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The Officers' Mess in the Citadel.
The wars of 1779-83 saw the beginning
of both of fortifications on both of these sites but
what remains today dates from the early and mid 19th
century. Construction began in 1804 in response to the
threat posed to Britain by the Napoleonic Wars with
France. The Drop Redoubt was built between 1804-8 (a
redoubt is a detached fort, the 'drop' refers to the
remains of Dover's second Roman
lighthouse, referred to locally as the 'Devil's
Drop of Mortar'). The Citadel, a much larger fort, was
still under construction in 1815 when peace was declared
and all work on the Western Heights ceased. Deep defensive
ditches lined with flint or brick surrounded both forts.
A renewed threat of war in Europe in
the 1850s encouraged the government to complete and
modernise the fortifications at great cost. What was
described as 'a honeycomb in a hill' was built, capable
of housing over 4,000 soldiers, whose role was to 'hide'
in the forts and attack any invader from the rear once
they had passed Dover.
Today the Drop Redoubt is owned by
English Heritage and is sometimes open to the public.
The Citadel is now used as a Youth Custody Centre and
is not open.
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