Dover's early history
Long before the castle
People occupied this hill over 2,000 years ago and as much as 1,200 years before Dover Castle was first built. the huge earthworks of the castle outer bailey probably began as the ramparts of an Iron Age hillfort, constructed long before the Roman conquest in AD 43. At the top of the path to the right of this panel you can see two remarkable ancient buildings that are much older than the castle.
The pharos is one of two lighthouses flanking Dover town. From around AD 120 they guided ships into the harbour, where there was a fortified base for the galleys of a Roman fleet.
Next to the pharos is the Anglo-Saxon church of St Mary-in-Castro. It was built around the year 1000, inside a fortress from which defence against Viking raids was organized. The pharos was later adapted as a bell tower for the church.
The bank and stone wall around the buildings were built in the 13th century, replacing defences erected at the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.
What to see
1   Roman pharos This is one of the most unusual surviving structures from Roman Britain
2   Church of St Mary-in-Castro   This is the finest late-Saxon building still standing in Kent.
( photo caption )
The



north west view of the chapel and tower in Dover Castle. The ruined church and Roman pharos engraved by the Buck brothers in the early 18th century.

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Medieval Dover
Buildings of Dover Castle
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Saluting Platform
Dover's defences
Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay
Ramsay: retreat and return
Fighting the Enemy in the Sky
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Admiral Sir Bertram Home Ramsay

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