Friday, 18 May 2012

Dover's Unappreciated Gem.

What a quiet beauty this is. It lies there unloved and un-noticed, but on a recent evening it caught the eye when the late sun illuminated for a short while its lush green surrounds and its stunning characteristics. It does indeed look very lush right now, the immediate vegetation thriving after all the recent rain, but somehow when hit by the glowing and slanting sun, it called out for fresh attention.

Although situated on the main road and just 500 metres from the dock gates…nobody notices it. Millions drive by oblivious to its charms. This is a great pity as it could be one of Dover’s real joys. We have, apart from the Castle, very few ‘in town’ items to attract the attention, but this could be one. Just savour the picture above for a moment and see the potential.

To make it accessible would of course require a sliver of investment, but it could be a goldmine in return, somewhere for the motorist to stop and rest his weary bones before negotiating the ferry. Just think of its potential... imagine for a moment a polished and well organised tea rooms at ground level, with a rest and play area for families, and it would be one of our very popular attractions. There is unused scrubland in front of it so the space is there for development.

The structure itself is delightful and would be more appreciated all round if the public were given access to its historical charms and an opportunity to enjoy it all.

A little bit of its history now…..
The structure is actually called Moats Bulwark or even Mote's Bulwark...and it is essentially the remains of a gun battery which dates from between the 16th and 18th centuries. As you can imagine at the time it would have had a commanding view of the entire port, so an excellent location for harbour firepower to protect us from all comers. The structure you see was actually built in the period 1539/1540. It was originally known as the 'turf bulwark under Dover Castle' but its name was changed to Mote's Bulwark, called so after its second captain who was a chap called Stephen Mote. It was one of three gun batteries in use at the time ...and this one happily survives as you can see. It continued in full use as a gun battery up until the 1880's. More should be made of it and its quiet beauty.

PaulB... also thanks to Paul Scotchie Wells for the historical information.
Hit the f11 key to see the pic in full mode.
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