Deal Castle, Deal, Kent
Reconstruction drawing of the castle as newly completed in 1540. I was built by Henry VIII as part of his chain of coastal defences in response to the growing threat of invasion from Catholic forces. The castle, which was designed to resemble a Tudor rose, was built, along with Sandown and Walmer Castles, to protect the good landing grounds and strategic anchorage between the Goodwin Sands and the coast; an area known as the Downs. The castle did not however see any action until the Civil War when it was captured during the Royalist revolt in Kent in 1648 and held for several weeks. This site is now in the care of English Heritage (2011). Read detailed archaeological description.
