Landmarks

At the castle of Dover

Dear Diary,

Can you remember my travel details about a Swiss castle last time? Guess where we are now? In Great Britain! We thought we were in Switzerland for too long a time and so, flew here.

The first place we visited in England was the Dover Castle. Dover is in East Kent and is England's leading cruise and ferry port. According to Aaron, the guide bird, Dover's most noticeable attractions are the steamships and Super Sea cats. The Dover Castle comes into view over the harbour from a site above the chalk cliffs.

This is a medieval fortress that had been built more than 800 years ago. "It isn't just a castle; it's a massive complex of fortifications dating back to Roman times, when the Pharos lighthouse was built around 50 A.D.", explained Aaron.

The castle's biggest attraction is the Great Keep, which had been constructed between 1181 and 1187 for Britain's King Henry II. This massive Keep is eight storeys high, with walls of 5 to 7 metres in thickness. There were a few attractions at the Great Keep; we thought this experience was once in a lifetime.

The 1216 Siege Experience, which is a 12-minute 'sound and light presentation' chronicles (records) the prolonged siege (continued blockade) of Dover Castle by French troops, who had been asked to invade England by rebellious barons (nobles) who wanted to dethrone (remove from throne) the dictatorial King John. The French Dauphin (later to become Louis XIII) gave up his attempt because King John died and was succeeded by Henry III during the siege.

When the King had come for a brief stay at the castle in 1539, the preparations had matched the extremes that are typical of a state visit by a world leader today. When we stepped inside the Keep, we were astonished to see some of those preparations, which, among other things, required unpacking hundreds of trunks and arranging the king's own furniture.

Displays at the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment and Queen's Regiment Museum gave us an idea of army life from 1572 to the modern times. When we walked through the Keep's rooms and climbed up to the roof, we were treated to a spectacular view of the castle grounds, the English Channel, and the French Coast.

We also got the opportunity to visit the medieval tunnels which were built in the 12th century and altered in the late 1700s to help defend it against a possible invasion from France.

Secret World War II Tunnels

One of Dover Castle's most popular attractions is known to be the network of secret wartime tunnels that were used to coordinate the evacuation (removal) of Dunkirk and direct South East England's coastal defences in World War II.

The tunnels were an expansion of the existing casemates, or underground barracks, which had been carved beneath Dover Castle and its grounds in the early 19th century. By the end of the war, they occupied three levels.

They include an underground hospital, barracks, telephone exchanges, operations rooms, and other facilities used by the forces under the command of Vice-Admiral Bertram Ramsay. The tunnels remained in use by the military until the early 1960s.

During the first part of our 55-minute tunnel tour, we walked through the hospital while loudspeakers played the sounds of soldiers talking and bombs exploding overhead. Lights flickered and dimmed as we heard a surgeon try to save a pilot's leg in the primitive operating theatre.

There was no description; everything is told through the realistic exhibits (including gurneys (stretchers) with bloody sheets), recorded conversations, and sound effects. In the last half of the tour, we explored the Command Centre, the Anti-Aircraft Operations Room, the Telephone Exchange and Repeater Station, and other rooms.

It was a nice and interesting visit. There are lots of places to be visited in England. I'll try to visit most of them and keep you updated. Till then, bye!

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