Snargate Street has some of the best tunnels to offer in Dover, mainly because they are so clean and well kept. This is probably due to the fact they are extremely hard to figure out a way to access them. The nights we spent planning truly paid off when we got our first glimpse of the caves, the carvings left in the stone. It’s another one to my list of locations that I’m truly grateful to be able to say I’ve seen first-hand. This set of caves did link up with “Crouchers’ Tunnels” at one point but sadly the entrance is now sealed.
Courts Wine Merchants, a Snargate Street Dover wine shop dating from the late eighteenth century. Initially owned by Stephen Court, who was born in Acrise in 1761, the premises underwent a number of changes in the 250 plus years since then.
In 1788 Stephen Court took over The Fleece pub, based in Snargate Street.
According to his later advertising, Court began his business of importing wine and spirits in 1807, although the lease of his Snargate Street premises, with Dover Harbour Board, did not begin until 1814. Stephen's three sons joined him as wine merchants, but two of them do not feature in records post 1814. It appears that Stephen's son Rogers was the only son who continued to manage the business with his father.
Records do sugges that the wine merchants business may have been run by Stephen's son John initially. The Holdens Directory of 1816 lists only John as a wine merchant, although this is evidently incorrect as John had died on the 18 April 1813, aged twenty-seven. Evidence suggests that Stephen, still running The Fleece pub, may have directly taken over the business and moved it to 140 Snargate Street following John's death.
As well as leasing the shop and premises from Dover Harbour Board, the Courts' leased two plots of land behind, from Thomas Rutley and Thomas Papillon. On this land Stephen and Rogers built terracing for vines, tea gardens, two summerhouses and dug an extensive network of vaults into the cliffs behind. These vaults had plastered and painted walls and chalk carvings.
The terracing up the cliffs was laid out as gardens, in which the Courts grew all the different varieties of the grapes they used to make the wines they sold. The Courts also sold other exotic fruit, including figs and dates.
Perhaps most impressively, the Courts built a summerhouse at the top of the terracing and further along the cliff-face they built a folly in the shape of Dover Castle. These features became tourist attractions; customers could taste-test products sitting on the terracing and have tours of the vaults.
During the First World War the caves were converted to air raid shelters. After the War the premises were in use by the Channel Fuel Company coal merchants, but were empty again by 1930.
By 1945, the house had gone, either it was either demolished through war damage during the Second World War or it was deliberately removed in 1939. During the war, the caves were once again converted into an air raid shelter.
Post-1945, the shop and yard in front of the caves were taken over as a builders yard by R. J. Barwicks of Market Street. Barwicks left in the 1970s and the site was usually left empty or occasionally rented by short-life businesses.
A new building was erected on the site in 1997, the Bluebirds Cub (Dover Sea Angling Club) and the vaults still survive in the cliffs behind, leased out as storage by the angling club. The vaults still retain traces of the plastering and painting, as well as the carvings and decorations and the wine bins. The terracing up the cliff face also survives, though nown it is largely overgrown. Interestingly wild grapes, figs and other exotics still grow there. The terrace summerhouse has long gone but the folly still survives, partially ruined and hidden from view by trees.
Wine vaults
Ancient caves being opened
Plan of caves
Photos of the actual caves
Courts Wine Merchants, a Snargate Street Dover wine shop dating from the late eighteenth century. Initially owned by Stephen Court, who was born in Acrise in 1761, the premises underwent a number of changes in the 250 plus years since then.
In 1788 Stephen Court took over The Fleece pub, based in Snargate Street.
According to his later advertising, Court began his business of importing wine and spirits in 1807, although the lease of his Snargate Street premises, with Dover Harbour Board, did not begin until 1814. Stephen's three sons joined him as wine merchants, but two of them do not feature in records post 1814. It appears that Stephen's son Rogers was the only son who continued to manage the business with his father.
Records do sugges that the wine merchants business may have been run by Stephen's son John initially. The Holdens Directory of 1816 lists only John as a wine merchant, although this is evidently incorrect as John had died on the 18 April 1813, aged twenty-seven. Evidence suggests that Stephen, still running The Fleece pub, may have directly taken over the business and moved it to 140 Snargate Street following John's death.
As well as leasing the shop and premises from Dover Harbour Board, the Courts' leased two plots of land behind, from Thomas Rutley and Thomas Papillon. On this land Stephen and Rogers built terracing for vines, tea gardens, two summerhouses and dug an extensive network of vaults into the cliffs behind. These vaults had plastered and painted walls and chalk carvings.
The terracing up the cliffs was laid out as gardens, in which the Courts grew all the different varieties of the grapes they used to make the wines they sold. The Courts also sold other exotic fruit, including figs and dates.
Perhaps most impressively, the Courts built a summerhouse at the top of the terracing and further along the cliff-face they built a folly in the shape of Dover Castle. These features became tourist attractions; customers could taste-test products sitting on the terracing and have tours of the vaults.
During the First World War the caves were converted to air raid shelters. After the War the premises were in use by the Channel Fuel Company coal merchants, but were empty again by 1930.
By 1945, the house had gone, either it was either demolished through war damage during the Second World War or it was deliberately removed in 1939. During the war, the caves were once again converted into an air raid shelter.
Post-1945, the shop and yard in front of the caves were taken over as a builders yard by R. J. Barwicks of Market Street. Barwicks left in the 1970s and the site was usually left empty or occasionally rented by short-life businesses.
A new building was erected on the site in 1997, the Bluebirds Cub (Dover Sea Angling Club) and the vaults still survive in the cliffs behind, leased out as storage by the angling club. The vaults still retain traces of the plastering and painting, as well as the carvings and decorations and the wine bins. The terracing up the cliff face also survives, though nown it is largely overgrown. Interestingly wild grapes, figs and other exotics still grow there. The terrace summerhouse has long gone but the folly still survives, partially ruined and hidden from view by trees.
Source: Dover Museum
Wine vaults
Ancient caves being opened
Plan of caves
Photos of the actual caves
Thank you Obs.
