Report - The Grand Shaft - Dover - Apr 22

Bikin Glynn · Oct 5, 2022

The Grand Shaft

Just a mini report from here as there is not much to see, but what an extraordinary piece of engineering!

The Grand Shaft was proposed as a project in 1804 and built between 1806 and 1809 as a quick means of communication and movement between the barracks on the Western Heights and the town below.
It was designed by Brigadier-General William Twiss, Commanding Engineer of the Southern District. General Twiss was one of the outstanding designers of military defences at the time, and was also responsible for the Royal Military Canal running from Hythe to Rye, and the Martello Towers along the south and east coasts of England. His letter of 1804 to Lt. General Morse suggested ‘a shaft with triple staircases, the chief object of which is the convenience and safety of the troops’. In addition, in the event of an attack by the French he considered that it would be ‘the shortest and securest communication with the town’ and that it ‘may eventually be useful in sending reinforcements to troops employed in the defence of the beach and town or in affording them a secure retreat’. Without the Shaft troops would have had to use the badly-maintained roads and tracks leading down to Dover, which being based on chalk became very slippery and dangerous in wet weather.

The main shaft comprises two concentric hollow brick cylinders 140 feet (42m) high, the outer being 26 feet (8m) diameter. Between them were built three intertwined staircases of Purbeck limestone. The inner cylinder was provided with window apertures for light and ventilation. Each staircase has two landings. At the bottom, where the staircases meet, a sloping corridor leads to Snargate Street. The three staircases meet at the top in a bowl, from which stairs lead up to the parade ground in front of the Grand Shaft Barracks.

Construction began in 1806, and was bedevilled by bad weather. The rain caused the chalk and clay to become unstable, and there were many instances of the sides of the Shaft collapsing. Fortunately there were no fatalities during the three years of construction. On its completion the total cost amounted to £3,221. 2s. 4d – £700 less than the original estimate!
The Grand Shaft is unique in being the only triple spiral staircase in the country,