Images: the gatehouse of Dover castle, and Dover castle keep from church (photos: C.A. Stanford)
Acquired: 1509
Henry VIII inherited several dozen castles, but many of these were out-of-date and had little if any appropriate domestic provisions for a royal visit. Dover was an exception; its strategic location and size made it a source of frequent attention for both residential and defensive structural work. The former frequently informed the latter; Henry and his bride Jane Seymour visited for a week in July of 1536 to inspect the fortifications, and in honor of their visit, the royal glazier updated the castle windows with the new queen’s badges. Some structural repairs also were undertaken in the main keep, where the royal lodgings were housed, although these were quite old-fashioned by comparison with the king’s other residences. Henry visited again in 1540 to order the addition of artillery fortifications as part of the coastal defense system being put into place against possible French invasion.
*Click here to see the women vendors that worked at this site.