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Dover (England) (ancient Dubris), district, Kent, southeastern England. The district, located on the Strait of Dover and formed in 1974, includes the former municipal boroughs of Deal and Sandwich. The town of Dover is situated at the mouth of the Dour River valley, which breaches the high chalk cliffs that line the coast here. It has an excellent harbor and is the leading passenger port of Great Britain, being nearer the Continent than any other British port. Freight traffic is also important to the port of Dover, but this business faces increasing competition from the trains of the channel tunnel, which can move freight faster than boats can. Dover has small-scale industries producing electronic equipment and paper products. Coal is mined in the district.
Overlooking the town from the eastern heights of the chalk cliffs is the large Dover Castle, which was built in the 11th century by William the Conqueror on the site of earlier Roman and Saxon structures. It is a noteworthy example of medieval fortification and includes the nearly intact remains of a Roman lighthouse. In the town are ruins of the Maison Dieu (House of God) founded in the 13th century by the English statesman Hubert de Burgh as a hospice for pilgrims from all lands.
A settlement existed on the site of Dover in pre-Roman times. Dover was an important port of Roman Britain from the time of its occupation in 54 BC. It became a Saxon stronghold in the 4th century AD. In the 11th century, after the Norman Conquest, Dover was enfranchised as one of the Cinque Ports (a quasi-independent group of five English Channel ports supplying naval defense). During World War I, Dover Harbor served as the base for the flotilla known as the Dover Patrol, which was responsible for keeping the straits open to shipping. In World War II, Dover was repeatedly subjected to German bombing raids and to shelling by German guns entrenched at Cap Gris-Nez, France. The town was extensively damaged and has since undergone much rebuilding.
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