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Chris Brooker | all galleries >> Galleries >> A Photo Every Day, 1st September 2003 - 31st August 2004 > 11th April 2004
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11-APR-2004 Chris Brooker

11th April 2004

Dover Castle Medieval Underground Fortifications

I have been fascinated by Dover Castle for as long as I can remember.
It has a Norman Keep that is over nine hundred years’ old, medieval underground defences, Napoleonic defences, WW2 fortifications and a Cold War Nuclear regional government installation from the 60’s .

The picture is of part of the Napoleonic underground workings that extend outside the castle walls.
On the end of the tunnels is a Guardroom, should this guardroom be overrun, the guards would fall back to this position, where they can fire to either side along the moat.
From the platform at the end, they can spy through a hole on the passage leading in from the guardroom. This passes an area light by a circle of daylight and then drops down a spiral staircase and into a tunnel under the floor we can see. The raised door at the end can be dropped vertically so as to block off this tunnel. When would be invaders find the tunnel blocked they return to the staircase where boiling oil is poured on them through the larger right hand shoot.

When I have explained all this to my family in the passed I have sometimes gathered quite a crowd of interested people.

Olympus E-20N
1/30s f/2.0 at 9.0mm iso80 full exif

other sizes: small medium large auto
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brother_mark20-Apr-2004 15:13
Very cool. The photo and the story, though I'm a bit confused on the where they are running to and from. :)
Jill13-Apr-2004 20:31
opps oil.
Jill13-Apr-2004 20:31
ouch boiling water. How interesting Chris. I agree with Jeanne...MORE!
Guest 13-Apr-2004 20:27
Another great shot...It would be fun to see all your vacation pictures...(and I don't say that to just ANYONE!)
Guest 13-Apr-2004 19:59
Very interesting. Somehow reminds me of the tombs of the Pope's buried in the Vatican!