Dover Castle Case Study
Dover Castle is an imposing medieval fortress, an iconic part of the town and indeed the country. It was founded in the 11th century and has been described as the "Key to England" due to its defensive significance throughout history. It stands proud on the White Cliffs of Dover, overlooking the English Channel to France. Its Great Tower, the grandest of the keeps built by the English kings in the 11th and 12th centuries stands over 25m high and 30m square, with walls up to 6.5m thick.
The castle, secret tunnels, and surrounding land are cared for by English Heritage on behalf of the nation and the site is a major tourist attraction. Hundreds of thousands of visitors each year travel from all over the world to experience this unique visitor attraction.
Overview
Visitors can step into the medieval royal palace in the Great Tower and imagine life in the King’s court,amongst the brightly coloured and opulent furnishings. There’s almost 2000 years of history to experience on a day out here including the Secret Wartime Tunnels, buried deep into the White Cliffs which offer an atmospheric insight into times past.
Smye-Rumsby are very proud to have been supplying the radio communication at Dover Castle for nearly two decades. The company has been trading since 1948 and the Smye-Rumsby family name is embedded firmly in the history of Dover. It seems fitting that they would be involved in the supply of crucial communication equipment for such a significant historical visitor attraction. Two-way radio continues to be the most important form of communication for the staff on site.
The Radios
The use of Motorola hand-portable radios ensures efficient communication throughout the tunnels, grounds and the main castle.
The safety of visitors to this attraction is vital so the requirement for efficient radio communication equipment cannot be understated. ‘Leaky feed’ cabling ensures radio coverage in an underground environment, which is also compliant with strict health and safety legislation.
The staff at Dover Castle benefit from an ongoing service and maintenance package which is supported by accredited engineers, who provide full backup on-call or on-site throughout the year. At present the Motorola GP340’s and DP3400’s are used. For the tunnels, a digital repeater has been installed to guarantee underground coverage and support for the DP340, and elsewhere on-site an analogue repeater gives support to the GP340.
Events at Dover Castle often demand additional radio hire, and Smye-Rumsby are less than a mile away to meet any requirements at short notice.
