Stone from a lost Tudor fortress built by Henry VIII was reused during Victorian work at Dover Castle, new research suggests.
Dr Christopher Moore, a Research Fellow at the University of Kent, traced masonry from Sandown Castle to an 1883-84 extension at Constable’s Gate. He reached the finding by comparing old records with features in the surviving building.
The research, carried out with help from English Heritage, adds a new chapter to the history of Dover Castle. It also shows how parts of a Tudor fort survived long after Sandown Castle itself had been lost.
Sandown Castle was one of three coastal forts known as the “castles of the Downs.” Henry VIII ordered their construction in 1539-40 as part of defenses along England’s coast. Walmer Castle, another fort from the group, still stands today. Sandown had a different fate.
During the 19th century, coastal erosion took a heavy toll on Sandown. The castle was abandoned and later largely demolished. Much of its stone was removed and used elsewhere, leaving little of the original fortress above ground.
Moore found a key piece of evidence in an 1883 report. The record states that materials from Sandown Castle were being sent to Dover for work on an extension at Constable’s Gate.
The extension was built between 1883 and 1884 to provide quarters for the commanding officer of Dover Castle. Its link with Sandown adds weight to the idea that masonry from the Tudor fort was built into the Victorian structure.
The finding also fits a wider pattern across East Kent. Moore traced stone from Sandown Castle to several other sites, including Eastry Union Chapel, Walmer Castle and the second pier abutment at Deal.
Those buildings mean pieces of Sandown might still be part of places used or visited today. The lost fortress therefore survives in a scattered form, hidden within later buildings and structures.
The research also raises a broader point about how old buildings changed over time. When Sandown Castle fell into disuse, its stone became a useful building resource. Blocks once placed in a Tudor coastal fort were moved to new sites and given new roles.
Moore co-founded The Henrician Archaeological Research Foundation with Dr Manolo Guerci. The registered charity focuses on lost Early Modern architecture, including sites destroyed by erosion, neglect or demolition.
Guerci, Director of Graduate Research Studies at the University of Kent’s School of Arts and Architecture, said the work joins academic research with heritage preservation. He also noted the importance of finding more evidence for Sandown masonry at Dover and elsewhere.
For Moore, the masonry at Constable’s Gate offers a direct link between two very different periods. Sandown Castle was built under Henry VIII, while the Dover extension appeared more than three centuries later.
The stone therefore carries part of the story of a fortress no longer standing. A visitor at Constable’s Gate might be looking at masonry first placed in Sandown during the Tudor period.
Sandown Castle was lost to the sea and later demolition, but its building stone followed a different path. Records and surviving structures now help trace some of those pieces across East Kent.