DEAL CASTLE

Deal Castle was built between 1539 and 1540, part of a massive construction programme of forts, blockhouses and other defences ordered by Henry VIII to protect England against possible French invasion. Unlike many castles of the past, these defences were not built for the benefit of an individual, but for the whole realm.  More than 30 forts were eventually built, as well as other fortifications, to new designs.  They were low-lying, to make them harder targets for artillery, and themselves were bristling with guns.  In plan, Deal Castle resembles a Tudor rose: a circular keep from which six semi-circular bastions radiate, all gun platforms, with an outer curtain of a further six semi-circular bastions.  There were openings for 140 guns and the whole thing was surrounded by a moat.  Deal was also designed to work in partnership with neighbouring castles at Sandown and Walmer to protect the Down, a nearby area of sheltered sea between the shore and the treacherous Goodwin Sands.

Deal Castle was besieged in 1648 during the Civil War but, despite its position and Britain’s eventful history, saw no further action itself until a German bomb fell on it during the Second World War.  In the 18th century, the keep’s upper floor was converted to provide comfortable accommodation for the Captain and his family.  Thereafter, though garrisoned at times of national peril, its defensive function was reduced by domestic demands.

The castle was opened to the public in the 1960s and the Tudor defences can be appreciated, as well as the panelled unfurnished rooms of the Captain’s home and interesting exhibitions.  It is an easy level walk of a couple of miles to Walmer Castle.