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Dover: Lock and Key of the Kingdom
Snargate Street
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 and
the Theatre Royal opened in 1790. The Grand Shaft connecting
the Western Heights military complex with the town opened in
1802. 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
1930. In that year some of the seaward side of the street,
along with most of Northampton Street, was demolished as
part of improvements to Commercial Quay. 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.
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 and
the Theatre Royal opened in 1790. The Grand Shaft connecting
the Western Heights military complex with the town opened in
1802. 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
1930. In that year some of the seaward side of the street,
along with most of Northampton Street, was demolished as
part of improvements to Commercial Quay. 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.
