Knights Templar Church, Western Heights, Dover UK (1)

John Latter, on April 9, 2007, said:

The remains of the Knights Templar church on Dover's Western Heights.

According to the wikipedia Knights Templar in England entry (see under 'Templar Locations in England'), this is the site where the Benedictine monk Matthew Paris says King John submitted to the papal legate Pandulph in May 1213.

A nearby plaque reads (text and braille):

The remains of a small early 12th Century church built by the Knights Templar. The Order of the Knights Templar was founded in Jerusalem in 1118 to protect pilgrims visiting the Holy Land after the First Crusade.

The Order spread rapidly throughout Europe, with its work supported by many estates donated by wealthy benefactors. In 1128 the Order reached England, with this site becoming one of its earliest properties.

Templar churches usually have a circular nave (1), as here, in imitation of the church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Indications are that this site was abandoned before 1185. The remains were discovered by military engineers fortifying the Western Heights in the early 19th Century (2).

(1) The rectangular section is the Chancel (2) 1806

Standard Info:

The remains of the Knights Templar church is only one of the main areas of interest on this part of the North Downs above Dover - click on Western Heights and then check the tag list for all the locations covered (eg Drop Redoubt, Grand Shaft, St Martins Battery, North Entrance, North Center Bastion - more will be added as time goes on).

epod0, on June 10, 2008, said:

Gotta admit John I lived in Dover for 10 years and thought i'd seen it all but i've never seen this church. Something to go find next time i visit. good stuff!

John Latter, on June 10, 2008, said:

epod0 said:

Gotta admit John I lived in Dover for 10 years and thought i'd seen it all but i've never seen this church. Something to go find next time i visit. good stuff!

Thank you, epod0 :)

And thank you for your comments about the North Centre Bastion. When I was a kid, all we had were cap-guns (usually without caps) - it must have been great fun paint-balling there!

John Latter / Jorolat

John Latter, on March 30, 2009, said:

Another of Dover's Norman churches in a similar state of disrepair as the Knights Templar one is the ruins of St. Martin-le-Grand near the Market Square.

Currently, there are two views available:

1. Ruins of St. Martin-le-Grand Church

2. St. Martin-le-Grand Church Ruins

This is the Images of Dover website.