This ancient roman lighthouse in Dover is the oldest remaining lighthouse in England and among the oldest in the entire world. It is situated on the southeast side of Dover, Kent, England. The originally built octagonal structure was 24 meters tall and had six to eight stories, of which only four exist now. It dates back to roughly 46–50 AD, during Emperor Claudius’ reign.
The expert believes it was created as a duplicate of Emperor Caligula’s lighthouse in Boulogne-sur-Mer, near Calais on France’s north coast, in 40 AD. The top medieval section is still in a reasonable state of repair, although the original Roman stonework on the seaward side is unavoidably weather-worn and crumbling after more than two thousand years.
In comparison to modern lighthouses, its height of only 25.4m is rather modest, but it was a towering beacon at the time. Today, the lighthouse is situated on the grounds of the eleventh-century Dover Castle, right next to the late Anglo-Saxon church of St. Mary-in-Castro, which was erected in 1000 AD using Roman architectural materials.
This light tower is believed to have been made of local flint and mortar. It was a vital component of Roman commercial routes and military operations; its flashing light let ships safely dock. Over the ages, the Roman Lighthouse has undergone repairs and reconstructions; the majority of the highest masonry is medieval.
After over 2000 years, the ancient Roman stonework on the seaward side has weathered and now stands only four storey 19 meters tall. The history showed, that the lighthouse was once used as a church bell tower in the 13th and 14th centuries, Medieval stonework was added to fortify the top six meters, giving the structure a more fortified, battlemented appearance.
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