St Andrew's Church, Deal , Kent

St Andrew's Church, Deal Church

Image Source: Rob Baker

St. Andrew's was the third Anglican church to be built in the historic maritime coastal town of Deal, after the medieval St. Leonard's and the Georgian-era St. George's. It was built on the site of a former workhouse as a church for the boatmen, who largely resided in the poorer northern part of the town; and was officially dedicated in 1850. The original architect was Ambrose Poynter and the building work was carried out by Dover based firm Collyer & Sons. The original cost of the work came to £7,000. It was originally a chapel-of-ease to St. Leonard's but St. Andrew's later became a parish in its own right in 1867. The funding for the church came largely from donations, including pew rents, but high profile donors included Her Majesty the Dowager Queen Adelaide (the widow of King William IV) who had visited the town as a Princess in 1818. Sadly she didn't live to see the opening of the church as she died in 1849 during the year of its construction. Between 1865 and 1867 the chancel was enlarged and north and south aisles added to increase capacity. This work was carried out by restorer William White. The wooden chancel arch deliberately resembles the upturned prow of a ship. During the same period the church was fitted with a beautiful arrangement of stained-glass windows designed by Alexander Gibbs. Gibbs also decorated the chancel with the tiled wall murals that can be seen today. To allow natural light to enter into the church, dormer windows were added to the nave roof. Over a century and a half later these additional windows still have their original desired effect. Despite the abundance of stained-glass, the church is still light and airy. Further restoration was carried out between 1889-91. The ends of the north and south aisles were converted into chapels, with the north aisle being used as a Lady Chapel and the south aisle now used as a memorial chapel to those who died in service to their country during various conflicts. In front of the Lady Chapel, partitioned by a carved wooden screen, is a wooden statue of Our Lady and the Christ Child carved by Peter Eugene Ball. The wooden pulpit dates from this 1889 restoration and features various saints in its panels including St. Andrew carrying his cross. Elsewhere, the original organ from 1857 remains intact - albeit removed from its original position. It now occupies the west end of the church but is currently not playable. A new organ, situated in the arch between the chancel and south chapel, is used instead. In the 1960s a parish hall was built onto the north side of the church. This facility still serves the church today. Throughout its 170 year history St. Andrew's has maintained a High Church / Anglo-Catholic style of worship within the Church of England, and offers visitors a friendly welcome. Text by Rob Baker

1851 Census Details

Seating Capacity: 569

Morning Attendance: 237

Afternoon Attendance: 375

Evening Attendance: No service

Architecture Details

Original Build Date/Architect: Poynter 1848

Restoration: William White

Second Restoration:

Notes

Website

http://www.dealstandrews.org.uk

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