Industrial Dover

As a major port and seafaring town, industries such as ship-building, boat repairing, rope-making and sail making employed many local people. Dover's military connections also gave rise to other industries such as watch-making (established to provide ship's chronometers and officers' dress watches) and leather working (established to provide boots and belts to the navy and army).

Along the river Dour there were corn, paper, timber and oil mills. The milling and brewing industries expanded with the military centre, providing the ships and garrisons with flour, bread and ale.

Brewing

Brewing became one of the largest non-maritime trades in Dover - in about 1850 there were more than 8 large breweries in operation. Phoenix was one of the oldest, largest and last to close. Dating back to the 17th century, the brewery was taken over by Leney's in 1859. Leney's merged with the Maidstone brewers Fremlins in 1926 and the brewery closed.

Coal Mining

By the end of the 19th century, Dover's industries were in decline. The discovery of coal under the Dover area in 1890 seemed to herald a bright and prosperous future for Dover.

Shakespeare Colliery was commenced in 1896, followed by 8 others in the next twenty years, but it was 16 years before the first coal reached the surface. Only 4 collieries survived beyond 1920, due to bad management, poor investment and severe flooding problems, and the depth and quality of the coal.

The last Kent colliery closed in 1989.

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