Caponnier, North Centre Bastion, Western Heights, Dover, Kent, UK (4)

(Also see: Satellite view of the North Center Bastion annotated with tunnel system locations, surface features, drawbridges, etc.)

A view from of the ramp leading up from the northern end of Tunnel 1 to the second level of the North Centre Bastion's Caponnier.

This room, and a second one behind the viewer, are accessed by coming up the ramp, turning left, and then left again onto a short flight of steps.

Click on the link to see a view of the ramp from Tunnel 1, taken directly below the second room.

The lefthand end of the handrail was a 'good' place to be when I, Leslie Simpson, Derek Allen, Robert Coulson, and the others used to play chase, 'war', or hide and seek, as children.

It is very dark here (without a camera flash, that is!) so we would wait until a pursuer was either heard or dimly seen to be coming up the ramp, wait a second or two, slip between the rails and then drop onto the ramp before escaping back into the lower level.

Very satisfying knowing your pursuer is stumbling around in the dark upstairs, not having a clue where you are :)

Timing was everything though, particularly if there were two of you trying to escape: Drop too late and the enemy was already up the stairs behind you, too soon and he might not have turned the corner at the head of the ramp.

Naturally, such strategems either didn't last for ever or lost some of their initial effectiveness.

In this instance, for example, pursuers soon learned to stand absoluely still at the top of the ramp, breath as quietly as possible, and then listen for the slightest sound of movement before deciding on their next move. A waiting game...

If we, at that time, had been given video games to play then of course we would have been attracted by their novelty value.

On finding that no video game can offer the same unpredictable degrees of head-to-toe fear, exhilaration, danger, and excitement that the "Moats" could, then I feel sure we would have soon been saying "Er, no thanks - how about giving them to kids in hospital who can't get out?".

The reason I feel, given the choice between video games and exploring, we would have chosen the 'exploring' is because I have occasionally played video games (although I have none of my own) and found them interesting and enjoyable.

When I went up to the North Centre Bastion to get these photographs, however, I found all the reactions from childhood were still there.

Its the difference between a jam sandwich and a three course meal of your favourite foods!

Standard Info:

The North Center Bastion is only part of Dover's extensive Napoleonic defenses - click on Western Heights and then check the tag list for all the locations covered (eg Drop Redoubt, Grand Shaft, North Entrance - more will be added as time goes on).

Also see St Martin's Battery

Click to see a photo of the steps leading to the above room (which also shows the top of the ramp].