Dover Castle

Over het museum

Dover Castle stands on the cliffs above the Channel port and has guarded the shortest sea crossing to the continent for around two thousand years. The grounds include a Roman lighthouse, one of the best preserved Roman structures in Britain, and a church. After the Norman Conquest the site was fortified, and in the 1180s Henry II built the Great Tower and a ring of defences to make the castle both a stronghold and a place for receiving important guests. Its strategic importance earned it the name 'the Key to England'.

The castle withstood a long siege by a French army in 1216 to 1217, and later kings strengthened its walls. In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries the threat of Napoleonic invasion led the army to dig tunnels into the cliff and build new fortifications. During the Second World War these tunnels were reused as a command centre, and the Dunkirk evacuation of 1940, Operation Dynamo, was directed from the chambers beneath the castle. An underground hospital was also established in the cliff.

Today the castle is managed by English Heritage. Visitors can explore the Great Tower with its re-created medieval interiors, the Dover Castle Under Siege exhibition on the 1216 siege, the Georgian and wartime tunnels, and extensive grounds with sweeping views over the harbour.

Hoogtepunten

• The Great Tower, with re-created interiors of Henry II's court
• Secret Wartime Tunnels and the Underground Hospital
• Dover Castle Under Siege exhibition on the 1216 to 1217 siege
• Roman lighthouse and a church within the grounds
• Siege Play Area and the Spur viewpoint over the harbour

Vaste collectie

• The Great Tower – Henry II's Great Tower, with lavish re-created interiors that show medieval royal life, explored on a self-guided route.
• Secret Wartime Tunnels – Guided visits to the tunnels under the cliff that served as a Second World War command centre and underground hospital.
• Dover Castle Under Siege – An interactive exhibition in the Spur Casemates telling the story of the siege of 1216 to 1217.

Opgericht

1179

Beheerder

English Heritage

Toegangsprijzen & kortingen

Prices depend on the date and are lowest when booked online until midnight the day before (off-peak adult £24.65; standard days £27.03; peak days £29.32). Tickets bought on the day cost more, with an adult gate price from £31.80. The admission price includes the Secret Wartime Tunnels tour and the other attractions. Prices shown exclude the optional 10% Gift Aid donation. English Heritage members enter free, and visitors arriving by public transport or by bicycle receive 20% off walk-up tickets bought on the day.

Toegankelijkheid

• Deels rolstoeltoegankelijk
• Lift
• Aangepast toilet
• Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats
• Hulphonden welkom
• Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten
• Rondleidingen in gebarentaal: geen informatie
• Informatie in eenvoudige taal: niet aanwezig
• Audiodescriptie: geen informatie

Wheelchair access is available in the grounds and several buildings, but the Great Tower is accessible on the ground floor only and the medieval parts of the castle have no lift. The grounds include some very steep slopes and gravel, tarmac and cobbles. The Spur Casemates, including the Dover Castle Under Siege exhibition, are step-free; the Spur tunnels are reached by narrow spiral staircases, and a virtual tour is shown in the Casemates. Manual wheelchairs and mobility scooters can be borrowed; book by email. An on-site mobility bus helps visitors move around. A free Blue Badge car park is near the Great Tower, and a Changing Places toilet with an adult changing bench is in the NAAFI restaurant. Induction loops are available in the Admissions Building. Braille guides, handling objects and sensory backpacks are available, and assistance dogs are welcome.

Kinderen & gezin

Erg geschikt voor kinderen & gezinnen

• Gezinsrondleidingen & workshops
• Speurtocht, doeboekje of kinderaudiotour
• Doe- en voelstations
• Kinderwagenvriendelijk
• Verschoonruimte
• Speeltuin / speelhoek

The Siege Play Area lets children take on the castle, and there are open spaces where kites are welcome. A World Builder trail and a family guide with itineraries are available, and family events run at half-term and before Christmas. Pushchairs are allowed. Baby changing facilities are in five locations, high chairs are available in the coffee shop, tunnel café and NAAFI restaurant, and kids' lunchboxes are offered.

Bereikbaarheid & parkeren

Postcode for satellite navigation: CT16 1HU. If the Port of Dover is delayed, the M2/A2 and A299/A256 are suggested alternatives. Visitors who arrive by train, bus or bicycle receive 20% off walk-up tickets.

Service & horeca

• Café
• Restaurant
• Museumwinkel
• Garderobe: niet aanwezig
• Kluisjes: niet aanwezig

NAAFI restaurant, Great Tower Coffee Shop and a Tunnels Tea Room; the Great Tower shop and the Secret Wartime Tunnels shop, with a second-hand bookshop upstairs. There is no left luggage facility.

Evenementen & zaalverhuur

Het museum heeft hierover geen informatie gepubliceerd.

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