Deal, Historic coastal town in Kent, England
Deal is a coastal settlement in the county of Kent in southeast England, located approximately 13 kilometers (8 miles) northeast of Dover. Along the main streets stand brick houses from the 18th and early 19th centuries with bay windows, while narrow lanes wind behind them toward the beach.
The settlement belonged to the Cinque Ports during the Middle Ages and supported the English fleet in defending the coast. Henry VIII commissioned fortifications here in the mid-16th century to repel attacks from the continent.
The name comes from the Old English word for valley or hollow, and many houses face directly onto the Strait of Dover. Residents spend time along the seafront promenade, where rowers launch their boats straight from the pebbles into the water.
The railway station connects the town hourly with London St Pancras International, taking about an hour and a half. The beach is within a few minutes' walk from the main street, and many shops line the high street and side lanes.
A chain of three Tudor-era coastal fortifications runs along this stretch of coastline, all within a few kilometers of each other. Each was built with a clover-shaped floor plan, distinct from older medieval designs.
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