Fun Fact #441
Fun Fact #441
Dover Castle
On the opposite side of the Dover Straight from the French city of Calais sits one of the largest and most expansive fortresses in all of Europe: Dover Castle. Although Napoleon never attacked the impressive castle, Britain still sought funds for its repair at the conclusion of the Napoleonic wars since their military had greatly altered the castle's shape to better protect against cannon-fire. This would not be the end of the Dover’s modifications which has had 3 new sublevels added over the years, acting as the HQ for Operation Dynamo to convince the Axis powers of the D-Day landings were to occur at Calais tying up German reinforcements for several weeks while the allies dug into Normandy.
However its greatest modifications would come during the Cold War when the Castle was selected as one of the “12 Seats of Power '' to be a regional government continuing the British Government in the event of Nuclear war. This included adding air filtration, kitchens, dormitories, a broadcasting studio, and –most importantly– the addition of restrooms. They also included a section with how to build most vehicles, weapons, buildings, and even farms complete with a seed bank all of which only stopped being updated in 2015 when this role was finally retired. No plan is currently in place to remove any of the equipment or resources with the site now operating as a museum.
If you would like to learn about Britain's other complexes built like this then you can learn more by searching "Britain's Regional Seats of Goverance" or "British RSGs Cold War".
