Dubris Pharos

Dover stands on the shortest sea crossing between Britain and the Continent, where the Dour once met the Channel. The Romans chose this spot for their Classis Britannica fleet base and a pair of Pharos lighthouses. Julius Caesar’s first expedition aimed for the natural harbour here in 55 BC, but British warriors lined the cliffs and drove him off. The fleet waited until the ninth hour before sailing seven miles to a safer landing. Two Roman Pharos towers guided ships from the 1st century AD. The eastern tower still rises beside Dover Castle, adapted as the bell tower of St Mary de Castro. Its western twin, the Bredenstone, survives in fragments within the Western Heights defences. The mansio built around 200 served officials travelling the Watling Street route to London. When the Saxon Shore fort was constructed in the late 3rd century, the mansio’s walls were buried inside the ramparts, preserving vivid murals. The Roman Painted House now shelters these remains under a modern cover. Over 400 square metres of painted plaster show Bacchic panels framed by fluted columns, the finest Roman murals north of the Alps. Nearby, parts of the fort and quay can be seen, while the town’s library displays further fragments. Brian Philp and the Kent Archaeological Rescue Unit saved the site from a car park in the 1980s, and the Queen Mother visited the completed museum.