Martin Crowther, Engagement Officer at Dover's historic Maison Dieu shares some of the building's fascinating connections with the wider world...

When I started work at Dover’s Maison Dieu in the summer of 2021, I had no idea of the building’s global links, but quickly realised they were both many and varied.

From about 1200, the Maison Dieu gave hospitality to pilgrims from across Europe and today still welcomes visitors from around the world. Pilgrims from as far as Iceland and Constantinople are known to have visited Becket’s shrine at Canterbury Cathedral and many, arriving by sea at Dover would have stayed at the Maison Dieu.

The medieval Maison Dieu was The Hospital of St Mary, named in honour of Mary the mother of Jesus. Nearby was the Ladywell (a holy well dedicated to her) which local people drank from until Victorian times. The street where it once was is still called Ladywell today. Mary was a Jewish woman from Nazareth, which is now part of Israel.

The lion-headed chairs, designed by Victorian architect and designer William Burges for the Mayor’s Parlour, are made of American walnut and covered in Moroccan goat-skin leather. They are currently being conserved as part of the current Re-awakening the Maison Dieu development project.

Burges himself was well-travelled. He crossed the channel on over 40 occasions and was inspired by medieval buildings in France and Italy. With the Second Marquis of Bute, he restored Cardiff Castle and nearby Castell Coch in Wales and was architect for St Fin Barre’s Cathedral in Cork, Ireland. Unsuccessful designs were submitted for cathedrals in England, France, Scotland, Sri Lanka and Australia. His painted furniture includes a battle between medieval knights, representing English beer and French wines, fought out across the front of an impressive drinks cabinet. This fabulous piece is in the collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

Numerous Victorian convicts, held in prison cells within the building, and found guilty in its courtroom, were transported to Australia for seven years hard labour. Some were teenagers, accused of minor crimes such as shoplifting.

Rock hard ship’s biscuit, salt beef and pork, beer and dried pease were all made at the Royal Navy Victualling Office at Dover’s Maison Dieu, from Tudor times until 1830. Sailors fighting Britain’s wars around the globe and on worldwide voyages of exploration would have survived, in part, on provisions made here.

The first successful two way cross-channel radio message was sent from the Maison Dieu’s Connaught Hall to the French coast near Boulogne in 1899. This signal will also have headed towards space. It’s likely the message was garbled by the ionosphere, but any surviving trace will now have travelled over 120 light years from earth, way beyond the nearest stars! Later TV broadcasts from the building, including BBC1s Question Time with David Dimbleby are following on close behind.

Refugees seeking sanctuary in the UK have been welcomed in Dover for hundreds of years. The children of Hughes Minet are depicted in a fine portrait by Joseph Highmore (1692-1780). The Minet family first arrived in Dover as French Huguenot refugees and became wealthy bankers in the town.

Today the Maison Dieu is proud to host visits and engagement activities with recently arrived migrants, foreign school groups, international visitors, including passengers from Dover’s flourishing cruise liner market and pilgrims from all over the world.

Dover Museum, housed in the Maison Dieu for many years, includes a weird and wonderful collection of artefacts from around the globe - including a much-loved polar bear, which many older residents remember being on display just inside the Ladywell entrance. This was brought back by Dover’s polar explorer Dr Reginald Koettlitz in 1897, who famously gave a lecture at the Maison Dieu (Dover Town Hall) dressed in his Arctic expedition clothing, skis and snowshoes!

The museum collection also includes the carved head of a high-status Roman woman, who from her distinctive hairstyle, may just possibly be Julia Domna, Roman empress AD193 to 211, who was born in Syria.

Oil paints used in the Maison Dieu’s fine collection of portraits were mixed from well-travelled minerals, including lapis lazuli from Afghanistan. This was ground into powder to make ultramarine, the finest and most expensive of blue pigments. The word comes from the Latin ultramarinus, meaning beyond the seas.

A colour called mummy brown, popular in the 19^th century, was made from the crushed-up remains of Ancient Egyptian mummies, though detailed paint analysis will be needed to check if it appears in any Maison Dieu paintings. A deep crimson red was made from crushed Peruvian cochineal beetles!

The Via Francigena - an ancient pilgrim route between Canterbury and Rome - passes through Dover, where many medieval pilgrims stayed the night at the Maison Dieu. This Road to Rome passes through England, France, Switzerland and Italy and includes a challenging ascent of the Great St Bernard Pass over the Alps. Thousands of pilgrims still walk it today, a feat which takes about 3 months.

Did you know the Maison Dieu has its very own circumnavigator? In 1877, Earl Brassey, depicted in one of the Stone Hall portraits in his role as Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports was the first person to sail round the world in a private yacht (albeit one with auxiliary steam power).

The Zeebrugge Bell, which hangs outside the Maison Dieu, commemorates the heroism of 1,700 British sailors and marines who took part in a daring, but ill-fated raid on the Belgium port in 1918. Sadly, 227 servicemen died. Eight Victoria Crosses were awarded for their bravery. The bell, which once hung at Zeebrugge Harbour and warned the Germans of their attack, was presented to Dover by the King of Belgium. It’s rung every year on 23 April, the anniversary of the raid.

A jagged piece of shrapnel from a German cross-channel shell is embedded in the Mayor’s Parlour table. The shell was fired from the French coast during World War II and crashed through every floor of Dover Fire Station, in Ladywell opposite. Shrapnel flew off in all directions, including through the Mayor’s Parlour window.

In 2021, Dover welcomed Amal, a giant puppet of a Syrian refugee child. Created by the makers of Warhorse, Amal had travelled all the way from Syria to raise the plight of child refugees. The lanterns, which accompanied her on a spectacular parade, were inspired by decorative features at the Maison Dieu. They were made by hundreds of local children and artists from Future Foundry based at the nearby Biggin Hall.

So next time you visit this iconic Dover venue, don’t forget to look out for and toast its global connections. It’s a small world after all!