Administration Block, Dover Young Offenders Institution

The Administration Block at Dover Young Offenders Institution, formerly known as the Officers' Quarters, Western Heights, was built in 1861 by the Inspector-General of Fortifications. This building, designed in the Gothic Revival style, features red brick with limestone dressings and a flat asphalt roof. It has a double-depth plan and stands two storeys high with a basement, comprising a 15-window range.

Both the front and rear elevations have deep projecting centre bays, a cornice, and a deep parapet that once covered a bomb-proof roof. The entrance is flanked by buttresses and features a flat two-centre archway with steps leading up to a mid-20th century door, positioned beneath a pair of gun ports and a panel displaying the royal coat of arms dated 1861. The windows are designed with paired Tudor-arched lights and 4/4-pane sashes, set under flat arches on the ground floor and four-centre arched openings on the first floor. There is also a mid-point Tudor-arched doorway on the inner elevation, flanked by lights and topped with cross-light oriels that have weathered coping on both the front and rear.

The building's ashlar ends are supported by large clasping buttresses, divided into three bays, with the middle bay being narrower and featuring gun recesses. Inside, the entrance hall contains a large mid-20th century staircase, with rooms accessible from an axial round-arched passage that runs the length of the building. The basement includes former stables, stores, and water tanks.

Historically, this block served as the quarters and mess for officers stationed at the Western Heights Citadel, which was constructed in the 1800s. The original accommodation was located in casemates, and the building's design, including its gun ports and bomb-proof earth-filled roof, reflects its purpose as a defensible keep in the event of an attack on the Citadel. This level of fortification is indicative of the advancements in artillery and military architecture during that period.