{"id":4312,"date":"2012-08-29T11:53:09","date_gmt":"2012-08-29T11:53:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thetimechamber.co.uk\/beta\/?page_id=4312"},"modified":"2017-11-06T10:39:00","modified_gmt":"2017-11-06T10:39:00","slug":"the-grand-shaft-dover","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.thetimechamber.co.uk\/beta\/sites\/military\/uk-sites\/the-grand-shaft-dover","title":{"rendered":"The Grand Shaft, Dover"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Grand Shaft was built to provide a shortcut for the soldiers garrisoned in the forts and barracks situated at Western Heights; it was constructed at a time when there was a great fear of invasion from the Napoleonic forces amassing at Boulogne.\u00a0 The entire defensive network throughout Dover consisted of two detached forts conected by four miles of dry ditches and barracks.<\/p>\n

The shaft was first proposed by Brigadier General Twiss in 1804, who stated that the construction of a triple staircase would provide a quicker and safer means for the soldiers to reach the seafront.\u00a0 The previous route had been a number of worn chalk tracks down the cliff front, which became slippery when wet.\u00a0 Construction started in 1806, which proved to be difficult because of poor weather and instability in the chalk and clay that was being dug.\u00a0 The shaft took three years to complete and came in at a total of \u00a33,200; \u00a3700 less than the original estimate.<\/p>\n

Within three years the shaft had become a tourist attraction for both civilian and soldiers.\u00a0 It is reported that a horse was ridden up the shaft as a bet.\u00a0 There were also a number of cells at the base of the shaft, they were there to accommodate soldiers who had drunk to much and were unable to navigate the stairs.\u00a0 These have been removed.\u00a0 As the fear of invasion declined, the purpose of the stairs changed; instead of allowing the maximum number of troops to descend, the three separate stair cases corresponded to the ranks of the soldiers.\u00a0 Officers, Sergeants and soldiers.<\/p>\n