Western Heights: Drop Redoubt
The most impressive and actually quite intimidating part of the Western Heights has to be Drop Redoubt. This is one of two forts here, the other being the Citadel which we have yet to visit, and was one that we stumbled across by complete accident when aimlessly walking on from the Grand Shaft.
The two forts are linked by a series of dry moats and Drop Redoubt was the artillery fort that faced inland threats trying to take Dover from the North-East. This is another site within the area which can be dated back to the Napoleonic era as construction began in 1804 and continued for 4 years. Construction then continued in 1859-1864 following recommendation from the 1859 Royal Commission.
In its first construction era, the fort resembled a simple pentagon. Trenches were cut into the hillside and faced with brickwork forming a solid island with the barracks and magazines on top. It would have housed 200 troops and its most impressive feature was the bomb proof soldiers quarters. These were five brick vaulted casemates in the cross section coated with earth to hold when under attack from mortar bombs.
The 1850s brought a further threat of invasion and so it was recommended to expand the defences at Drop Redoubt. Caponiers were added to four corners of the original fort and further gunrooms were built adjacent to these to allow for fire along the North and South-east lines. The semi circular brick vaulted arches are the features that further define the add ons from the original structure. The officers quarters, guardroom and cells were add ons from this period and expanded the original pentagon.
The guns were removed in 1902 and when the First World War struck the site housed searchlights operated by the Dover Anti-Aircraft Corps. It also became a holding place for prisoners taken from a German U-boat in November 1917. The fort was then abandoned until WWII when it became a look out point and housed 100 comrades and 60 Canadian infantry who went on to raid France in 1942.
Three years later the site was again abandoned.
Just above this site is the remnants of the Western Pharos, the Roman lighthouse that was the sister of the one still standing at Dover Castle. The remains were lost when the fort was first constructed but located when work went underway the second time. They were then moved back to the original location where the lighthouse was thought to have stood and the foundations are visible from within the Victorian officers quarters. It is thought that the name of the site, Drop Redoubt was because of the ruins of this Pharos, the name for the remains by locals being 'The Devils Drop of Mortar'.
While we couldnt get inside of the fort, our pleasure came from just being able to walk around it. We'd never seen anything so vastly impressive and terrifying at the same time. Looking up at this structure makes you feel uneasy and we cant explain why, it just seems so alien. It is incredibly intact and there isn't really a way in, noises come from inside it and echo within the trenches outside where we walked. The wildlife have been able to reclaim around the paths and Yogi had a nice time running the perimeter, but he didn't like going near the building itself, there was just something off about it. We'd love to go inside one day just to quell the fear.
With that in mind is it even worth going into whether or not we think this site is haunted? You'd have to visit yourself to see what we mean.
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