Changing Deal
Astor Community Theatre, Stanhope Road, Deal, Kent, CT14 6AB
This is a pivotal period for Deal with the maritime community in decline but the growth of tourism bringing employment. Sailing ships stopping in the Downs created Deal and sea skirmishes required a strong naval presence backed up with a Royal Navy Yard in Deal, but the coming of peace after the Napoleonic war saw strong decline. The civil authority stepped in and created the conditions for a growth in tourism amply supported by the coming of the railway in 1847. Photography from about this time has captured a wealth of information for us to study and relay in this talk.
We shall cover Deal piers, steamers, access to the sea, Regattas, the railway, Navy, Customs and the Post.
Alan Buckman is Chair of the Addelam History Research Group and is an authority on the history of Deal.
Astor Community Theatre, Stanhope Road, Deal, Kent, CT14 6AB