The Grand Shaft Underground Triple Stairway, Western Heights, Dover, Kent, UK

Looking up from the bottom of the Grand Shaft to the open sky above the Western Heights:


(Click this Grand Shaft text link to see the largest size)

The Grand Shaft, part of Dover's "Forgotten Fortress", is built of brick and cast-iron and consists of three interleaved spiral stairways winding around an open shaft. It once linked the Grand Shaft Barracks (now demolished) on top of the White Cliffs of Dover to Snargate Street on the seafront below.

Two of the three staircases have their entrances within the shaft, the third entrance is at the beginning of the access tunnel leading to Snargate Street.

Dates vary a little, but the English Heritage Pastscape entry for the Grand Shaft states it was built between 1805 and 1807 as part of Dover's Napoleonic (and subsequently Victorian) defensive works on the Western Heights.

Legend has it that one staircase was labelled "Officers and their Ladies", the second, "Senior NCO's and their Wives", and the third, "Other Ranks and their Women".

The Ghost of the North Centre Bastion, Western Heights, Dover, Kent, UK

The North Centre Bastion is part of the extensive Napoleonic and Victorian "Forgotten Fortress" embedded into the Western Heights above the town of Dover, England. It is owned by English Heritage, but is not currently open to the public.

The photo was taken in the North/South tunnel (Tunnel 1) (West Gallery) running under the Detached Bastion along its western edge:



The area of interest is the lower half of the first arch which appears to show the 'smokey' outline of a child's profile whose arms are stretched out to the right. The smokiness extends to a further figure sat against the right-hand wall with drawn-up knees.

'Interesting' photos from the North Centre Bastion (alt. North Center Bastion, Dead Man's Island, The Smokey) and related locations are initially uploaded to these Ghost and Orb image webpages.

The above photo originally appeared on the Images of Dover website at the following url (contains Google Earth satellite map):

The Ghost of the North Centre Bastion, Dover, England (1a)

An enhanced version of the photo in which the 'white level' has been increased can be seen at:

The Ghost of the North Centre Bastion (Enhanced)

There's also a three-part video of the North Centre Bastion available on YouTube:

Part 1: The Smokey, North Centre Bastion, Western Heights, Dover UK
Part 2: The Smokey, North Centre Bastion, Western Heights, Dover UK
Part 3: The Smokey, North Centre Bastion, Western Heights, Dover UK

Dover's 'Forgotten Fortress' on the Western Heights also includes the Drop Redoubt, the Grand Shaft, the North Entrance, the North Military Road, the Outer Bastion, the Pre-Napoleonic Earthworks, and St Martins Battery.

A Napoleonic Wars and Victorian British Army history photo.

John Latter / Jorolat

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