Where do I live? It could be
the South of France!
Deal Castle
Deal Beach
Middle Street Deal
As I still have no stitching photos that I can show yet, I thought you might like a glimpse of my home town. Although I was born in South Wales I came to live in Deal in Kent when I was around 3 years old and have lived here ever since.
It's a small town on the south coast of Great Britain, about 9 miles from Dover. It's a really pretty town which boasts a small shopping centre, a pier and not one castle but two!
Deal Castle in the closest to where I live, in fact I can see this castle from my bedroom window in the winter months but unfortunately, during the summer months the view is blocked by the trees. This castle was built by Henry VIII in 1539-40 as a military fort in the shape of a Tudor rose and is entirely surrounded by a very deep, wide moat.
The other castle is Walmer Castle which is the official residence of the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports. The Duke of Wellington held this post for 23 years and the armchair in which he died, along with a pair of his original 'Wellington boots', are on display here. HM Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother was a regular visitor to this castle and there is a magnificent garden which was given to her on her 95th birthday.
The beach is made up of large pebbles and we have lovely view over the English Channel. On a clear day we can see the coast of France.
The pier is one of only two surviving piers in Kent. Deal's first pier was built in 1838 but was severely damage by a storm in 1857. The second pier was built in 1863 and so badly damaged by shipping that it was demolished in 1940. The present pier was built in the early 1950s and was opened by the Duke of Edinburgh in 1957.
In the 1700s, Deal was notorious for what became know as the Free Trade, ie. smuggling and in 1745 it was reported that almost everyone in Deal was, to some extent, involved in smuggling! Local boatmen has false bottoms built into their boats to carry contraband goods. Illicit cargo was landed on the beach and swiftly taken, though the lanes and side alleys, to secret hiding places and many properties were joined by tunnels. A walk around Deal's Middle Street area provides many signs of the old-time local smugglers, evading capture, imprisonment or death, via the maze of narrow streets.
I take no credit for the any of the pictures as I found them on the internet but I will try to remember to take my camera out with me and take some more photos.
Thanks for visiting my town!
Take care
Carol
Labels: Deal
Your town is gorgeous Carol! I'm so envious! How wonderful it must be to live in such a beautiful place! :)