Churches of the British Isles

The church opened as a chapel-of-ease to St Leonard's Church in 1710, and work was completed in 1712. Dedicated to St George the Martyr, it was consecrated by Archbishop Wake on 19 June 1716. Lower Deal continued to grow, and it became clear that another new church would be required. St George's, known as the Civic Church, was no longer large enough, so St Andrew's was built (see below). Even in 2010, St George's commanded a congregation of about 500.

Deal Congregational Church is on the south-west corner of the High Street and Union Road. Its date of founding is unknown, but its congregation united with the Methodists at Trinity Church and in the 1970s demolition was a possibility for the old building. Before 2000, after being redundant for many years, it was converted into the Landmark Community Centre. It also pays host to Christ Church, an independent church of around 150, founded around the year 2000.

Duke Street Mission Chapel, the white building here, is on the southern side of Duke Street, six doors east of the pub. Dedicated to St Mary, the Immaculate Conception and St Benedict in 1847, the Catholic chapel could be opened only for the occasional mass as there was no resident priest. Between 1857-1867, the Benedictine monks of St Augustine's, Ramsgate, ran the mission while residing in lodgings in the town. It was replaced by St Thomas of Canterbury in 1885.

St Andrew's, Deal, is situated on the western side of West Street, between The Avenue and St Andrew's Road. With the increasing numbers of residents in the northern areas of Lower Deal during the nineteenth century, it became clear that a new church building would be required. The old workhouse site in West Street was acquired and by 1850 a competition of architects had been won by Ambrose Poynter to build a church in the Early English style.

Known as the Sailors' Church, the building had a central aisle and two chapel aisles. From the very beginning it was modelled in the Tractarian tradition, reflecting the growth of the Oxford Movement which was gathering pace in England at the time. By 1867, a chancel was added and within twenty years, most of the stained glass, much of it by Alexander Gibbs of London had been installed. The church thrived in the Catholic Anglican tradition.

All photos on this page by P L Kessler.