also 

 been made from the town to the top of the hijl. Since 

 the renewal of hostilities in 1803, the heights on the 

 western side of Dover have been defended by strong 

 fortifications, connected by the town by a military road. 

 The other fortifications are Amherst battery at the north 

 pier head, and Archcliff fort at the end of the pier. 



The harbour of Dover has at different periods recei- 

 ved very great improvements, and is now in a very re- 

 spectable condition. The encroachments of the sea 

 are prevented by several jetties erected towards the east, 

 and though large quantities of sand are thrown up at 

 its mouth by the south-west winds, yet with the aid of 

 the backwater, the sluices are able to clear it in one 

 tide. Vessels of 400 or 500 tons may now enter the 

 harbour in safety; there being a depth of 18 or 20 

 feet of water at spring tides, and of about 14 at neap 

 tides. The piers which form the harbour are very 

 long and substantial, and are defended by strong bat- 

 teries continued in a chain along the coast, with nu- 

 merous martello towers. 



As Dover is the principal place of embarkation for 

 the continent in time of peace, its trade is very exten- 

 sive. Before the commencement of the last war, 30 ves- 

 sels, of 60 or 70 tons each, besides packets, were em- 

 ployed on the passage to the French coast. They were 

 reckoned the handsomest and most commodious vessels 

 in the kingdom. With a favourable wind the passage 

 has often been made in three hours, and sometimes in 

 two hours and 40 minutes. The breadth of the Chan- 

 nel is 7 1 leagues. 



The principal antiquities in Dover, are the Roman 

 pharos, and the ancient church which stands on the up- 

 per part of the castle hill. The pharos has externally 

 the form of an octagon, and is a. square within. Each 

 side of the octagon and of the square is about 1 4 feet, 

 and the thickness of the wall below is nearly 10 feet. 

 On the east side is an arched doorway about six feet 

 wide, and on the other three sides of the inner square 

 are narrow spaces for windows, about 13^ feet in height. 

 Tliis ruin is now in a state of great decay. The roof is 



H 



Dover. 



