Dover Pharos: One of the World’s Last Surviving Roman Lighthouses

Did you know that there are only three surviving Roman lighthouses in the world?  One, the Tower of Hercules in Spain has been featured on Kuriositas back in 2011. The UK is also home to one of them – the Dover Pharos.  Now, it could be argued that it has seen better days (and it has certainly seen many of them), but it is amazing that it has survived at all, considering the Romans left Britain over 1600 years ago.  This video looks at the history of the building – both inside and outside.

Situated in the heart of Dover Castle, the Dover Pharos was built in the early 2nd century AD, once forming a pair that helped to guide ships across the English Channel or as they called it, the Oceanus Britannicus, which translates as the “British Ocean” or “Britannic Ocean.”  The other lighthouse, on the west side of Dover has long gone; all that is left is its foundations.  The Dover Pharos does, in fact, owe its survival because it was repurposed once the Romans had left and Christianity had taken hold.

This fascinating mini-documentary was created by Historic England and English Heritage and is presented by Chris Reade, who is an Inspector of Ancient Monuments for Historic England. She is joined by Roy Porter, Senior Curator of Properties for English Heritage. As such, this video is like watching two very knowledgeable people having a chat about something they self-evidently adore (although Reade does most of the presenting and the BBC should grab her as a presenter!).  She delves into why the lighthouse was built, what it would have looked like and when and how it was repurposed. Result – a fascinating story of one of the UK’s oldest standing buildings.