Deal Castle
 Castles |
When Henry VIII divorced his Catholic wife, Catherine of Aragon in 1533 England was threatened with attack by the Catholic powers of France and Spain. His response to the threat of invasion was to construct a series of defensive forts along the southern coast, utilising the vast sums obtained from his dissolution of the monasteries. Deal Castle was one of three ‘Castles in the Downs', which along with Walmer and Sandown, presented a formidable defence line protecting the vulnerable anchorage of the Kent Downs.
Of all Henry's coastal defence forts, Deal, built around 1540, is the largest, and was one of the last castles in England to be purpose-built as a military fortification. It is also the most perfectly preserved of these powerful gun-forts, designed to the shape of a Tudor rose, perfectly symmetrical with layers of defensive walls radiating out from the centrally located circular keep. Protecting the entire circumference of the keep are six semi-circular bastions, rising-up like truncated towers to the height of the keep's first floor. These in their turn are surrounded by a further six larger bastions constructed as a part of the curtain wall, one of which doubles as the gatehouse. Beyond these redoubtable defences lies a very deep and wide moat, encircling the entire complex.
The intriguing design of Deal Castle, based as it is on circles within circles, gave added strength to its defensive qualities because rounded walls deflect shot far more efficiently than do flat walls. In addition, the network of semi-circular bastions incorporated a complex series of gun loops, so arranged that any attacking force would be swept by five tiers of cannon, firing upon it from among the 200 guns set within the castle defences. By early 1540 Deal, referred to as ‘the great castle', was garrisoned by a captain and thirty-four others of all ranks, including sixteen trained gunners; these numbers would be supplemented by locals in times of emergency.
Internally, the castle is a delight to explore as its overall design has created a maze of rooms; added to this is a circuit of dark, twisting tunnels that run the full length of the outer walls. The bastions radiating from the keep provided ample living quarters for the garrison, along with much needed storage space. Self-sufficiency for the keep was an important issue for such castles, and a well-head located at the base of this structure provided fresh water; this deep well remains exposed to the present day. Located in one of the basements is a simple exhibition detailing the entire series of forts built on Henry's orders in the 16 th century. There is nothing ‘fancy' or pretentious about Deal, it was constructed as a plain, functional artillery fortification whose sole purpose was that of defence.
However, these formidable defences were not tested until the 17 th century, when in 1648, during the Civil War, Deal, as a Royalist stronghold was besieged by Parliamentarian forces, suffering considerable damage. The castle never again engaged in military action. Rebuilt in the 19 th century, the Governor's lodging house was destroyed for a second time in 1941 when German air raids bombed the Kent coastline during the Second World War.
Deal is preserved almost as Henry VIII built it over 460 years ago, and the sheer beauty of its functionalism makes it one of the most fascinating castles in Britain.