With the advent of the second world war in 1939, the tunnels under Dover Castle saw a new lease of life. Initially, they were intended to act as an air raid shelter, although rapid expansion saw them quickly converted into a combined hospital and command centre.
In total, there are over three miles of tunnels (which have been recorded), which are divided into five distinct levels; from top to bottom they are: Annexe (A), used for the hospital; Bastion (B), used for barracks stores and part of the Command Centre; Casemate (C), the original Napoleonic level used for the Command Centre and from where Admiral Ramsey directed Operation Dynamo; Dumpy (D), which was an extension built later in WWII and went on to form the later Cold War atomic shelter; the Esplanade (E), which was used purely as an air raid shelter. Due to the nature of the complex, the public will have to wait until 2025 for the full details of the work done in the tunnels to be released.
The tunnel complex is partially open to the public as part of a visit to Dover Castle, which is operated by English Heritage. The tour consists of levels A,B and C; due to the restricted access, levels D and E are closed to the general public and are unlikely to be opened. Great effort has been made to reconstruct the fittings and fixtures, although the cloak of secrecy which surrounds the tunnels' previous use means that this can only be done to a limited extent.
