Saving Western Heights

Having surfed ‘Western Heights Today’ you may be asking yourself questions like,

'Is there any future for Western Heights as a tourist attraction ? ’

'What about the parts English Heritage is not conserving or restoring ?’

'Do tourists visiting Dover Castle bother to visit Western Heights ?’

The answers to these questions are probably

Hopefully, you will be asking yourself

‘What can I do to help ? '

The problem is money. According to a reliable source within  English Heritage, there are properties in EH’s care in much greater need that Western Heights. This in itself is  amazing. This means that they have buildings in much worse condition that are deteriorating faster and perhaps suffer worse vandalism than the Heights. Also, Dover Castle probably gets priority treatment as far as Dover is concerned because it is incredibly popular (justifiably so) and it is a massive source of revenue for EH which must contribute to the maintenance and development of the Castle and provide finances for other properties.

Section of Escarp Wall with Ditch Infront on North Lines, May 1999

A first step towards securing the future of the Heights is to publicise it or 'put it on the map'. It is hoped that   this website and it’s accompanying flyers and web-address cards will contribute to doing just that. 

The same contact within English Heritage  expressed the view that  more might be done if visitors to  the Heights followed up visits with a letter of enquiry to English Heritage regarding it's future.  To put it in a nutshell, if people came to Dover to visit Western Heights (and the Castle because the two are inexorably linked), and as a consequence of this   money is spent in the town and the two carparks at the Heights are overflowing then 'they' will have to do something about it. 'They' in this case means all institutions that have a part of the Heights in their care.

The Left Picture, Within HM Citadel Perimeter, Mainly Clear: The Right Picture, North Centre Detached Bastion, Overgrown

Western Heights defences are on English Heritage's 1999 list of  'Buildings at Risk'. 

Details can be found here and here

Who Owns Western Heights ?

KEY:    Orange = Owned by English Heritage (Department of the Environment)

Blue = Owned by Home Office (Prison Service)

Pink =   Owned by Dover District Council 

Grey = Owned by Dover District Council & Managed by WCCP

Green = Managed by White Cliffs Countryside Project

Yellow = Privately Owned

The above key relates to coloured sections on the map.  Each colour denotes who is responsible for which part.    Please write a letter asking why there are trees growing in the ditches and why some parts are falling to rack and ruin.  PLEASE make sure you write to the correct body !

The above pictures were taken by the Dover Express in August 1971 and show members of a voluntary organisation working for the British Trust & Conservation Corps, hard at work clearing scrub from the ditches in the hope that their efforts will contribute to getting Ancient Monument status for the Heights fortifications.  As is the case now, the ditches were then used as a dumping ground for rubbish but at this time the fortifications were only just beginning to become recognised as something that the town should save !

The Dover Express reported that....

'Leading the group of youngsters clearing up the moats is Mr. Tom Munro (22), a mathematics teacher from London.....operating from a camp in the moats off Military Hill'.

The picture on the left shows left to right, Brenda Baxter (16), of London, Carol Benfell (17), of Rotherham and Marilyn Watson (17), of Rotherham.

Where are they now ?

So, perhaps the work that these lads and lasses started then could be continued now ?!

Much More to Follow.....

(18.11.99)