Dover has been an important port for millennia. In 1992, a waterlogged boat was discovered in a depth of 6 m that dates to the Bronze Age and is one of the oldest seagoing vessels ever recovered. It has been dated by the radiocarbon method to ca. 1550 BC. The Langdon Bay hoard, discovered in 1974 off the Dover coast contains bronze axes of a French type and may represent the cargo of a sunken vessel, thus demonstrating cross-channel trade already for the Bronze Age, if not earlier. Both finds are on display in the Dover museum in market square.

In Roman times it became an important fortified port named Portus Dubris. Dover was the starting point of the Watling Street Roman road, and was an important harbour of the classis britannica (British fleet).

The Romans built a lighthouse in the grounds of what is now Dover Castle in around AD 50 which still survives, making it one of the oldest buildings in Britain. The "Painted House" is a Roman mansion from about AD 200 and one of the best preserved Roman houses in Britain. In late Roman times.

In Anglo-Saxon times a fort was built, which was the first part of what became Dover Castle. In 1216, Dover was attacked by the French and successfully defended by Hubert de Burgh. In medieval times Dover became a chief member of the Cinque Ports.

During the English Civil War it was taken by the parliamentarians in 1642.

On May 26, 1670 Charles II of England and Louis XIV of France secretly signed a treaty here which ended hostilities between their kingdoms.

In the 20th century Dover became the centre of English Channel defense during World War I. And during World War II the town was repeatedly bombarded by German bombers and long-range guns. A series of underground caves and tunnels in the cliffs were used as air-raid shelters during the war.

This page was last updated: 12 September 2005

Town history extracts are taken from Wikipedia and are licensed under GFDL