Deal castle: Kent, England

Number 37 - Deal castle

Deal Castle was viewed on a day where we had three on our schedule, so we saw Deal sandwiched between Chilham and Walmer. All very different but lovely.

Chloe and myself both commented that Deal was quite different to any castle we've seen so far.

It's situated right on the seafront in the small coastal town of Deal in Kent. There was free parking alongside, so we parked up and tucked into our packed lunch.

Henry VIII ordered that Deal be built. Good old Henry seems to have had a connection to most castles on the South Coast. He was clearly as obsessed with them as we are! Deal is one of the finest Tudor artillery castles in England. It's one of the earliest  among the earliest coastal forts, but there were a group of them built around the same time including Calshot, Camber, Walmer and Pendennis Castles.

The entrance is on a main road, with a drawbridge and impressive gatehouse. 

Once inside we could see Deal is very much a circular shape and if you look at it from above it looks like a flower. 

We wandered round the outside first, a lower bit with cobbled stones and high walls either side. 

Up some steps to the upper level where canons would have fired out at enemies ships on the approach. They had lots of canons in position.

There was also a pile of canon balls strapped to the ground. Not as large or intimidating as the ones we located at Pevensey castle, but pretty good nevertheless.

We've visited almost 40 castles now and it's been clear that some of them were built more as homes, or centres to protect the community. But it's clear from the outset that Deal is a fighting castle to defend the boundaries. Once it stopped being needed to defend the area from invasion it became a home to officers in the Navy and there were a few signs and pictures that show this to be the case. 

You could walk round the whole outer level which has great views across the beach, with boats perched on pebbles and the sea looming in the background.

Next, we decided to tackle the inside and it was quite unlike any castle we've visited so far. I told Chloe it reminded me of Santorini, which she found bizarre, but I made this comparison because it was painted white with interior arches and dome shapes carved throughout the interior. 

Upstairs was mint green, so quite a contrast.

Sadly there was no furniture, which I would have quite liked to see, but Chloe prefers and empty space so she can imagine where things would have gone. 

The downstairs level was the kitchen- made clear by a large hearth, and several hatches in the wall extending our into what looked like modern day pizza ovens. 

Each room seemed to have little nooks and crannies, often with doors and archways, which lead into another room or corridor. It was quite the tardis and much more spacious inside than it looked from the outside.

 There was an original piece of the wall left which was guarded by a thick plastic cover. 

Makes you realise what the rest of the castle would have looked like (or NOT looked like) if English Heritage hadn't restored it.

Worth noting that Deal is about 5 minutes by car to Walmer Castle, really worth a visit! 

Cost: It's free if you're an English Heritage member or £5.80 for paying adults.

Hints and tips: It's not open all year round,so double check before your visit. Being right on the seafront, it can be quite blustery so pack warm clothes. There is a little English Heritage shop with gifts and books to buy if you fancy a souvenir. 

Turret score: I'm not sure which bit to judge, the old bit (no real turrets left) of the new bit (pretty darn good turrets) taking that into account i'd give them a solid 7 out of 10. 

Want to know why we visited Deal castle? Check out my first blog.