Dover is a town and major ferry port in the county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel. The town is the administrative centre of the Dover District.
Its strategic position has always been evident throughout its history: archaeological finds have revealed that the area has always been a focus for peoples entering and leaving Britain, and this continues to this day.
Services related to the Port of Dover provides a great deal of the town’s employment, although many of the former ferry services have declined, meaning that unemployment tends to be higher than other parts of Kent.[citation needed] There was a military barracks in Dover, which was closed in 2007. Dover has a strong tourist base.
Economy
[edit] Shipping
The Dover Harbour Board[6] is the responsible authority for the running of the Port of Dover.
The English Channel, here at its narrowest point in the Straits of Dover, is the busiest shipping lane in the world. Ferries crossing between here and the Continent have to negotiate their way through the constant stream of shipping crossing their path. The Dover Strait Traffic Separation Scheme allots ships separate lanes when passing through the Strait. The Scheme is controlled by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency of HM Customs, whose headquarters is at Langdon Battery in Dover[7]
The Port of Dover is also used by cruise ship passengers, and the old Dover Marine railway station building, together with a newly built one[clarification needed], cater for those passengers[8]
The ferry lines using the port are (number of daily sailings in parentheses):
- to Boulogne: Speed Ferries (5)(ceased trading in December 2008);
- to Calais: P&O Ferries (25) and Sea France (20);
- to Dunquerque: Norfolk Line (11).
These services have been fairly drastically cut in recent years.
- P&O Ferries sailings to Boulogne (5 daily) were withdrawn in 1993 and Zeebrugge (4 daily) in 2002.
- SNCF withdrew their three sailings on the opening of the Channel Tunnel.
- RMT moved their Oostende service of three sailings daily to Ramsgate in 1994;
- Stena Line merged their 20 Calais sailings into the current P&O operation in 1998.
The Dover lifeboat is a Severn class lifeboat based in the Western Docks.[9]
[edit] Communications
Dover’s main communications artery, the A2 road replicates two former routes, connecting the town with Canterbury. The Roman road was followed for centuries until, in the late 18th century, it became a turnpike. Stagecoaches were operating: one description stated that the journey took all day to reach London, from 4am to being “in time for supper”.[10]
The other main roads, travelling west and east, are the A20 to Folkestone and thence to London and the A258 through Deal to Sandwich.
The railway reached Dover from two directions: the South Eastern Railway's main line connected with Folkestone in 1844, and the London, Chatham and Dover Railway opened its line from Canterbury in 1861. A tram system operated in the town from 1897 to 1936.
Dover has two long distance footpaths: the Saxon Shore Way and the North Downs Way. Two National Cycle Network routes begin their journey at the town.
[edit] Education
- Further information: List of schools in Kent
There are nine secondary level schools, 16 primary schools and two schools for special education.
Several of the state secondary schools now specialise: Astor College for the Arts; Dover Grammar School for Girls is a specialist Humanities College; Dover Grammar School for Boys, a Business and Enterprise College; St Edmund's Catholic College for the Performing Arts; and Archers Court, Maths and Computing College.
The Duke of Yorks Royal Military School, England's only military boarding school for children of service personnel (co-ed ages 11-18), is also located in Dover, next to the military base.
Dover College, a public school was founded in 1871 by a group of local business men.[11];
[edit] Public services
Dover has one hospital, Buckland Hospital[12] located in a former Victorian workhouse on Coombe Valley Road. The town once had four hospitals, Buckland, Royal Victoria, Isolation and the Eye Hospitals located at various points across the town. Buckland Hospital is currently (2008) threatened with closure and various local organisations are trying to stop the cuts facing the hospital.[13]
There are two local newspapers, with their free editions: the Dover Express/Dover & Deal Adscene, both owned by Kent Regional Newspapers; and the Dover Mercury|Dover and Deal Extra owned by the Kent Messenger Group. The Dover Mercury was founded in 1998.
Dover has one local commercial radio station: kmfm for Shepway & White Cliffs Country, broadcasting to Dover on 106.8FM. The station was founded in Dover as Neptune Radio in September 1997 but moved to Folkestone in 2003 and was consequently rebranded after a takeover by the Kent Messenger Group.
The Gateway Hospital Broadcasting Service, in Buckland Hospital radio, closed at the end of 2006. It was the oldest station in East Kent.[14]
[edit] Culture
There are two museums: the main Dover Museum[15] and the Dover Transport Museum.[16]
Dover has three twin towns:
[edit] Sports
The Vista Leisure Centre,[17] catering for a wide range of sports and activities, is on Townwall Street. There are sports clubs catering for the usual range of sports, among them football (Dover Athletic F.C.); rugby ; rowing ; swimming ; and netball (Dover and District Netball League).[18]
One event which gets media attention is that of swimming the English Channel.[19]
Sea fishing, from the beach, pier or out at sea, is carried out here.[20] The so-called Dover sole (solea solea) is found all over European waters.
[edit] Places of interest
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