St Richard's Church, Deal, Kent

St Richard's Church, Deal Church

Image Source: Rob Baker

Dedicated to St. Richard, Bishop of Chichester between 1244 and 1253 and the first appointed parish priest to Deal; the church was built in the 20th century to serve the newly constructed housing estate of Mill Hill to the south of Deal. The nearby Betteshanger Colliery had opened in 1926. Three years later, in 1929, the Snowdown and Betteshanger Tenants Association had purchased the Mill Hill area of Deal to build 950 houses for the mineworkers and their families. The new estate also included community and sporting facilities; including four churches: an Anglican, a Roman Catholic, a non-conformist and a spiritualist; all of which exist today, nearly a century on from the estate's creation. The Anglican church, dedicated to St. Richard, was built in 1934 as a low-cost community hall and church. Conforming to the traditional liturgical dimensions, it has a clerestoried central nave and a north and south aisle under low ceilings. The sanctuary furnishings at the east end are contained behind a portioned screen. In each corner were built four square rooms. Those on the west side have now been converted into lavatories, while those at the east end serve as a kitchen (north east) and as a clergical vestry (south east). The East Kent collieries have long since closed so St. Richard's is now used more as a Parish Centre than an active place of worship. It still holds weekly church services each Sunday; but is more frequently used as a midweek community hub, including as a centre for Deal's Ukrainian community who benefit from lessons in the English language. The west end has been converted into a raised platformed stage which can be used for productions. Text by Rob Baker

1851 Census Details

None

Architecture Details

Original Build Date/Architect: 1934

Restoration: -

Second Restoration: -

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