Dover! But first the repair to the van. Dropped in to see if the part had arrived — it had. Chris said to bring the van over and he would do it right away, while we came inside, had a cup of coffee, and had a little internet action. We had hardly got started when he came back to us to say the job was done! But he was happy for us to stay a little to catch up on our emails — they're a really friendly crowd!
We went into the Castle. It's half-term here in the schools, and Halloween, so there are lots of activities on for the kids — ghost walks, fancy dress, and lots more.
We went into the cafe for a little refreshment before we started exploring, and then we made our way to the Great Tower, aka the Keep. As soon as we went in, we knew we were in for a real treat. The fabric of the building is exactly as it was when it was constructed by Henry II in the 1180s, but the whole place has been furnished as nearly and as accurately as possible as it would have been at the time. The furniture is all new, but faithfully reproducing that of the 12th century, drawing on research from manuscripts, the few surviving artefacts, and other evidence from the time. Because it is all reproduction, they allow a lot of hands-on, and the kids really love this. They do draw the line, however, at sitting or lying on the beds!
We explored the kitchens, the banquet hall, the bedrooms, the King's Hall, the King's Chamber, the Chapel of Thomas Becket. We will let the photos speak for themselves. And the guides through the place are very friendly, knowledgable, and just love to chat!
The view from the roof of the Great Tower is superb. On a clear day (not like today) you can see right across to France!
After our time in the Great Tower, we went across the courtyard and into the Princess of Wales' Royal Regiment Museum. This is a small military museum that really packs a punch. There are life-size models of events in the Regiment's history, going back to the American Revolution, the Napoleonic Wars, the Indian Wars, the Crimean War, the Boer War, and both World Wars (to name a few!). The Regiment really has a proud history.
Then we went across to the exhibit we really should have seen first — the Introductory Exhibition for the Great Tower. Basically, it was the history of the Englisg kings, from Henry II through to Richard III — the Plantagenet period — and how Henry's massive holdings he built up in England, Ireland and France were gradually frittered away by his bickering descendents. One of the results of the loss of Normandy, for example, was that Dover now became a first point of English defence against France. This resulted in a beefing up of the castle's fortifications. This was proven to be justified when the castle withstood a siege by the French in 1216-17 — the French Prince Louis had been invited by barons rebelling against King John. The French lifted the siege on October 14 — but John died only 4 days later! The French resumed the seige the following May, but all their impetus had dissipated (with defeats elsewhere), and they and their English allies crawled home with their tails between their legs. But the castle was substantially damaged, and considerable rebuilding works were undertaken. The castle was complete, however, by the 1250s, with only minor modifications being made thenceforth until the end of the 18th century, when new fortifications were needed against newer technologies — but the 12th and 13th century buildings are still virtually as they were, which says a lot for the quality of castle building at that time.
Anyway, our day at Dover Castle was a delight. It was already getting dark as we returned back to Farthing Common for another quiet night. There's more to Dover Castle, and we resolved to return!
While at Farthing Common, we had the added entertainment of watching the police pull over a few miscreants!
Distance driven — today, 41 miles ( 66 km ); to date, 30,149 miles ( 48,520 km )
Interesting. Glad the people were so helpful re Gertie. Love cathy
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