KENTSTAYCATION
THE ROSE , DEAL
A TIMELESS EMBODIMENT OF EVERYTHING DEAL IS SO LOVED FOR : STYLE , SOPHISTICATION AND A FAMILIAR AIR OF NOSTALGIC COMFORT
DEAL ’ S EMERGENCE FROM ITS DROWSY POST-VICTORIAN CHRYSALIS CAME ALONGSIDE A BLOOMING OF NEW BUSINESSES . FROM BOUTIQUE AND ANTIQUE SHOPS TO ARTISAN DELICATESSENS AND COCKTAIL BARS , THESE NEW FLORETS IN DEAL ’ S GLORIOUS BOUQUET OF PLACES TO GO ELEVATED IT WITH A FLOURISH INTO A NEW DAWN OF CHIC STYLE AND SOPHISTICATION . ONE SUCH PLACE , A SOMEWHAT LATE BLOOMER IN SAID BOUQUET , YET UNDOUBTEDLY ONE OF THE MOST MAGNIFICENT , IS THE ROSE . BY OLIVIA RICCINI
Mirroring the town ’ s own transformation from forgotten ( and slightly forlorn ) to the forefront of fashion , this hotel , bar and restaurant survived a colourful history before it reached its boutique status of today . Starting life in the Victorian and Edwardian era , The Rose was one of the town ’ s most popular venues for ‘ smokers , evening entertainments and posh dinners ’. Owned by Thompson brewery for over 50 years , then sold off as a freehouse , many locals of today will remember it for being a somewhat infamous ‘ highstreet boozer ’. But in 2016 , fate beamed down on The Rose , and coming to rescue to replenish it in what seemed like a storybook twist , was the great grandson of John Matthews , owner of the Thompson & Son brewery , Christopher Hicks . Alongside his wife Alex Bagner , it has been the couple ’ s extensive renovation and constant nourishment that has allowed The Rose to blossom once more . One bright July day , I came to appreciate The Rose in all its heady glory for myself .
Sitting like a freshly polished jewel in the centre of Deal ’ s highstreet , a mere street away from the seafront , it is immediately clear that The Rose ’ s Victorian history has not been forgotten . Instead , this is a quirky character trait that has been embraced and heightened with elements of the modern . The red bricks of the exterior glow like embers in the mid-afternoon sun , set off by a fresh coat of dark navy paint that glosses up original , ornate architectural features that frame the doorway and windows . Embossed in large gold letters in the middle of the building remains the original wording : ‘ Family and Commercial House ’. You could mistake yourself for being in one of the photographs of those hardworking Victorians upon first glance , but peer around the corner and you will find a marvellous modern mural of the South Forelands Lighthouse and the iconic White Cliffs painted on its side ( a beacon to all Instagrammers ), and overhanging the door a reimagined pub sign that alludes to boutique before you even set foot through it .
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