Dover
Lock and Key of the Kingdom

Snargate Street does not derive its name from the Snar Gate in the old town walls as might be expected. Originally there was no Snar Gate in the wall and the sea lapped the foot of the cliffs where Snargate Street now stands. Gradually a shingle bar collected at the base of the cliffs and this, combined with silt deposited by the river Dour, provided the foundation for Snargate Street.

By 1370 the street had developed sufficiently for a gate to be built in the town wall to connect it with the town. This gate was called Snar Gate but the area had been referred to Snargate Ward before the building of the gateway. It has been suggested that engineers built a snare or trap across the river mouth to catch rubbish before it blocked up the harbour, and that it is from this “snare gate” that the name derives. There was a tower in the old walls called Snar Gate Tower before 1370.

The street developed into one of the main commercial areas of the town, connecting the growing port area with the town centre. Many local businesses had premises in the street, the Theatre Royal opened in 1790, and in 1802 the Grand Shaft connected the Western Heights military complex with the town. For many years the town’s main newspaper the Dover Express had its offices in Snargate Street.

The face of Snargate Street has changed completely since 1939. It was seriously damaged in the Second World War, when many of its buildings were destroyed, leaving the street a shadow of its former self. The new M20 to the Eastern Docks now follows the line of Snargate Street, with the street itself just an access road along the landward side of the dual carriageway. The remaining buildings on Snargate Street line this access road with their backs to the cliff looking out across the motorway and the harbour.