Deal Castle Deal Castle is a 16th - century coastal artillery fort , located in Deal , Kent , England , between Walmer Castle and the now lost Sandown Castle ( ) . History . Construction . It is one of the most impressive of the Device Forts or Henrician Castles built by Henry VIII between 1539 and 1540 as an artillery fortress to counter the threat of invasion , brought about by the alliance between Charles V , Holy Roman Emperor and King Francis I of France in 1538 . Deal Castle and its smaller neighbours , Walmer and Sandown , were intended to dominate the Downs , a sheltered area of water in the English Channel protected by the Goodwin Sands , which would have been an ideal rallying point for any invasion fleet . The three forts were initially linked by an two mile long earthen " fosse " or rampart , strengthened by three small earth " bulwarks " or forts . These earthworks were sketched by the antiquarian William Stukeley in 1725 , but now no trace of them remains . The architect at Deal was probably the Bohemian engineer , Stefan von Haschenperg . The whole scheme for the defence of the Downs was completed by the autumn of 1540 . Anne of Cleves . According to various sources , Anne of Cleves stayed at Deal following her long voyage from Europe . From Deal , Anne left for London and her fateful meeting with King Henry . Later life . In 1648 , during the Civil War , Deal Castle was besieged but after that it never engaged in any further military action . Fortified during the Napoleonic Wars , many alterations were made during the 18th and 19th centuries . The Governor ' s lodgings were rebuilt at the beginning of the 19th century , only to be destroyed again in 1941 by German bombs in the Second World War . From May 1940 until September 1944 , the castle was used as the Battery Observation Post and accommodation for the nearby Deal Emergency Coastal Battery of 6 - inch naval guns . It was the official residence of the Captain of the Cinque Ports , but since 1951 has been owned by English Heritage . Description . Deal Castle is built of Kentish ragstone brick , and Caen stone taken from nearby religious houses after the Dissolution of the Monasteries . Whether by design or coincidence , the fortress is shaped like a Tudor rose . At the centre is a three - storeyed circular citadel , with six semicircular , slightly lower towers projecting from it . Separated by a narrow ward , a further series of six low semicircular bastions form the curtain wall . The top level of the bastions served as a platform for the heaviest guns . The whole fortress is protected by a stone revetted dry moat , 20m wide and 5m deep . Around the basement level of the bastions , runs a continuous gallery called " the rounds " , which is pierced by 53 hand - gun ports or loopholes to allow the defenders to fire into the bottom of the moat . A sally port connects the rounds to the moat floor for counter - attacks . The citadel and outer bastions were originally capped by rounded parapet s pierced by embrasures for guns ; some of these survive on two bastions on the western side , but most were replaced by ornamental battlement s in 1732 . The walls originally incorporated up to 145 gun ports on five levels . The westernmost bastion is taller than the others and serves as a gatehouse . Originally , the moat was crossed by a wooden drawbridge ; although this has now been replaced by a stone causeway , the slots for the raising gear are still visible . Once inside the gatehouse , any attacker would have to get past a portcullis , five murder holes set in the ceiling of the large entrance passage , an internal gunport in the back wall opposite the doorway and a staggered approach to the ward . The citadel provided accommodation for the peacetime garrison , originally a captain , deputy , porter and 16 gunners , with the officers living on the upper floor . The ground floor served as a kitchen and bakery ; the ovens and fireplace survive . In the centre of the vaulted basement is a large well and was also used to store ammunition and supplies . Later modifications . Alterations during the early 18th century included the construction of a captain ' s lodging house within the ward eastern side , the conversion of many of the gun ports of the citadel into casement window s and the building of a wooden lantern , which contains a bell dated 1655 , on top of the central tower . In 1802 further alterations were made and the Captain ' s house was demolished and rebuilt ; it was destroyed by a German bomb during World War II . Despite this , Deal Castle has survived well and retains much of its original fabric . Captains . Since it was first built , " Deal Castle " has had a Captain . Until the early 18th century , the captain commanded the garrison . However , since that time the title has become purely honorary .