Middle Street: a stroll through Kent's first conservation area

If you only have time for one walk in Deal, make it Middle Street. It runs parallel to the seafront through the heart of the old town, a long, gently curving line of Georgian houses painted in the soft colours of seaside sweets: pale pink, mint, butter yellow and powder blue. In 1968 it became the first conservation area in Kent, and the protected area has since been extended three times.

A street built by the sea

Deal's fortunes came from the Downs, the sheltered anchorage just offshore where whole fleets of ships would wait for a fair wind. The town's boatmen made a living ferrying supplies, pilots and passengers out to them, and the houses in and around Middle Street went up on the back of that trade. Many of the earlier buildings were rebuilt or modernised towards the end of the 17th century, which is part of why the street feels so consistently Georgian today.

A smuggling past

It wasn't always so genteel. In the 18th century the maze of courts, alleys and hidden passages around Middle Street made it the centre of Deal's thriving smuggling trade, and the area had a rough reputation to match, crowded with pubs, sailors and press gangs. Daniel Defoe was famously scathing about the town, and local stories of secret cellars and escape routes between the houses still do the rounds.

What to look out for

• Fanlights and doorcases. The half-moon windows above many front doors are a Georgian signature, and no two are quite the same.
• The narrow lanes that run between Middle Street and Beach Street towards the sea.
• House names and plaques that hint at old trades and past residents.
• Alfred Square at the northern end, a quiet square of old houses that's well worth a detour.

A few tips

Middle Street is a residential street, not a museum, so be considerate with cameras and keep the noise down, especially early in the morning. Start at the northern end near Alfred Square and walk south and you'll come out in the middle of town, a few minutes from the pier. And go slowly: the pleasure is all in the details.