The Dock Door

We follow the same road, which changes name here to Irmandiños street, to The Dock Door (located in Galicia square).

The most emblematic door of the arsenal is the dock door which was designed as a main entrance by Julián Sánchez Bort in 1765.

It is a rounded arch door built into a tower with a square cross section, and completed by a dome and bell tower. The façade was designed with a certain artistic flourish following a classical model at the Royal Academy for Fine Arts of San Fernando in Madrid. Above Giacomo Vignola´s design is an attic with console, two oil lamps and a large Carlos III coat of arms carved in granite.

It is a magnificent period rationalist piece as the construction as a whole was able to carry out four functions:

It was the first public clock in Ferrol. This clock, located above the coat of arms, has four faces and marked the daily working rhythms of the historic ensemble in Ferrol.

Secondly, there was a chapel which opened on to the arsenal esplanade.

Thirdly, the building served as a guardhouse to control access.

Finally, it was also a triumphal arch and constituted the most monumental door of the arsenal due to its size and solemnity.

Nowadays, the guided visits to the arsenal which form part of the shipbuilding guided tour end by passing through this door.