Dover
Often referred to as “the gateway to England”. Dover is an important port on the south-east coast of England. Situated in Kent, it faces France across the English Channel, and is just twenty-one miles from Calais. The town’s name derives from Brythonic Dubras, "the waters". The famous white cliffs are where England’s old name of Albion derives from, Albion being Latin for “white”. Other romantic references include Gloucester attempting to jump off the cliffs at Dover in Shakespeare’s King Lear, and Matthew Arnold’s famous poem Dover Beach. The Dover area is on the Straits of Dover (known in France as the Pas de Calais). From Anglo-Saxon times, Dover was one of the original "Cinque Ports," which in exchange for military and transport services were granted special legal status. The others were Hastings, Romney, Hythe and Sandwich. History Episodes of invasion and defence have defined Dover’s history. Julius Caesar landed in 55 BC, and in the 650 years following the Roman occupation Angles, Saxons and Jutes invaded in waves. William the Conqueror’s half-brother Bishop Odo made a start on the castle in the 11th century. Two Spanish galleons from the Armada were wrecked on Goodwin Sands in 16th century, the castle was occupied by Cromwell’s troops during the Civil War in the 1600s, and during the Napoleonic Wars of the early 19th century the castle and town were fortified against an expected invasion by the French. In the 20th century Dover was at the forefront of English Channel defence during the First World War and home base for the Dover Patrol. With Folkestone, it was a main troop embarkation point for France. Bombed by aeroplanes and zeppelins (the first bomb to be dropped on England fell near Dover Castle on Christmas Eve 1914) and shelled by passing warships, the town took an unprecedented battering. It became known as ‘Fortress Dover’ and was put under martial law. During the Second World War, a series of underground caves and tunnels - cut into the cliffs when Napoleon’s army had been expected - were used as air-raid shelters, and Dover became a wartime symbol as part of East Kent’s ‘Hellfire Corner’. Many memorials commemorate centuries of heroism and achievement in Dover. The dead of both World Wars are remembered in the Dover War Memorial, and at St Margaret’s Bay along the coast a giant obelisk bears witness to the sacrifices of the Dover Patrol. What to See & Do in Dover