Castlemount was originally built in 1876 as a school. It was a substantial mansion built of red brick and stone embellishments, with terraced lawns cut into the hillside. In 1911 it was taken over by French Monks who came to England because of an anti-clerical movement in France at the time. The monks left Castlemount at the outbreak of the First World War and the house was commandeered by the military for the use as barracks. During this time it was also used as a Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) Hospital for 13 officers and 65 O/Rs. The monks returned briefly after the First World War but left Dover for the last time in 1940 when the RAF took over Castlemount as the HQ for the barrage balloon squadron. After the war the building was taken over by the Kent Education Committee and turned into a mixed secondary school which opened in 1948. It was extended in the mid 1960’s. In 1973 the original 1876 house was devastated by a fire, the school was rebuilt and finished in 1977. The school was closed in 1991 and plans for the use of the old site came to nothing leading to its eventual demolition shortly after the schools closure. The site was re-developed for housing now known as Monastery Avenue. (summarised form source) (1-2)

<1> Hazel Basford, 2004, Kent VAD - the work of voluntary aid detachments in Kent during the first World War (Unpublished document). SKE31644.

<2> 2016, Dover: Lock and Key of the Kingdom, Castlemount (Website). SKE32366.