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1`Visit to Fort Burgoyne (30/04/25)

Our first visit to Fort Burgoyne was on a cold and windy evening at the end of May 2023.  In contrast our recent visit at the end of April was in weather that we would usually expect in high summer.

After an excellent lunch at the Chance Inn at Guston we met Janet, who had organised the visit, and drove down to the layby near Fort Burgoyne where we met our guide, Barry O’Brien.  From our first visit we knew that he was extremely knowledgeable and full of stories about Dover and its history.

Fort Burgoyne was constructed between 1861 and 1868 to protect Dover Castle and is one of Palmerstone’s forts built along the south coast because of the fear of invasion from France when England had so many troops in other parts of the world.

In 2014 it was acquired by the Land Trust from the Ministry of Defence with the vision of making it a key part of the local community.  The West Wing Battery is open to the public from 10.00am until 4.00pm, Wednesday to Friday, but the main building is closed to the public except for events, such as the Armed Forces Weekend which usually happens in June.

Barry first took us to the recreational space on the eastern side of the Fort, which adjoins the largely military housing as well as Guston Primary School and pre-school.  This area is referred to as the Burgoyne Heights and in 1914 was the site of an airfield, back in the early days of World War 1.  It is amazing to think that it was only five years earlier that Louis Bleriot completed the first flight across the English Channel, landing just to the east of Dover Castle where a memorial of that event can be found.

The airfield was used by the Royal Navy Air Service and the British Army’s Royal Flying Corps.  The early aircraft were basic and flimsy.  Barry had several stories of pilots involved in brave or dangerous incidents and accidents. Even on a still and sunny day there was a breeze on Burgoyne Heights, an indication that it was not an easy place for aircraft to take off or land.  Its advantage was being close to the war in France.  In April 1918 the RNAS and the Royal Flying Corps were merged to form the RAF.

On leaving Burgoyne Heights we crossed the Guston Road to an area of land stretching down to the town and known as Coomb Hole.  On this lovely summerlike day there were magnificent views of Dover, from the Port, up to the Western Heights, the town below and the valleys leading to Folkestone and Canterbury. We followed the escarpment path and looked down at the graveyards bordering Old Charlton Road. Barry pointed out the Commonwealth War Graves Memorial and mentioned the four soldiers who won the Victoria Cross and are buries nearby.  Our next speaker, on Wednesday 14^th May, will be Norman Brice of the Commonwealth Graves Commission.

We then saw a ‘Pepperstone’, one of the markers which indicated the boundary of the town as it developed in the 19^th Century, named after the then Mayor.  The path  skirted some woodland and took us to the Western Redoubt of Fort Burgoyne with its new housing development.  There are some features of interest at the Western Redoubt, the main one being the site of a large gun battery overlooking the town and Canterbury Road.  Here we stopped for a rest and enjoyed the views before walking though the new development on to the Guston Road and back to the layby where we had parked.  After a group photo and thanks to Barry we headed home.  Thanks to Janet for organising this interesting and enjoyable visit.

Barry belongs to the Dover Fringe and is performing a presentation called

‘Ted Danson and William the Conqueror.  Is there a link?’

It is at Vinoteq, 1 Cannon Street, Dover

On 14^th May 19.00 – 20.00 and 18^th May 20.30 - 21.30  Free Entry