www.scentsandscentsibility.co.uk

www.scentsandscentsibilty.co.uk

For those visitors that might not know our part of the world we thought that we would provide a short description of the ancient Town of Deal where our premises are located. Possibly one of the most charming and unspoiled seaside towns in the South East of England it is steeped in history that is still evident in many of the buildings in and around the Town. Deal is a vibrant, pretty seaside town with many interesting family owned shops, hotels and quality restaurants - a great place to live, work and visit. It has been frequented and inhabited by many past and present celebrities, actors, artists, writers and musicians. The famous St Georges and Cinque Ports golf clubs are a very close to the Town. The sea front is an attractive place for a stroll and has magnificent views out across the Goodwin Sands to the English Channel.
Part of the former importance of Deal was as a Corporate Member of the Cinque Ports which were established in the 11th Century by Edward the Confessor to provide ships and crew to defend the South East Coast of England in times of war. In fact, these services provided by the Coastal Towns of Kent and Sussex were a forerunner to the modern Navy. The latest and 161st Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, Admiral the Lord Boyce, was installed at Dover Castle on Tuesday, 12th April, 2005. The Queen Mother held the role from 1978 until her death in 2002 and previous holders of the post include King Henry VIII, The Duke of Wellington and Sir Winston Churchill.

*The Pier and the Downs* The Pier at Deal is a replacement for an earlier Victorian structure and has been very popular for fishing with rod and line for many years. However, it is not far from this location on the steeply sloping single beaches that Julius Caesar first tried to invade Britain in 55 B.C. Opposite the coastline here lies the infamous Goodwin Sands on which many ships have been wrecked throughout the centuries, and yet, at certain low tides, the sands are firm enough to host a game of cricket - a strange tradition which perhaps may only be fully understood by people who relish this sport. Between the beach and The Goodwin Sands are "The Downs", a natural safe anchorage that was used extensively in the age of sail. There are reports of there being anything up to 800 sailing ships anchored here at a time, waiting to continue their voyages into the English Channel or into the Thames Estuary along the North Kent coast.	Deal Pier and Beach
*The Time Ball Tower and Dockyard* The Time Ball Tower which stands on the seafront at Deal was once the starting point of a complex signaling system, used during the Napoleonic Wars, that stretched right across the Kent countryside all the way to Greenwich. Just before 1.00 o'clock every day the large ball at the top of the Tower was raised and at 1.00 o'clock exactly an electric current was passed from Greenwich so that it fell back to the roof of the Tower and the ships moored in The Downs could set their chronometers exactly to Greenwich Mean Time. From here southwards to Deal Castle was once the site of a huge Naval Dockyard, used for supplying Royal Navy ships as they came and went through the English Channel. Lord Horatio Nelson used to worship at the 18th Century Church of St. George the Martyr when he came to Deal. There is also a unique plaque in the Church placed there by William IV in memory of a local man, Commander David Ross, R.N., a former ship mate of the King.	The Time Ball Tower
*Deal Castle* Originally built in 1538-40 by Henry VIII, Deal Castle was one a line of three Castles built at Deal, Walmer and Sandown when Henry feared an invasion from the continent following his attempts to divorce Catherine of Aragon. All three forts were built in the shape of a Tudor Rose but none of them were ever used for the purpose for which they were originally intended. The only time they were ever attacked was in 1648 during the English Civil War but then the trouble came from the land, not the sea. The forts, as can be seen in the picture (lower right) were actually a series of gun platforms. The nearby fort at Walmer has for many years been the official home of the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports,of which Deal was originally a limb of the Cinque Port of Sandwich. As such, Walmer Castle has been the home of William Pitt, The Duke of Wellington, Winston Churchill and more recently of HRH Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother.	Deal Castle
*Deal and Smuggling* On the right is a picture of Middle Street in Deal which runs much of the length of the Town parallel to the sea front.From either side of this road runs numerous smaller roads and alleyways connecting to both the sea front and the High Street. During the centuries, prior to about 1850, Deal was an absolute hotbed of smuggling and was a dangerous and desperate Town in many respects. The local sailors and fishermen, probably without exception, supplemented their normal income with every kind of involvement in smuggling. Their superior knowledge of the sea and the Goodwin Sands around this part of Kent gave them a huge advantage over the authorities and customs men. Even the boats that were used, the Deal Luggers, had an extremely shallow draught that could avoid many of the offshore sand banks. Also, the Deal boatyards could build an open galley which was up to seventy feet long and powered by a small sail and twenty oarsmen could reach the coast of France in two hours. Things became so bad that in January, 1784, the then Prime Minister, William Pitt sent a regiment of soldiers into Deal and burnt all the boats on the beach. It didn't stop the men of Deal though.	Middle Street, Deal

We do hope that you've enjoyed this very brief account of the history of Deal and also hope that if you visit our Town.

Much of the information on this page, and a lot more besides, can be found in the recently published book by Gregory Holyoake entitled, "Deal - Sad Smuggling Town".