Deal Castle « Equipment – Event Showcase

Deal Castle

http://www.ghosthuntevents.co.uk/deal-castle.php

History of Deal Castle
Deal Castle is an artillery fort constructed by Henry VIII in Deal, Kent, between 1539 and 1540. It protected against invasion from France. The Castle comprises of a keep with six inner and outer bastions, the moated stone castle and had sixty-six firing positions for artillery.

During the Second English Civil War of 1648–49, Deal was seized by pro-Royalist insurgents and was only retaken by Parliamentary forces after several months of fighting.

Although it remained armed, Deal Castle was adapted by Sir John Norris and Lord Carrington during the 18th and 19th centuries to form a more suitable private house for the castle’s captain, which was an honorary position.

In 1904, the War Office concluded that the castle no longer had any value either as a defensive site or as a barracks and it was opened to the public when the captain was not in residence. Early in the Second World War, the captain’s quarters were destroyed by German bombing and the castle became a Battery Operating Post (one of the first-floor rooms in the keep became the Battery Office) for an artillery battery placed along the shoreline. The castle was not brought back into use as a residence and was restored by the government during the 1950s to form a tourist attraction.

Ghosts of Deal Castle
From our visits we have discovered that there are many areas of this castle which can be called haunted! Some of the rooms on the first floor have been amazing with Ouija board and Table tilting activity. The lower levels have proved interesting with various activities especially using our tech equipment and séances. On this floor people have become disorientated and “lost” because the tunnel is circular, and every bastion looks the same.