Dover Pharos
Dover Castle, Kent
associated engineer
Anon
date circa 100 AD possibly
UK era Roman |
category Lighthouse |
reference TR324418
ICE reference number HEW 478
The remains of an octagonal Roman lighthouse tower known as the Pharos situated within Dover Castle on the east cliffs. The Romans built two lighthouses at Dover but only the foundations reamin of the western one.
The lower four stages of the Pharos are original, and the top stage, 19ft high, dates from the C15th.
The interior is square. The 10ft thick walls are made of flint rubble, cased in ashlar made from tufa, or porous rock. The bonding courses are of imported, red brick tile, and the mortar which cements the materials is of a salmon colour typical of Roman contructions.
It is thought that the tower was constructed in eight stages, each stepped back about a foot from the one below, and that the total original height would have been around 80ft. The base measures 34ft across, and each of its eight external sides is 14ft long.
From the beginning of the C11th, the Pharos was used as a free-standing bell tower for the Church of St Mary-in-Castro which had been built alongside it.
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