Report - North Entrance, Dover - August 2012

[sirjonnyp]

It was the hottest day of the year so far, and after a 3am explore with my brother finished off a 10 hour drinking session, I woke up with a stinking hangover. Not a good combination to head down to Dover with. I waited in a pub for the guys to finish their first site and worked the jonny-p charm on the bar maid... until she told me her age

After a bit of a fail elsewhere, we resolved to have a go at Detached Bastion or North Entrance. DB was sealed up, so North Entrance it was.

Some history from underground kent:

The weakest link in fortress defence is often the entrances, so it is hardly surprising that much ingenuity goes into their design. The North Entrance to the Western Heights was the nearest to the town of Dover and most convenient for access, either for supplies or by an attacking force. Accordingly, its defences were substantial, comprising two bridges and a tunnel. The entrance dates from the Royal Commission period of the 1860s, and superseded the entrance dating from Napoleonic times - a single bridge over a ditch.
The two bridges crossed the twin ditches (or lines), which were separated by an earth bank – the tenaille. Neither bridge was fixed. The first of the two had a drop-down section hinged at the tenaille end, while the second had a section that could be raised. The roadway cut through the tenaille was ‘S’ shaped, so that artillery fire could not be brought to bear on the entrance to the tunnel from the approach road.
Having crossed the two bridges, the road entered a tunnel, with a pair of massive doors at the outer end. These slid on rails from deep slots either side of the tunnel, and did away with the obvious weakness of hinges. The tunnel then turns sharp left, runs straight for 50m or so, then turns right towards the inner gateway. The road bed of the tunnel was laid with 6” cubes of oak, probably to guard against sparks.

Visited with Space Invader, Stealth, SX riffraff and Silver Rainbow.

Didn't get a proper exterior photo, the above was from a previous mooch.

Entrance was a bit tricky, I needed the workout though

Once in, the temperature was much lower than the furnace-esque temperatures outside.

There are two off shoots from the main tunnel that used to be a main road, one is a caponier and the other with access to three water tanks and a collapsed tunnel. Above is the staircase down to the caponier.

Lovely rooms and brickwork in the caponier.

Above is one of the water tanks, the only one of which that has not been filled.

This tunnel originally led to an entrance emerging near the Drop Redoubt, but has collapsed part way down.

Getting out was good fun for all except Tristian and my camera bag

Good afternoon though, good to be meeting a few more of the members and taking another site off of my list

SJP​