Currents
November 2018
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Britain’s history, from their time as an Iron Age hill-
fort, onward. The Romans built lighthouses in Dover,
William the Conqueror built the largest castle in Eng-
land in Dover in 1066, and defending Brits dug tun-
nels in the cliffs during the Napoleonic Wars to house
thousands of soldiers. Linguists surmise that Britain’s
Old English name, Albion, is from “albus,” Latin for
white, referring to the cliffs.
Numerous plant species on the cliffs’ tops attract
diverse species of butterfly, many of which are
endangered. Shakespeare, in King Lear (Act IV,
Scene VI), described the gathering of an edible plant
(the rock samphire) growing on the cliffs: “Half-way
down/ Hangs one that gathers samphire; dreadful
trade!” Other cliff references are found in Lear.
The cliffs attracted the imagi-
nations of many: Lord Byron and
George Eliot were vacationers.
Composer Noel Coward, writer
Ian Fleming (creator of James
Bond), Henry Royce (of Rolls-
Royce), Peter Ustinov, and count-
less celebrities, sought the seren-
ity of Dover and of nearby St.
Margaret’s Bay. Ian Fleming later
purchased Noel Coward’s home,
“White Cliffs.”
Dover Castle, the Dover
Museum, and the Samphire Hoe
Country Park (a nature reserve)
are all worthwhile. Dover is 75
miles south of Central London
(two hours by car); trains are fre-
quent. Seen from the sea, or
from land [see photo], the White
Cliffs are a thrilling landscape.
Start packing. The world is
waiting to meet you.
We Support Our Troops
[The text and photograph represent
the actual travel experience of the writer.]
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