NAAFI, Regimental Institute and Hurst Tower, Knights Road, Dover Castle, Kent, UK

The Victorian Regimental Institute building in the grounds of Dover Castle houses the Naafi Restaurant ("Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes") and Queen Elizabeth's Pocket Pistol. It also once housed a remnant of a Barnes Wallis 'bouncing bomb':


(Click this text link to see the largest size)

On the left is Knights Road and Hurst Tower on the Western Outer Curtain Wall; Queen Elizabeth Road lies between the viewer and the restaurant.

The ex-Regimental Institute is a Grade II Listed Building.

The following extracts are © Crown Copyright. Reproduced under the terms of the Click-Use Licence (PSI licence number C2010002016):

Building Details:

Building Name: FORMER REGIMENTAL INSTITUTE; Parish: DOVER; District: DOVER; County: KENT; Postcode:

Details:

LBS Number: 469564; Grade: II ; Date Listed: 08/07/1998 ; Date Delisted: ; NGR: TR3253841699

Listing Text:

TR 3242 DOVER KNIGHT'S ROAD (north side), Dover Castle 685/1/10007 Former Regimental Institute

II

Regimental institute, now offices. Dated 1868, probably by G Arnold RE (Royal Engineeers), Clerk of Works; altered c 1994. Polygonal rubble, dressings, external and ridge stacks and slate roof. Tudor Gothic Revival style. Single-depth axial plan.

HISTORY: In a similar style to the nearby Officers Barracks by Salvin (alt. Officers New Barracks, Victorian Officers Mess). Institutes were introduced to provide improving pastimes in barracks and to reduce drinking. Used for education and training at the Castle garrison, and one of the oldest institutes in an English barracks.

Listing NGR: TR3253841699

More information (including sources used and a Google Earth satellite map) can be found on this photo's original webpage at:

Hurst's Tower and Naafi Restaurant of Dover Castle (UK)

Also see:

The Victorian Regimental Institute, Knights Road, Dover Castle

Small, but perfectly formed, the Victorian Bread and Meat Store of Dover Castle

A Dover history photo.

Links to the main Images of Dover website:

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), 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 tag.

The castle is one of Dover's Grade I Listed Buildings and a Dover English Heritage site.

John Latter / Jorolat

Dover Blog: The Psychology of a Small Town

Prototype Barnes Wallis Dambusters Bouncing Bomb at Dover Castle, Kent, UK

A prototype World War II "Bouncing Bomb" remnant recovered off Reculver beach in 1996 and now at the English Heritage site of Dover Castle:



The relic is shown housed in the former Victorian Regimental Institute on Knights Road on the western side of the Castle. This building still contains Queen Elizabeth's Pocket Pistol and the Naafi Restaurant but the bomb fragment has been moved elsewhere.

Barnes Wallis' bouncing bombs were used by the Royal Air Force's 617 Squadron (led by Guy Gibson) in the RAF Dambuster Raid of 1943 during the Second World War.

The information board reads:

This is a prototype of the 'bouncing bomb' which was used in the famous Dambuster operation. This operation, which breached the Mohne Dam and Eder Dam in Western Germany, was carried out by No. 617 Squadron of the RAF on 16th May, 1943.

These special bouncing bombs resembled giant garden rollers and needed to spin away from the Lancaster aircraft, which were travelling at 220 mph at a height of 60 ft above ground.

This prototype was drop tested in April 1943 off Reculver beach, Kent and was rediscovered in June 1996.

More information (including sources used and a Google Earth satellite map) can be found on this photo's original webpage at:

The Barnes Wallis 'Bouncing Bomb' at Dover Castle (UK)

Links to the main Images of Dover website:

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), 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 tag.

The castle is one of Dover's Grade I Listed Buildings and a Dover English Heritage site.

