Gunpowder Room 1 Entrance, North Centre Bastion, Dover UK

John Latter, on April 26, 2007, said:

The ammunition room/gunpowder store, located on the ground floor of the Caponnier where it abuts the North Center Bastion, is through the doorway under the arch and to the right.

This photo from the 'First Expedition' shows the slightly-irregularly spaced holes in the walls of the ammunition room and states:

The holes in the brickwork allow the room to be kept dry and ventilated via a surrounding undressed 'tunnel' about 6 feet high and 12 to 15 inches wide. Both ends of this 'tunnel' are blocked while those surrounding the gunpowder/ammunition stores of the Drop Redoubt's Caponniers are open-ended.

Perhaps 6 feet and 15 inches are a bit optomistic (I was working from memory) but the height of the surrounding 'tunnel' is indicated by the vertical columns of air-bricks of its entrances in the above photo (on the right of the doorway and on the far wall).

As stated above, the surrounding tunnels of the Drop Redoubt's gunpowder rooms are 'open-ended'. As a child I can remember entering one for the first time - total darkness, the rough chalkface dragging against my back, 'things' underfoot..

But it had to be done - if it was explorable then it was our job as kids to do the exploring and thereby ensure that every nook and cranny was known about.

Image taken on the 'Second Expedition', April 18th, 2007.

Standard Info:

See the Satellite view of the North Center Bastion annotated with tunnel system locations, surface features, drawbridges, etc.

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

TIMMEH 123, on September 19, said:

lol we all thought this was a gas room lol