Having dried out nicely woke to thunder and torrential rain but a few hours later braved it back into central Dover once more. This time went to the Maison Dieu (Dover Town Hall) and then St Edmund’s Chapel which is a short walk away.
In the Maison Dieu which has undergone significant investment we got to see the main halls but were also able to visit the Mayor’s Parlour which has been turned into accommodation with the Landmark Trust. 7
Having spent time at Cardiff Castle 8 9, Castell Coch 10 and Mount Stuart 11 12 on the Isle of Bute you can see the William Burges 13 (architect and designer) influences really clearly throughout these properties. Not sure the Third Marquess of Bute had any connection with Maison Dieu whereas the other three are all connected with him.
This is not available to the public very often so grabbed the chance to see the work that has been put in including the scarred table from the shrapnel 14 that hit the Fire Station opposite and the Town Hall during WWII. Turns out there is also a hidden courtyard in the centre of the building.
Images below are the two main halls and the holiday let now created. I had spent quite a few hours in the building volunteering at CAMRA winter ales festivals when living in Dover. Lovely time had at these events but had never really noticed the stained glass windows.
Speaking to one of the guides it turns out that although they were removed during the war for safety were not cleaned before being replaced. So, it is only recently during the restoration that they have been brought back to life.
Shrapnel damage to table
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