1. Tunnels Beneath Dover Castle
October 2006

2. Introduction Prominent Castle and Fortifications
Extensive tunnel systems and shafts
Long history
Extent of tunnels often not appreciated

3. Tunnel Systems OFTEN SEEN Annexe Casemate Mediaeval
RARELY SEEN Constables
Dumpy
Esplanade
East Demi Bastion
Garrison Well
Guilford Shaft Horse Shoe Bastion
Canon’s Gate
Hudson’ Passage
VIRTUALLY NEVER SEEN Cable Tunnel
French / Norfolk Tower
Main Drain Spur

4. Dates ? Annexe World War 2 Casemate Napoleonic 1797 - 1803
Dumpy World War 2
Esplanade Smugglers caves ?? and WW2
French / Norfolk Tower c1100
Mediaeval Mediaeval
Constables
Guilford Shaft Henry VIII ? To Napoleonic
Garrison Well c1796
East Demi Bastion c1800 ?
Horse Shoe Bastion c1800 Spur Caponniere c1755
Spur pre 1800 ??
Main Drain Napoleonic Spiral Staircase c1870

5. Tunnels Seen Frequently
Annexe Level
Driven 1940 – 41
Hospital and wartime accommodation
Steel arches with mainly corrugated steel sheet linings, concrete floors
Open to public and in good repair

6. Annexe
Spiral Staircase

7. Detailed Plan of Annexe Level
operating theatre
kitchen
entrance
lift
Spiral Staircase

8. Annexe Level
Hospital
Operating Theatre

9. Annexe Level
Access tunnel to Spiral Staircase
Living Accommodation

10. Refurbished Annexe Lift Lobby

11. Casemate Level
Excavated during Napoleonic war
Several gun ports, ventilation shafts and service tunnels
Re-used during subsequent wars
Brick lined in part
Reasonable repair
Public access on daily basis

12. Casemate Level
Spiral Staircase
Well Shaft

13. spiral staircase lift shaft
Casemate Level J I
spiral staircase lift shaft H
shafts E D C B
incline
gun portals
balcony
Well Shaft

14. Casemate Tunnels

15. Admiralty Casemate – 70m long

16. Casemate Shafts

17. Casemate Shafts 2
Shaft D
Well Shaft

18. Top of Casemate Shaft ‘B’

19. Spiral Staircase Excavated c1870 Twin spiral staircase
Rapid movement of personnel
Used daily for visitors

20. Dumpy Level
Constructed 1942
Wartime military accommodation
Regional seat of Govt /nuclear bunker (1958 – 83)

21. Dumpy Level Lift Shaft Main fans BBC radio room Filters Winch tunnel
Up – stairs to Casemate
Area below Casemate Balcony

22. Dumpy Level
Lift Shaft
Well Shaft

23. Ventilation fans
Outer tunnel
Dumpy Level

24. Old Radio Room
Guard Point
Dumpy Level
Connecting Tunnel

25. Hellfire Corner Tunnels
- a composite section through the cliff showing relative levels
Annexe Level
1941 – 1942
Casemate
entrance
Spiral Staircase
1870’s
Ventilation shafts
Dumpy Level 1942
Lift Shaft
1963
Casemate Level
Annexe entrance
Main drain shaft (B)

26. Relative Positions of Annexe, Casemate and Dumpy

27. Lesser Known Tunnels Esplanade Spur Main Drain French / Norfolk Tower
Spur Caponniere
Constables
Guildford Shaft
East Demi Bastion
Horse Shoe Bastion
Garrison Well
Bastion level ???

28. Esplanade Level The bottom level Possible smugglers caves
Starting excavation date uncertain
Wartime air raid shelters
Isolated areas with connecting tunnels constructed during wartime
Also known as :-
Guildford Tunnel, Trevanion Caves, Chapel Caves, Athol Terrace Caves

29. Esplanade Level

30. Stability Problems
Esplanade Level

31. Esplanade Level – Wall Art
We’re Don and Ted and Bill and Jack Fred and Dick and Nobby and if you never see us back you’ll not forget our hobby
Esplanade Level – Wall Art

32. Esplanade – showing coal particles adhering to tunnel walls long after use for coal storage

33. Well Shaft and Cable tunnel
Napoleonic Age
Supply of fresh water
Base below sea level
Cable Tunnel

34. Cable Tunnel Construction access to Well Shaft ?
Entrance area modified and extended during World War 2

35. Spur Level An enigma Why was it driven? (possible counter mines)
When was it driven? (late 1700’s ?)
When was it last used?
Why no connection to Spur Caponniere

