(Click this Constable's Gate of Dover Castle text link to see the largest size)
Constable's Tower was built by John de Fiennes under William the Conqueror and for this reason was once known as Fiennes' Tower.
It was rebuilt after 1216 Great Siege of Dover Castle by Hubert de Burgh during the reign of Henry III.
Constable's Gateway was modernized in 1882 and is now the living quarters of the Deputy Constable of Dover Castle, once the commanding officer of any Dover-based battalion but now the senior military officer for the district.
A more complete description of the gateway is given on the Constable's Gate 2011 webpage that also contains an 1869 Victorian print published by W. W. Sprague and Co. of London (for "then and now" comparisons) along with excerpts from two 19th century sources, one of which states:
"For a long time the porter's lodge (of Constable's Gate) contained a sword, an old key, and a horn, which were described as belonging to the days of Julius Caesar. The horn was supposed to be the original one used in summoning the labourers to their work when engaged in building the Castle."
Constable's Gate is the pedestrian and northernmost of the two drawbridge entrances to Dover Castle, the southern (vehicular) entrance being the Canons Gate, or Canons Gateway.
A third entrance at Fitzwlliam's Gate (Fitzwilliam's Gateway) - also built as a result of the 1216 siege - is not usually open to the public.
The main photo first appeared at:
Constable's Gateway or Tower, Western Outer Curtain Wall, Dover Castle
To be uploaded:
Constable Gateway and Drawbridge, Western Outer Curtain Wall, Dover Castle
The South Wing of Constable Gateway, the Stately Home of Dover Castle
The English Heritage "Pastscape" entry for Dover Castle states:
"Medieval castle possibly originating as a pre-1066 motte and bailey castle, remodelled during the reign of Henry II (Curtmantle; Angevin), to became a castle with concentric defences, one of the first examples of its kind in western Europe."
All castle photos first appear under the Dover Castle and Castles category labels.
The castle, a popular tourism and travel destination, is one of Dover's Grade I Listed Buildings and English Heritage sites.
A Dover Medieval (Middle Ages) and Norman history photo.
More Dover Architecture and History photos.
Clickable thumbnails of all Dover Castle-related photos on the main Panoramio Images of Dover website are available on this blog on the Dover Castle Page (also linked to below the blog title).
The Panoramio photos are each accompanied by a Google Earth satellite map. However, the images are smaller than those on the Images of Dover Blog and the captions are less well formatted.
John Latter / Jorolat
Dover Blog: The Psychology of a Small Town
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