St George's Church, Lower Deal, occupies
the entire southern side of St George's Road, with the church
facing out over the High Street. The Deal Charter was granted in
1699, giving Lower Deal its own local government. Unlike pastoral
Upper Deal, it had grown up behind the shingle bank and was
largely inhabited by fishermen and others whose livelihood relied
upon the sea. It soon required its own parish church, and two acres
of land were purchased in 1706.
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.
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