On 22 March 2024 over 2300 visitors took part in the first ever ‘Dover at Night.’

Dover at Night was organised by the Reawakening the Maison Dieu and Artswork in partnership with over 30 community partners. It provided visitors with an opportunity to visit heritage and creative spaces throughout Dover, learning and creating as they followed a trail map.

As a part of the restoration of the Maison Dieu several empty niches have been discovered. These niches (arch-shaped recesses) in the Mayor's Parlour are thought to have once held paintings or statues of The Virtues in human form, but are now missing.

Artswork and the Maison Dieu team spent time with schools across Dover working with children to create their own new Values for Dover to fill these empty niches. Dover was lit up for the night with projections of the children's artwork. With thanks to Astor Secondary School, Barton Junior School, Shatterlocks Infant and Nursery School and White Cliffs Primary and Nursery School we hope you enjoyed finding your own niches projected throughout the town.

The rain looked set to damped proceeding but just as the doors opened throughout Dover the skies cleared. From 5 until 9pm, there was a busy flow of visitors throughout the town, as couples, individuals, groups, and families followed the trail map. The fantastic trail map was produced by Anita Luckett of Ace Designs, front cover by Hannah Bryan and using art work of locations in Dover drawn by children from Temple Ewell Primary School, working with illustrator Hannah Bryan.

At Bench street Dover SmART were ready to welcome visitors, displaying stained-glass window created by young carers, moving up to the Market Square visitors watched experimental sound art by Cherif Hashizume and Pleistocene Megafauna and dancing by The Fuddlers.

Dover Museum held torch light gallery tours, displayed art installations by students from the Royal College of Arts and Astor Secondary School and hosted stalls by Dover Society, Kent-Maps-Onlineand Kent Downs AONB. The education room was used by Artist Hannah Bryan for a Maison Dieu inspired dragons shadow puppet making activity.

The Community Cinema hosted a fantastic performance by Dover Youth Theatre. Fire, Frights, Cooks and Crooks, was inspired by the night-time history of Dover’s Maison Dieu and was performed to a full house.

Moving up through the town, visitors could interact with a fun light display controlled by sound at the Arts Club, and watch a display of Raku pottery firing by Ceramic Art Dover by the Roman Lawn.

St Mary's Church volunteers kept visitors busy with Church tours, telling the story of the Good Samaritan stained-glass window and candle carving. The Church also hosted stands for visitors to learn about the conservation of the Maison Dieu stained-glass windows with Easthope Stained Glass, and the reinstatement of the William Burges decorative scheme with Arte Conservation. The team from Canterbury Cathedral were on hand to talk about the William Burges crozier and to help make a dragon inspired craft. Early years students from EKC Dover College made colourful stained-glass window designs with families, and handed out glow in the dark hair accessories for visitors to wear made by Hair and Make-up students.

At St Edmund’s Chapel, visitors could find a sense of candle-lit calm while viewing Jenni Cresswell 'History of the Ladywell Spring' art installation.

At Biggin Hall Tim Smithen of Rebel Coffee supported by Artswork and Maison Dieu led an activity to create a glow in the dark graffiti mural. Look out for these displayed at future events! Visitors could also make a sketch book for their doodles as they followed the trail.

Visitors were invited to view the scaffolding clad Maison Dieu, from which lots of activities for the evening were inspired. This beautiful building will reopen to the public in 2025 as a major events and heritage venue, including for the next Dover at Night celebration.

Just across the River Dour visitors were welcomed into the Riverside Centre for refreshments and to make their own cards.

At the Charlton Centre Dover Big Local and Artswork helped visitors to make their own sketchbook. Audiences were kept entertained by dragon storytelling with Kevin Groves and St Martin storytelling by Barry O’Brien of Dover Tales. Kent Wildlife Trust brought a hooden chough for visitors to meet and led a chough-inspired craft activity.

Upstairs in the Charlton Centre Future Foundry artists were displaying the giant illuminated Winter Light-Up animals, and Dover Pride were showing the History of Pride film and displaying drag queen costumes.

The host venues, volunteers and artists all had a fantastic night and were delighted to see so many visitors to the town. Feedback was collected on the night from visitors. 100% of survey respondents said they felt the event had a positive impact on Dover!

Comments:

‘Absolutely brilliant, great variety, well organised.’

'Thanks very much, we had fun!'

'Dover really needs something like this!’

‘It's great to have something like this happening tonight in our town.’

With thanks to all the volunteers, schools, performers, and artists. And of course, to all of those that took part! We hope you had a great time. Thanks also to Nastia Photography for the fantastic images.

We look forward to running Dover at Night again next year, including the newly re-opened Maison Dieu. If you'd like to take part next year please contact martin.crowther@dover.gov.uk.

Please enjoy looking through these other images taken on the night.