Dubris

Dubris (Portus Dubris) was the principal Roman cross-channel port at modern Dover, Kent, strategically sited at Britain's closest point to continental Europe. The Romans built an octagonal lighthouse (Pharos) around 50 AD to guide ships into the harbour, one of only three surviving Roman lighthouses in the world. The settlement included warehouses, bathhouses, and a fort housing the Classis Britannica (Roman fleet). A government mansio built c. 200 AD was demolished in 270 AD for a Saxon Shore fort, paradoxically preserving its remarkable painted wall murals now displayed at the Roman Painted House. With Rutupiae (Richborough), Dubris formed a starting point for Watling Street, the Roman road to Canterbury and London.