Dover Castle and Secret Wartime Tunnels

Dover Castle and Underground Tunnels, Dover, Co. Kent

Perched on top of the famous White Cliffs , Dover Castle is one of Europe’s most formidable fortresses with a fascinating history hidden in its warren of underground networks.

Dover Castle - View from the north

The strategic headland above Dover has been fortified since the Iron Age, with ruins of a Roman Lighthouse, possibly the oldest standing building in Britain and also from Saxon settlers. William the Conqueror strengthened the fort and in 1181 King Henry II built a mighty stone keep, on which the imposing walls of Constable’s Tower now stand as unassailable as when they were built in the 13th Century.

Exhibitions in the grounds of Dover Castle outline 2000 years of English history. Presentations in the Keep span the castle’s history including the Famous 1216 siege of Dover Castle that held out against the French and on a visit from Henry VIII . But the main exhibition is the tour of the underground tunnels used in WWII, taking you around the sights, sounds and smells of its underground hospital, through the busy telephone exchanges of the communications network and the Allied Command Centre – ‘Hellfire Corner’ with an excellent exhibition on the planning and execution of the miraculous evacuation of over 300,000 allied troops from Dunkirk, known as Operation Dynamo, engineered by Vice Admiral Bertram Ramsey.

The tunnels date as far back as Roman times, used for storage, most probably the first ever wine cellars in Britain! During Napoleonic times this tunnel network was expanded and during WWII, the tunnels were developed into an underground base accommodating 2000 troops and housing the underground hospital and the nerve centre of Allied Command in Hellfire Corner. These tunnels were manned throughout the Cold War and were to be used to administer the South East in the event of a Nuclear War. It is a rare insight into an intriguing Orwellian world.

Opening Hours:

Entrance Fees:
Adult: £10.00; Children: £5.00; Concession: £8.00; English Heritage Members: Free; Other: Family Ticket: £25.00
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