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Dover: Lock and Key of the Kingdom
Dover Harbour - The Eastern Docks
The now important Eastern Docks grew from a small beginning, in
the eastern corner of the Admiralty Harbour. In the right angle made
by the junction of the Eastern Arm with the shore a, roughly square,
area of the harbour, known as the Camber, was enclosed by the West
Jetty, jutting out from the shore, and the South Jetty, built out from
the Eastern Arm.
During the First World War the Camber was used to accommodate
the Dover submarine flotilla and their depot ship, HMS Arrogant. An
oil and coal storage depot had been established on the shore in 1907
and was used by the Admiralty in both World Wars. After the war the
Admiralty broke-up obsolete naval vessels at their dockyard and in
the Camber until 1925.
After the Admiralty’s withdrawal a private ship-breaking business
started up in the Camber. In 1930 the Tilmanstone Aerial Ropeway
was opened, bringing coal from Tilmanstone Colliery to a bunker for
loading ships at the end of the Eastern Arm. The Southern Railway
also had a coaling hopper, opened in 1932 and supplied by coal
wagons worked along the Promenade Railway to the Eastern Docks.
From the late 1920s Captain Townsend started to operate his car
ferry service from the Camber, thus starting the trade which was to
build the Eastern Docks into what it is today.
In the Second World War the Camber became home to motor torpedo
and motor gunboats of the Royal Navy. Torpedoes and mines were
stored in specially excavated tunnels in the cliffs. A number of
cavernous fuel storage tanks had also been built into the cliffs to
supplement the existing Admiralty fuel depot.
After the war the ship-breaking business returned to the Camber. The
old Admiralty oil depot was taken over in two parts, one by Esso and
one by Shell-Mex. Parker Pens opened a factory here and freight
ships docked at the Eastern Arm. Townsend car ferries resumed
operation and in 1951 designed their own linkspan at Calais, which
allowed car to drive off the ferry in France even though they were
loaded by crane in England.
In 1953, when 117,000 vehicles a year were using the port, a new
car ferry terminal at the Eastern Docks was opened allowing roll-on,
roll-off traffic to start. The ever-increasing demand soon rendered the
two berths inadequate and extra capacity and new terminal building
opened in 1970.
The first Hoverport opened here in 1968 increasing the cross-Channel
car carrying capacity. The Hoverport moved to its new location at the
Western Docks in 1978.
The steady growth in traffic caused serious traffic congestion in the
town at peak times and in 1977 the A2 by-pass was opened and
named Jubilee Way in celebration of the Queen’s Silver Jubilee that
year. The road left the top of the cliff and was carried down to the
dock gates by a graceful curved viaduct. Originally built with some of
its supports actually in the sea, this viaduct is a good measure of how
much the Eastern Docks have grown since the late 1970s. Land
reclamation for further ferry births and parking for cars and lorries
waiting to cross has resulted in the viaduct now being firmly
landlocked, with all of its supports on dry land. You can see a photo
of the docks and the viaduct in 2008 on the general harbour history
page.
The Eastern Docks Ferry Terminal is reaching full capacity with little
scope for further expansion, there are proposals to develop a new
ferry terminal at the Western Docks.
the eastern corner of the Admiralty Harbour. In the right angle made
by the junction of the Eastern Arm with the shore a, roughly square,
area of the harbour, known as the Camber, was enclosed by the West
Jetty, jutting out from the shore, and the South Jetty, built out from
the Eastern Arm.
During the First World War the Camber was used to accommodate
the Dover submarine flotilla and their depot ship, HMS Arrogant. An
oil and coal storage depot had been established on the shore in 1907
and was used by the Admiralty in both World Wars. After the war the
Admiralty broke-up obsolete naval vessels at their dockyard and in
the Camber until 1925.
After the Admiralty’s withdrawal a private ship-breaking business
started up in the Camber. In 1930 the Tilmanstone Aerial Ropeway
was opened, bringing coal from Tilmanstone Colliery to a bunker for
loading ships at the end of the Eastern Arm. The Southern Railway
also had a coaling hopper, opened in 1932 and supplied by coal
wagons worked along the Promenade Railway to the Eastern Docks.
From the late 1920s Captain Townsend started to operate his car
ferry service from the Camber, thus starting the trade which was to
build the Eastern Docks into what it is today.
In the Second World War the Camber became home to motor torpedo
and motor gunboats of the Royal Navy. Torpedoes and mines were
stored in specially excavated tunnels in the cliffs. A number of
cavernous fuel storage tanks had also been built into the cliffs to
supplement the existing Admiralty fuel depot.
After the war the ship-breaking business returned to the Camber. The
old Admiralty oil depot was taken over in two parts, one by Esso and
one by Shell-Mex. Parker Pens opened a factory here and freight
ships docked at the Eastern Arm. Townsend car ferries resumed
operation and in 1951 designed their own linkspan at Calais, which
allowed car to drive off the ferry in France even though they were
loaded by crane in England.
In 1953, when 117,000 vehicles a year were using the port, a new
car ferry terminal at the Eastern Docks was opened allowing roll-on,
roll-off traffic to start. The ever-increasing demand soon rendered the
two berths inadequate and extra capacity and new terminal building
opened in 1970.
The first Hoverport opened here in 1968 increasing the cross-Channel
car carrying capacity. The Hoverport moved to its new location at the
Western Docks in 1978.
The steady growth in traffic caused serious traffic congestion in the
town at peak times and in 1977 the A2 by-pass was opened and
named Jubilee Way in celebration of the Queen’s Silver Jubilee that
year. The road left the top of the cliff and was carried down to the
dock gates by a graceful curved viaduct. Originally built with some of
its supports actually in the sea, this viaduct is a good measure of how
much the Eastern Docks have grown since the late 1970s. Land
reclamation for further ferry births and parking for cars and lorries
waiting to cross has resulted in the viaduct now being firmly
landlocked, with all of its supports on dry land. You can see a photo
of the docks and the viaduct in 2008 on the general harbour history
page.
The Eastern Docks Ferry Terminal is reaching full capacity with little
scope for further expansion, there are proposals to develop a new
ferry terminal at the Western Docks.
