Team Robb Abroad: Day Two continued at Dover Castle

From one military establishment it was a hop, skip and jump to another with our next stop Dover Castle. We knew we were in for a treat when we saw signs advertising a ‘Ye Olde’ display over the course of the weekend. This would make up for the fact that the mist got so thick at times you could barely make out the castle walls let alone take in what should have been amazing views across the port of Dover towards Calais. Because of the special event we had to park in a nearby paddock, wind our way through the poo then queue for a mini bus to take us up to the castle itself.

Commanding the shortest sea crossing between England and the continent, Dover Castle has a long and immensely eventful history. Many centuries before King Henry II began the great stone castle here in the 1160s, its spectacular site atop the famous ‘White Cliffs’ was an Iron Age hill fort, and it still houses a Roman lighthouse, one of the best-preserved in Europe. The Anglo-Saxon church beside it was once probably part of a Saxon fortified settlement: very soon after his victory at Hastings in 1066, this was converted by William the Conqueror into a Norman earthwork and timber-stockaded castle.

From then on Dover Castle was garrisoned uninterruptedly until 1958, a continuous nine-century span equaled only by the Tower of London and Windsor Castle. The stronghold hosted royal visits by Henry VIII, Elizabeth I and Charles I’s Queen Henrietta Maria: and from 1740 until 1945, its defences were successively updated in response to every European war involving Britain.

We assumed they had dropped us at Dover Castle, but who can tell!

Outside the Roman Lighthouse

We had a fantastic visit taking in a live performance of the siege of 1216, one of the bloodiest that Dover Castle had ever seen when the English Barons were revolting(?) and supporting the French King Louis who himself led the siege army. We watched as events unfolded with a truce being called, a tournament undertaken and culminating battle when the death of King John was announced and the English Barons, having no argument with their new King 9 year old Henry III, suddenly changed sides and Louis was left unsupported.

The Castle is under siege by the French

The English knights prepare to ride out

The tournament results so far: England 1 : France 0

King Louis is not impressed (but does look impressive!)

An English yeoman takes on a French knight who has gallantly removed his armour. The result an English victory (but of course)

The news arrives that King John is dead (of dysentery no less)

The cat is now amongst the pigeons and King Louis is abandoned by the formerly revolting English barons

let the battle commence - and the English were victorious

The view of the Saxon church and lighthouse from the keep

We enjoyed it anyway!

women's work in the castle kitchens

whist the men retired

the King and his Princess

Zachary guards the doors to the main hall

whilst Grannie and I guard the gates

We then travelled forwards in history and toured the ‘secret’ war tunnels in use during WWII under the command of Vice Admiral Ramsey. We got to walk through the war hospital including the operating room and view the operations rooms used during Operation DYNAMO, the evacuation of Dunkirk.

It was a real crisscross of the ages moving between ‘modern’ war machinery to medieval trebuchets and in typical English Heritage style all the exhibitions were fabulously set up.

From the mists of Dover Castle we then took a short drive up the coast, and into the sunshine, to visit a much smaller medieval fort of Deal Castle. Deal Castle was built by the order of King Henry VIII and is one of the finest Tudor artillery castles in England, and among the earliest and most elaborate of a chain of coastal forts, which also includes Calshot, Camber, Walmer and Pendennis Castles.

Deal Castle with the sun finally out!

After this brief respite of sunshine we travelled back into the Dover mists and back to the beach of St Margaret’s Bay for some beach combing and graffiting of the chalky white cliffs. We stopped for a drink at the closest English pub to France before heading back into the village and the Smugglers for dinner, which is decorated by the bank notes of different countries. Mum is still upset that when she gave the barman an Australian $10 note (the only Aussie notes were $2) he didn’t offer her a free drink.