The Tudor rose was great symbol of power. It even extended to the design of the castles that Henry VIII built along the south coast to defend himself from invation after he split with Rome in 1531.

Deal Castle is the best preserved example of this type, overlooking the low lying marshlands which were considered particularly vulnerable.

The castle looks exactly as it was intended: squat, powerful and virtually impregnable. The low rounded bastions are arranged in tiers, in a rose shape that is also reflected in the moat that surrounds the castle. The real reason for this design, though, was to acconmodate the 119 guns, an innovation for the time.