Great Dover Street's name simply indicates that it is an improved route out of the City to the south-east ports. It was created as a turnpike improvement in 1750 for traffic as a by-pass for the 'old' Kent Street/ Kent Road route out of the Borough of Southwark. This older route was renamed Tabard Street and it has close junctions with the new road at both ends. The new route was driven across the Trinity Village estate, belonging to Trinity House.
In 1963, £50,000 was found by police in a phone box in Great Dover Street. It was part of the proceeds from the Great Train Robbery and had been left by an intermediary acting for Buster Edwards.
For several decades, Great Dover Street has been the site of mainly council tenement blocks. However, as south of the river living has become more popular, these have been supplemented on previously commercial and industrial sites on the route by private sector flats, broadening the residential nature of the area and creating a more varied mixed tenancy population. This has been reinforced by the development of two large university halls of residence: Great Dover Street Apartments, a hall of Residence belonging to King's College London, principally for the nearby Guy's Hospital Campus teaching hospital and neighbouring this that for the London School of Economics 'Sidney Webb House' containing some 1,000 bedsitting/ study units.
The street has three small retail units and three pubs, The Black Horse, The Roebuck (dating from the original turnpike development although rebuilt 1892) and Dover Castle.
