Deal is a coastal town in Kent, situated 8 miles northeast of Dover, 8 miles south of Ramsgate and 18 miles southeast of Canterbury. In 1279 the busiest port in England was Deal’s port, with it being a ‘limb port’ of Cinque Ports. The town has military history with the port being used for the Royal Navy and a naval storehouse was built in 1672.

Today Deal is a popular coastal resort. The current Pier was opened in 1957 having previously been destroyed by a Dutch ship. There are several museums in the town, all relating to its maritime history, including the Deal Maritime and Local History museum and the Timeball Tower Museum. Other notable landmarks include the ruins of Sandown Castle as well as Deal Castle and Walmer Castle.

Kent has many port towns including Dover, Folkestone and Margate. Adjacent counties include East Sussex, Surrey, Essex (across the River Thames) and, as stated earlier, Greater London. Curiously, Kent used to contain an enclave north of the River Thames until 1965 which equates now to the E16 postcode area and which has now been reclassified as part of the London Borough of Newham. JMW Turner, the great impressionist painter, spent part of his childhood in Margate and regularly returned there in later life. The coastline of East Kent is regarded as the inspiration for many of his works, particularly his fantastic seascapes.