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Churches of the British Isles

Gallery: Churches of Kent

by Peter Kessler, 9 May 2010

Dover Part 4: Churches of Deal

Trinity Church, Deal, Kent

Trinity Church Deal (Methodist & United Reformed) is at the north-east corner of West Street and Union Road in Lower Deal. The Methodists built a grand church here in the nineteenth century, and the Wesley Hall was erected behind it (on the right here). In the late 1900s, the present modern structure replaced the old building and the Methodist school buildings were converted into luxury flats. The Congregationalists (URC) merged with the Methodists by the 1970s.

Linden Hall (Brethren), Deal, Kent

Linden Hall (Brethren) is a converted cottage of the typical workers type which is located on the northern side of St George's Road, the fourth door from West Street. It is not known whether this Brethren group is Open or Exclusive Brethren. The former takes the line that all meetings are independent units which anyone can join, while the latter hold a more zealous view regarding worship and membership, something which led to a doctrinal split in 1881.

Salvation Army, Deal, Kent

The Salvation Army can be found on the western side of the aptly-named West Street, opposite Stanhope Road. The memorial stones for the building were laid on 29 October 1910, the second of those being in honour of Miss H E Bristow. Veteran musician George Neeve grew up in Deal, learning to play the trombone with the Army from the age of six, and only moved to Canterbury to join their band and work in the city in 1952.

Catholic Church of St Thomas of Canterbury, Deal, Kent

The Catholic Church of St Thomas of Canterbury lies on the eastern side of Blenheim Road, midway between Beaconsfield Road and Wellington Road, south of the High Street area of Lower Deal. The Duke Street Mission Chapel was founded in Deal in 1847 to serve the needs of Catholic sailors. Father James Scratton was appointed to the mission in 1869 and for the following fifteen years devoted himself to collecting funds for the erection of a permanent church.

Catholic Church of St Thomas of Canterbury, Deal, Kent

Land in Blenheim Road was purchased, and the work on the foundations of the new mission were commenced in January 1885. The blessing of the church's foundation stone took place on 16 February 1885, and the church, built in the late Norman style, was formally opened on 29 December 1885. In 1890 the Visitation Chapel of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was completed, and was given to the parish in 1971. In 1926 the mission was raised to the status of a parish.

Victoria Baptist Church, Deal, Kent

Victoria Baptist Church occupies the south-east corner of Victoria Road and Stanley Road, to the east of the Catholic church. It was built to serve Victoria Town, which grew up in the 1860s on the site of the old Deal Naval Dockyard. Victoria Road (originally Prospect Place), once formed the western boundary of the naval yard, which closed in 1863. Luxury villas were put up and the foundation stones for the church were laid on 13 January 1881.

All photos on this page by P L Kessler.

 

 

     
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