John Latter / Jorolat

Dover Blog: The Psychology of a Small Town

Queen Elizabeth's Pocket Pistol in the Regimental Institute, Dover Castle, Kent, UK

This is the second of two photos (see below for link). The 'Description' given to the first image is - with one modification - equally applicable to this one:

As in many other instances concerning Dover Castle (eg the East Roman Pharos) it would seem that no two single internet or non-internet sources can completely agree in their descriptions of any of the castle's component parts. The basilisk ('long gun') now situated in the building housing the Naafi Restaurant (out-of-shot to the right) is no exception.



Despite Queen Elizabeth's Pocket Pistol being an easily accessible object nearly 500 years old there are remarkable discrepancies between the current internet and non-internet sources regarding its characteristics. These include what the cannon's made of (bronze, brass), range of shot (1200 yards, 2000 yards, 7 miles, 21+ miles), size of shot (10 pounds, 12 pounds, 60 pounds), and much else besides!

The gun was made in 1544 in Utrecht (Netherlands) by Jan Tolhuys, and given to King Henry VIII (1491 -1547) by his friend, Maximilian of Egmont (1509-1548), Count of Buren and Leerdam and Stadtholder of Friesland.

Also known as Queen Anne's Pocket Pistol in the 19th Century. Gun carriage made in 1827, purportedly from French guns (cannons) captured by the Duke of Wellington's men in the 1815 Battle of Waterloo.

The Second World War prototype Barnes Wallis Bouncing Bomb fragment is out-of-shot to the left.

The above photo originally appeared at the following url:

Queen Elizabeth's Pocket Pistol, Dover Castle UK (2)

The above link also gives background historical information and Google Earth satellite map location.

Also see:

Queen Elizabeth's Pocket Pistol, the Long Gun of Dover Castle
Queen Elizabeth's Pocket Pistol, Naafi Restaurant, Knights Road, Dover Castle

Links to the main Images of Dover website:

A Dover Middle Ages history photo. 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), 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 tag.

The castle is one of Dover's Grade I Listed Buildings and English Heritage sites.

John Latter / Jorolat

Dover Blog: The Psychology of a Small Town

Queen Elizabeth's Pocket Pistol, Naafi Restaurant, Knights Road, Dover Castle, Kent, UK

As in many other instances concerning Dover Castle (eg the East Roman Pharos) it would seem that no two single internet or non-internet sources can completely agree in their descriptions of any of the castle's component parts. The basilisk ('long gun') now situated in the building housing the Naafi Restaurant (out-of-shot to the right) is no exception:



Despite Queen Elizabeth's Pocket Pistol being an easily accessible object nearly 500 years old there are remarkable discrepancies between the current internet and non-internet sources regarding its characteristics. These include what the cannon's made of (bronze, brass), range of shot (1200 yards, 2000 yards, 7 miles, 21+ miles), size of shot (10 pounds, 12 pounds, 60 pounds), and much else besides!

The gun was made in 1544 in Utrecht (Netherlands) by Jan Tolhuys, and given to King Henry VIII (1491 -1547) by his friend, Maximilian of Egmont (1509-1548), Count of Buren and Leerdam and Stadtholder of Friesland.

Also known as Queen Anne's Pocket Pistol in the 19th Century. Gun carriage made in 1827, purportedly from French guns (cannons) captured by the Duke of Wellington's men in the 1815 Battle of Waterloo.

The Second World War prototype Barnes Wallis Bouncing Bomb fragment is partially visible behind the cannon near the left-hand wall.

This photo originally appeared at the following url:

Queen Elizabeth's Pocket Pistol, Dover Castle UK (1)

The above link also gives background historical information and Google Earth satellite map location.

Also see:

Queen Elizabeth's Pocket Pistol, the Long Gun of Dover Castle
Queen Elizabeth's Pocket Pistol in the Regimental Institute, Dover Castle

Links to the main Images of Dover website:

A Dover British Army Royal Artillery history photo. 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), 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 tag.

The castle is one of Dover's Grade I Listed Buildings and English Heritage sites.

John Latter / Jorolat

Dover Blog: The Psychology of a Small Town