Detached Bastion Dover - Jan 2011

[Flyboy]

Took a nice trip out recently to Dover. After walking round a massive ditch for quite a while we were in! :D
This has been done a few times, but here's a brief history stolen from undergroundkent.co.uk:

The North Centre and Detached Bastions are located between the Drop Redoubt and the Citadel on the Western Heights. Their purpose was to assist in defending the northern approaches to Dover, particularly from the Folkestone Road, along which it was envisaged Napoleon and the French Grand Army would attack.

Work on the North Centre Bastion began in 1804 as part of the main Western Heights works, although it was incomplete in 1815 when Napoleon was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo. In 1859 the Royal Commission which called for modification across the Western Heights reviewed the unfinished North Centre Bastion. Work began on its completion and the construction of the Detached Bastion and its caponier. They were armed throughout the main phase of occupation at the Western Heights, but along with the rest of the fortress, its decline was rapid and at the turn of the century its guns were removed. The bastions saw very little use after this time, with only local defence use during both World Wars.

The Army relinquished the Western Heights after the Second World War and the North Centre and Detached Bastions have remained empty and unused since. Despite the surrounding ditches becoming very overgrown, the bastions have been very vandalised.

Now for the pictures!

http://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z330/flyboy747/detached%20bastion%20dover%2022-1-11/re8.jpg


http://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z330/flyboy747/detached%20bastion%20dover%2022-1-11/re6.jpg


http://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z330/flyboy747/detached%20bastion%20dover%2022-1-11/resized.jpg


http://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z330/flyboy747/detached%20bastion%20dover%2022-1-11/re7.jpg

Drawbridge leading to steps up to roof:
http://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z330/flyboy747/detached%20bastion%20dover%2022-1-11/resized3.jpg

-and one of it's counterweights (the bridge still bounces)
http://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z330/flyboy747/detached%20bastion%20dover%2022-1-11/resized2.jpg


http://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z330/flyboy747/detached%20bastion%20dover%2022-1-11/re5.jpg


http://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z330/flyboy747/detached%20bastion%20dover%2022-1-11/DSCF5100.jpg

Thanks for looking, please leave feedback!

[coops]

Very nice work mate :thumb

[ERNIE99_UK]

Brilliant, they look like the tunnels on a channel 4 documentary about Britains ww2 defence. The staircase reminds me of the one they showed with a soldier and a can of petrol at the top- if the Germans had invaded he would have thrown it down, lit it and probably killed himself as well as the enemy!

[BA]

Very nice :thumb

[BB]

great report n pics :thumb

[MJS]

Nice lighting mate, good stuff

[simonix]

Some cracking photos, looks a good place for a wander :-)

[scrappy]

great report! :)

[Nicola]

Cool - I love that last shot! :thumb

[unclebulgaria]

we done for getting in,last time i tried the EH padlocks were well in place,did the bats get you?

[Flyboy]

we done for getting in,last time i tried the EH padlocks were well in place,did the bats get you?

Thanks, no bats strangely, although when I walked onto the roof up the stairs in the last picture about a dozen pigeons flew out - that was easily the scariest part of that night....
As we did this in the dark, and I had never been before, we came across no padlocked doors, but we walked around and after a fair bit of climbing and squeezing we were in!

[magoo²]

Wow nice one!