Dover: Lock and Key of the Kingdom

Built under Henry II , the inner bailey is surrounded by the inner  curtain wall which was probably begun in 1185. The bailey may  be entered from the south by Palace Gate, or from the north by  King’s Gate, both remodelled in the 1850s to their present form.  Within the gates the bailey is dominated by the massive square  bulk of the keep. Against the eastern and southern walls of the bailey stands a  complex of buildings, which were reconstructed and given new  façades to serve as barracks after 1745. The quarters for officers were distinguished with round headed windows, while those in  the soldiers’ barracks were square.   These buildings are essentially mediaeval in plan and in the walls  that separate the various blocks. They were originally residential  apartments for the King and his household, and, with the  accommodation in the keep formed the royal ‘palace’ within the  Castle. One of these blocks is on the site of Henry III’s great hall,  finished in 1240 and known as Arthur’s Hall. The plan and the  walling up to the present (considerably raised) ground level are  preserved. The original doorways, which once gave access to the kitchens, are visible at the south end of the hall.