36. Spur Level
Spur Caponniere

37. Access tunnel and shafts
Spur Level
Upper level
50 metres N
Lower level
Middle level X X’
Tunnels met from opposite directions (opposing pick marks) at slightly different levels – so more height here
Section X-X’
Access tunnel and shafts

38. Backfilled shafts (to surface?)
Spur Level
Highest point 94.2 m
Ground Level 95.9 m
Backfilled shafts (to surface?)

39. Potential problem is under entrance to coach park
Spur Level
Potential problem is under entrance to coach park

40. Unsupported tunnels
Spur Level
Entrance - adjacent to Spur Caponier

41. Intermediate shaft
Minor collapse

42. Partially infilled with debris

43. Writing on tunnel walls in Spur

44. Main Drain Covers most of western part of site Napoleonic
Main foul drain system
Falls full height of cliffs through sloping tunnels and shafts
Elliptical cross section tunnels, brick lined
Some shafts in poor repair
Used to connect to town system

45. Main Drain Casemate Shaft B Main shaft Main drain Minor shaft
High level drain
Casemate Shaft B

46. Looking Down
Looking Up
Main Drain Shafts

47. Probably started in Napoleonic times and added to later.
Main Drain Tunnels
Probably started in Napoleonic times and added to later.

48. Main Drain Shafts

49. Main Drain Shafts with stability problems

50. Spur Caponniere Medieval and Norfolk Tower Tunnels
Medieval Tunnel
Spur Caponniere Tunnel

51. Spur Caponniere, Medieval and Norfolk Tower Tunnels
Access from St John’s Tower to East and West Spur Caponnieres
Possibly renovated with St John’s Tower in 1790’s
Unlined (poor state) and brick lined
Medieval
Connects St John’s Tower with rest of castle
Unlined but now modern supports
Unrestricted public access
Norfolk Tower Tunnels
Uncertain purpose
Partly unlined rest lined with “flint concrete”
Good state

52. Spur Caponniere and access shaft

53. Medieval Tunnel
with rockbolt and mesh support
Norfolk Tower Tunnels with flint concrete lining

54. Tunnels only visited occasionally
Horse Shoe Bastion
East Demi Bastion
Constable’s
Canon’s Gate
Guildford Shaft
Garrison Well

55. Horse Shoe Bastion Tunnels

56. Horse Shoe Bastion Tunnels
Sealed shaft top
Horse Shoe Bastion Tunnels
Brick lined with arrow slit
Unlined tunnel

57. East Demi Bastion Tunnels

58. East Demi Bastion Tunnels
Main Chamber to North

59. Constable’s Tunnels

60. Garrison Well
Main water supply to castle
Date c1796
~104m to water
Bottom below sea level >>104m deep

61. Garrison Well

62. Garrison Well
Winch at top
View across top

63. Guildford Shaft (s) Dates from Henry VIII ?? Lined Napoleonic times
Series of 4 shafts and 5 tunnel horizons
Spiral staircases in shafts
Probably access to the then cliff bottom landing stages – Moats Bulwark

64. Entrance building and shaft
Guildford Shaft
Galleries numbered in descending order
Galleries either unlined, brick lined or with skeletal arches 5 4 3 2 1
Entrance building and shaft
All spiral stairways brick lined
Cliff line
Cliff line

65. Section of Guildford Shaft
Entrance Building
Gallery 1
Gallery 2
Gallery 3
Gallery 4
Gallery 5

66. Guildford Shaft Location

67. Guildford Shaft Gallery 2 Gallery 5 and spiral staircase
Gallery 5 – outer entrance

68. Composite Plan

69. Are there any more tunnels ?

70. Bastion Level ??? Does it exist ?
Thought to have been excavated in World War 2
Verbal report and plan
Several abortive investigations
Think we know where it is not !
Any ideas ?

71. Approximate Location of Bastion Level

72. To N.E. Ditch ?
Officers Mess
Casemate

73. Summary Over 900 years of tunnel construction
Estimated total length ~ 7.8 km
90 shafts – both large and small
Some tunnels in daily use
A few tunnels need specialist access.
There could be more
An integral part of the monument