Dover Castle at a Glance
Key Facts & Figures
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Official name | Dover Castle |
| Location | Castle Hill Road, Dover, Kent, CT16 1HU |
| Managed by | English Heritage |
| Site area | Approximately 34 acres (14 hectares) |
| Nickname | The Key to England |
| Construction began | c. 1066 (Norman earthwork); major stone construction from 1181 |
| Great Tower built by | King Henry II, 1181–1188 |
| Great Tower height | Approximately 83 feet (25 metres) |
| Great Tower wall thickness | Up to 21 feet (6.4 metres) at the base |
| Roman Pharos built | c. AD 50 |
| Roman Pharos surviving height | Approximately 40 feet (12 metres) |
| Distance to France | 21 miles (34 km) at narrowest point |
| Secret Wartime Tunnels excavated | 1797–1809 (Napoleonic); expanded 1939–41 (WWII) |
| Operation Dynamo | 26 May – 4 June 1940 |
| Troops evacuated at Dunkirk | 338,226 British and Allied troops |
| Vessels used in Operation Dynamo | Approximately 850 |
| Commanded by | Vice-Admiral Bertram Ramsay (Operation Dynamo) |
| UNESCO designation | Not individually listed; Canterbury World Heritage Site is 15 miles away |
| English Heritage grade | Grade I listed building and Scheduled Ancient Monument |
| Admission | Adults from £23.60; Members free |
| Opening hours (summer) | Daily 10am–5pm (28 March – 24 October 2026) |
Historical Timeline
c. AD 50 — Romans construct the Pharos lighthouse on the clifftop.
Late 10th century — Saxon church of St Mary in Castro built beside the Roman Pharos.
1066 — William the Conqueror builds an earth-and-timber castle within 8 days of the Battle of Hastings.
1181–1188 — Henry II constructs the Great Tower and inner curtain walls at a cost of over £6,000.
1216–17 — French Prince Louis besieges the castle; Constable Hubert de Burgh holds out. The north gate is redesigned afterward.
1520 — Henry VIII receives Holy Roman Emperor Charles V at Dover Castle.
1797–1809 — Napoleonic-era tunnels carved into the chalk cliff to house 2,000 troops.
1939–41 — WWII expansion of the tunnels; Ramsay's operations headquarters established.
26 May – 4 June 1940 — Operation Dynamo: 338,226 Allied troops evacuated from Dunkirk.
1950s–60s — Cold War extension of tunnels as Regional Seat of Government bunker.
1984 — Dover Castle opens to the public as a major English Heritage attraction.
Dover Castle is described as the "largest castle in England" by some sources — a title also claimed by Windsor Castle. The distinction depends on whether you measure by enclosed ground area or by the extent of the fortified perimeter. By most measures of total enclosed area, Dover is the largest.
Ready to explore these facts in person? See all available Dover Castle tours and tickets, or read more in our castle history and architecture guide.