ABOUT DEAL AND COUNTY KENT

Kent is the oldest county in England and home to many sites of historic interest, such as Canterbury and its ancient cathedral; Chartwell, Winston Churchill’s home; the White Cliffs of Dover; Leeds and Dover castles and many fortifications built by Henry the Eighth along the edge of the sea near Deal. This area is close to World War II's famous "little boats" rescue of Allied Troops. France is only 25 miles across the English Channel and can be seen from Deal on a clear day.

Deal is mentioned in the Domesday book, but its history stretches back much further. Julius Caesar is said to have landed on the coast between Deal and the village of Walmer in 55 and 54BC.

By the end of the 13th century Deal was an important port. Henry VIII built 3 castles along the Deal coast: Sandown (of which only a few stones remain), Deal and Walmer castles. Their rounded walls were designed to resist the cannon fire of French and Spanish invaders.

Deal flourished in the mid-1600s as a haven for sailing ships. At times hundreds anchored off the coast, and the town was infamous for smuggling. Many houses in the seafront conservation area, where the Peripatetic occurs, feature secret hiding places and old escape tunnels used by the smugglers and pirates. With the advent of steam-powered ships, the importance of Deal began to wane.

Several decades ago the oldest part of the town was threated as a tear down but saved, so that today the beautiful old houses and former "pirates dens" of the small, quaint village form the backdrop for the bustle of a modern town close enough to London for day trips by train. Each summer, Deal hosts a vibrant Festival of the Arts and Music.