South-western section of the Roman Fort of the Classis Britannica, near Albany Place

Reasons for Designation

The Classis Britannica fort at Dover is considered to be one of the most
important in Britain. It is known from excavated remains that it was the main
base of the Roman fleet in the second century A.D. Furthermore, it continued
in use as a military centre over several centuries during which time it
underwent several phases of reconstruction. The importance of the fort is
enhanced by the fact that its use can be directly linked to documented events
of the second century. It is associated with a variety of other monuments,
including the lighthouses, harbour works, bath-house and adjacent vicus.
The preservation within this area is good. Trial excavations in 1980
demonstated that Roman buildings of the second phase of the fort, still stood
to a height of up to 3m. The cellars of the 19th century houses built on the
site have caused only minor damage to underlying archaeological deposits.
Excavations in this area have been very limited, hence this part of the fort
remains largely intact and unexamined.

Details

The Classis Britannica (the Roman fleet in Britain) adopted Dover as its major base on the British Coast for much of the second century A.D., where it constructed a fort, harbour installations and two lighthouses. A vicus or civilian settlement developed to the north of the fort. The fort, two-thirds of which has been excavated, was occupied for three main periods in the second century, and was subject to rebuilding and repair in each period. Initial activity in the area of the fort, consisting of an open military settlement covering 0.5 ha, has been dated to c. A.D. 117. In A.D. 130-140 a fort covering 1 ha was completed for a garrison of 600-700 men, comprising a stone defensive wall, ditched on three sides, and a variety of internal buildings. This was abandoned c. A.D. 154-155. A second phase of occupation has been dated to A.D. 163-165 to A.D. 180, when substantial repairs and rebuilding works were carried out to the fort. A final phase of occupation dating to A.D. 190-200 to c. A.D. 208 also involved rebuilding works, perhaps to house an even larger garrison. This monument is sited in the largely unexcavated south-western part of the fort, where it is considered that the most complete and undisturbed remains of the fort exist. It is probable that the principia, or headquarters building of the fort, and further barrack blocks exist here. Trial trenches at Albany Place were cut in 1980, and revealed a variety of important remains including burials, occupation deposits and the fort wall and south gate.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract. It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features, considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

12610

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Philp, B, At Dover 1970-1977 in The Excavation of the Roman Forts of the Classis Britannica, (1981)

End of official list entry

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