Henry VIII Stones From Eroded Fort Now Part of Dover Castle

Part of King Henry VIII's long-lost Sandown Castle sits right there, hidden in plain sight. A new study reveals stones from that 16th-century fort now form part of Dover Castle. This discovery came after archaeologists found an unknown report dating back to 1883. The document stated materials from Sandown were being sold off and shipped down the coast to Dover. Those stone chunks from Henry VIII's maritime defences currently make up a section of Constable's Gate at Dover. That gate provided quarters for the castle's commanding officer. After Sandown Castle fell victim to coastal erosion in the 1800s, its valuable stones were sold off to build everything from coastal defences to a pier at Deal. Until now, this hidden connection to Britain's most famous castle had gone totally unnoticed. Dr Moore says: 'When you stand beside the Victorian extension at Constable's Gate and realise that parts of its masonry came from Sandown Castle – a fort Henry VIII built and the sea later claimed – it sends chills down your spine.' 'It's a tangible connection across centuries of history.' Today, Sandown Castle has been reduced to ruins by coastal erosion. Pictured: A 1539 early design for either Sandown or nearby Walmer Castle.

Before the 1500s, local lords usually shouldered the burden of coastal defences. Sea raids were just a manageable nuisance in those days. That changed when King Henry VIII broke with the Catholic Church to divorce Catherine of Aragon. Tensions between England and Rome spiked, making an invasion feel very real indeed. France and the Holy Roman Empire forged a new alliance. The Pope encouraged them both to invade England and avenge the insult.

Henry VIII responded by commissioning three state-of-the-art forts at Sandown, Walmer, and Deal. These became known as the 'Castles of the Down'. They cost £27,092 back then, a sum equivalent to over £22 million today, and were designed to protect a critical landing point on the Kent coast. Sandown featured a large keep and four circular bastions. It was decked out with positions for 39 artillery pieces, 31 handguns, and fitted with special vents to carry away powder smoke.

The anticipated invasion never arrived. Sandown wouldn't see any actual fighting until it was seized by pro-Royalist insurgents in 1648 during the English Civil War. But cannon fire or explosives did not finally topple the mighty fortress of Sandown. Archaeologists have uncovered evidence that stones from Sandown Castle were taken to build the Constable's Gate at Dover, which provided quarters for the castle's commanding officer. Researchers found a previously unknown report from 1883 stating materials from Sandown were being sold off and sent to Dover Castle instead.

The real killer was proximity to the water. The castle was built too close to the sea, and rapid coastal erosion ate away at the ground beneath it. By 1785, the sea started to breach the castle's outer defences. By the 1860s, the entire structure had to be abandoned. Upper levels were destroyed with explosives while foundations were encased in concrete to protect against further erosion. Any blocks of stone that remained were sold off for various building projects around the country.

Dr Moore's previous research traced those stones to Eastry Union Chapel, Walmer Castle and Deal's second pier abutment. Now, he has used a combination of archival and archaeological research to show some of the stones from Sandown also made their way to Dover. Dr Moore says this sheds light on how Dover Castle's 19th-century works incorporated masonry from an earlier Tudor fortress. Sandown Castle is best known as a casualty of coastal erosion, but the documentary trail and the surviving fabric show that parts of it lived on at Dover Castle and at other sites across East Kent.