Dover (district)

Dover District
—  Non-metropolitan district  —
Dover shown within Kent
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Constituent country England
Region South East England
Non-metropolitan county Kent
Status Non-metropolitan district
Admin HQ Dover
Incorporated 1 April 1974
Government
 • Type Non-metropolitan district council
 • Body Dover District Council
 • Leadership Leader & Cabinet (Conservative)
 • MPs Charlie Elphicke
Laura Sandys
Area
 • Total 121.6 sq mi (314.84 km2)
Area rank 136th (of 326)
Population (2010 est.)
 • Total 106,900
 • Rank 211th (of 326)
 • Density 879.4/sq mi (339.5/km2)
 • Ethnicity 98.5% White
Time zone GMT (UTC0)
 • Summer (DST) BST (UTC+1)
ONS code 29UE
OS grid reference TR315415
Website www.dover.gov.uk

Dover is a local government district in Kent, England. Dover is its administrative centre. It was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of the boroughs of Deal, Dover, and Sandwich along with Dover Rural District and most of Eastry Rural District. There are three towns within the district: Dover, Deal and Sandwich; and the parishes below:

The northern boundary of the district is the River Stour; on its eastern side is the district of Canterbury; to the south the parish of Capel-le-Ferne; and to the east the Straits of Dover. The southern part of the latter is the point where the North Downs meets the sea, at the so-called ‘White cliffs of Dover’. Further north along the coast, from Deal onwards, the land is at sea level, where the River Stour enters the sea by a circuitous route. It is here, on the sand-dunes, that the Royal St George's Golf Club, founded in 1887, and of international repute, is situated.

In the district are industrial remains of the erstwhile Kent coalfield, situated around Tilmanstone and Betteshanger. Technically speaking, half of the underwater section of the Channel Tunnel is under British Sovereignty and thus part of the district.

Communications

Crossing Dover district are the Roman roads of Watling Street and that leading from Richborough. Today the main road, the A2, closely follows Watling Street to Dover.

External links