History of Dover Port

The Port of Dover can be found in history right back to the days of the Romans. The port is located in an ideal place for a short route across to the continent.

There is evidence that Julius Caesar described the area that Dover Port sits within as the 'Haven between the Hills' due to the protection that it afforded small ships travelling in the area. Richard Coeur de Lion left Dover on his third crusade, and it is also believed that Henry V was brought through Dover after dying from apparent dysentery in France in 1422.

Henry VIII took an interest in Dover, and ordered the construction of the pier section of the port which unfortunately was never completed. This caused a large build-up of shingle at the front of the bay. Due to the mistake made by Henry VIII the port went through a very difficult phase as the shingle blocking the port entrance became a huge problem. This was the catalyst for many schemes that attempted to cure the problem.

The following centuries saw this problem remaining in varying degrees, however was eventually rectified and the port continued to develop over the years well into the 1900's. After the Second World War Dover Port underwent significant development to deal with the increase in tourist traffic, and in 1953 the first of Dovers drive-on and drive-off ferry berths were opened. This was a huge boost for Dover Port, as before this the only way of securing vehicles onto a ferry was by the use of a crane. This was was both expensive and time consuming. The projected traffic for the port due to this new facility was 10,000, which eventually materialised as 100,000.

The increase in tourists using the port meant that it had to expand, and in the mid-1960's land was reclaimed at the Eastern Docks for the construction of a new ferry berth. In the late 1960's the increase in frieght traffic was becoming apparent at Dover Port, and the introduction of roll-on and roll-off freight was made increasing freight traffic from hundreds of lorries to thousands. Today Dover port handles around 1.8 million lorries every year.

In 1978 the 12 million pound Hoverport was officially opened after a reclamation of land measuring 15 acres.