Historic England research records

Historic England Research Records

Archcliffe Fort
Hob Uid: 467991
Location : Kent Dover Dover
Grid Ref : TR3151040290
Summary : Lying at the foot of Dover's Western Heights are the surviving features of Archcliffe Fort which formed part of the coastal defences of the town from at least the 16th century onwards. The first fort, or bulwark, was constructed under Henry VIII in 1539 and 1540, although the initial fortification of the site may date back to the late 14th century. No trace of remains of these periods can be identified, although the evidence of early plans suggest that the Henrician defences included a pentagonal structure in the approximate position of the present western bastion. The remains which survive today represent a substantial part of a bastioned trace fortification, dating from the early 17th century, of which the seaward face, entrance and bastions were modified in the 19th century. The seaward defences were removed in 1928 with the construction of the railway. The landward side of the fort remains intact and largely unaltered. The entrance to the fort was remodelled in 1807-9 and again in 1814-15 when a brick barbican, now largely destroyed by the construction of the A20, was added. Scheduled.
More information : (TR 31504030) Archcliffe Fort (NAT) (1) TR 316403 Archcliffe Fort. (2) Archcliffe Fort was one of the forts built during the reign of Henry VIII. It is situated at the foot of the Western Heights. It is built of squared rubble and the existing remains include two curtains and two bastions with a fragment of a third, though this probably dates from the 17th century. The seaward portion was removed by the cutting of the railway. Modern buildings now occupy the fort's interior. (4) Scheduled. (3) Under Guardianship. (5) Notes on the Archcliffe fort. (6-8) During the Napoleonic Wars a defensible flanked entrance, or couvre port, wa sadded as an outer element to the gate. A major remodelling of the seaward front took place in the 160s-1870s for the monting of 5 x 10-inch rifled muzzle-loaders and one 7-inch gun on a counter-weighted disappearing carriage. The fort was used for military accomodation in the two World Wars. (9)

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Source Number : 1
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Source details : 1:2500 1957
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Source Number : 3
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Source details : DOE Inspectorate of Ancient Monuments Record Form, no plan no date
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Source Number : 4
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Page(s) : 17-30
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Source Number : 5
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Source details : Historic Buildings and Monument Commission Guardianship List 1984
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Source Number : 6
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Page(s) : 141-208
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Vol(s) : 16 (1982)

Source Number : 7
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Source details : 24-Sep-97
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Source Number : 8
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Source details : 21-Jan-99
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Source Number : 9
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Source details : Gazetteer part 1: KD106
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Monument Types:

Monument Period Name : Medieval
Display Date : Late 14th century
Monument End Date : 1399
Monument Start Date : 1367
Monument Type : Fort
Evidence : Conjectural Evidence

Monument Period Name : Medieval
Display Date :
Monument End Date : 1539
Monument Start Date : 1539
Monument Type : Bulwark, Fort
Evidence : Documentary Evidence

Monument Period Name : Post Medieval
Display Date : 1540
Monument End Date : 1540
Monument Start Date : 1540
Monument Type : Bulwark, Fort
Evidence : Documentary Evidence

Monument Period Name : Post Medieval
Display Date : Early 17th century
Monument End Date : 1632
Monument Start Date : 1600
Monument Type : Bastion Trace Fort
Evidence : Structure

Monument Period Name : Post Medieval
Display Date : Altered 1755
Monument End Date : 1755
Monument Start Date : 1755
Monument Type : Bastion Trace Fort
Evidence : Structure

Monument Period Name : Post Medieval
Display Date : 1807-9
Monument End Date : 1809
Monument Start Date : 1807
Monument Type : Bastion Trace Fort
Evidence : Structure

Monument Period Name : Post Medieval
Display Date : 1814-15
Monument End Date : 1815
Monument Start Date : 1814
Monument Type : Bastion Trace Fort
Evidence : Structure

Monument Period Name : Post Medieval
Display Date : 1872
Monument End Date : 1872
Monument Start Date : 1872
Monument Type : Coastal Battery
Evidence : Structure

Components and Objects:

Related Records from other datasets:

External Cross Reference Source : Scheduled Monument Legacy (County No.)
External Cross Reference Number : KE 173
External Cross Reference Notes :

External Cross Reference Source : Scheduled Monument Legacy (National No.)
External Cross Reference Number : 26797
External Cross Reference Notes :

External Cross Reference Source : National Monuments Record Number
External Cross Reference Number : TR 34 SW 84
External Cross Reference Notes :

Related Warden Records :

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End Date : 1990-12-31

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End Date : 2002-12-31

Associated Activities :
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End Date : 2017-12-31

Historic England Research Records

Archcliffe Fort