Salvington in Worthing was the birthplace of philosopher and scholar John Selden in 1584. More people in Worthing identify as Christian than any other religion (58.1% in 2011)[44] and the borough has about 50 active Christian places of worship. West Sussex [89][90] Swiss electronics firm LEMO are building a new headquarters in North Street; the building, nicknamed "The Peanut", is due to open in 2010. This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in United Kingdom. Worthing Open Houses is an annual festival of arts and crafts. Until the 19th century, it was believed that on Midsummer's Eve skeletons would rise from the tree and dance around it until dawn, when they would sink back into the ground. See the highly ornate Perpendicular east window in the chancel, and the tower’s beautiful west door with 15th-century hood mould. Like all English piers, this one has suffered calamities over the years like storm damage, but, unlike most, it has retained its historic pavilions. [63], There are also small communities of Buddhists (0.6% in 2011) in Worthing[44], including a community of Triratna Buddhists. Alongside Johannesburg, Worthing is one of only two locations in the world to have hosted the men's World Bowls Championships twice. A dazzling 20th-century monument, the Connaught Theatre off Chapel Road has a curving facade in the Streamline Moderne style of the 1930s. It has been proposed that Montague Place is pedestrianised to improve the link between the town centre and the seafront. Think you know everything there is to know about Worthing? A seaside resort on the south coast, Worthing officially became a town at the turn of the 19th century after Princess Amelia, daughter of George III holidayed here. West Park – has a running track and basketball court and lies next to Worthing Leisure Centre. 30 Guilbourne Centre It is famous for being used as the location for the movie Wish You Were Here as well as its literary connections. [84] The developers are expected to apply for planning permission in the summer of 2010. Oxenham. Residential growth in the 19th century led to several other Anglican churches opening in the town centre: Christ Church was started in 1840[46] and survived a closure threat in 2006;[47] Arthur Blomfield's St Andrew's Church brought the controversial "High Church" form of worship to the town in the 1880s—its "Worthing Madonna" icon was particularly contentious;[48][49] and Holy Trinity church opened at the same time but with less dispute. [103], Most local and long-distance buses are operated by Stagecoach in the South Downs, a division of Stagecoach Group plc which has its origins in Southdown Motor Services—founded in 1915 with one route to Pulborough. [5] Writers Oscar Wilde and Harold Pinter lived and worked in the town. For other uses, see. [102] The former turnpike is now the A24, a primary route which runs northwards to London via Horsham. The fort is the second largest in the UK, spreading over 60 hectares and encircled with ditches and banks where the fort’s colossal wall used to stand. Worthing means "(place of) Worth/Worō's people", from the Old English personal name Worth/Worō (the name means "valiant one, one who is noble"), and -ingas "people of" (reduced to -ing in the modern name). The Dome’s future was in doubt following financial difficulties in the 80s and 90s, but a campaign led to a complete restoration, with glorious Art Nouveau details brought back to life in the foyer and halls. BN15 8AE, T: 01903 331 737 Jane Austen, Oscar Wilde and Harold Pinter have all stayed in the town and written some of their work whilst here. There are 213 listed buildings in the borough of Worthing. E: tarring@robertluff.co.uk, T: 01903 331 247 This is a private club, but members are welcome, and summer green fees are £55 for the championship Lower … BN11 1LZ, T: 01903 331 365 Think again. No problem if you don’t have a bike with you, download the Donkey Bike app and hire a bike . The work is on a 2/3 scale, with colours matching the newly cleaned ceiling in Rome. The exterior of this local church at Goring-by-Sea may look a little nondescript, but there’s something very special inside. Worthing became the world's 229th Transition Town (Transition town) in October 2009. Gas was manufactured in Worthing for nearly 100 years until 1931,[119][126] but Scotia Gas Networks now supply the town through their Southern Gas Networks division. Since 2010, northern parts of the borough, including the Worthing Downland Estate, have formed part of the South Downs National Park. If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu. Seaweed beds off nearby Bognor Regis are ripped up by summer storms and prevailing Atlantic currents deposit it on the beach. [citation needed]. Worthing has a younger population than the other three districts of coastal West Sussex, albeit older than the South East average. A new £150 million development is proposed for Teville Gate, between Worthing railway station and the A24 at the northern approach to the town centre. The suburbs of High Salvington and Findon Valley climb the lower slopes of the Downs, reaching up to the 120 metres (394 ft) contour line, whereas the highest point in the borough reaches 184 metres (604 ft) at Cissbury Ring. [150], Artists from Worthing include Alma Cogan,[151] Royal Blood and The Ordinary Boys. The Three Forts Marathon is a 27-mile ultramarathon from Broadwater to the three Iron Age hill forts of Cissbury Ring, Chanctonbury Ring and Devil's Dyke. The elegant Park Crescent takes its cues from the Royal Crescent in Bath, with a serpentine arc of Neoclassical townhouses on a small ridge overlooking parkland. The chancel screen also dates to this time, and has six misericords, two of which have carved heads. The decaying weed was sought by farmers from the surrounding area. In 2011 this became the newest National Park in the UK, conserving a 626 square-mile patch of quiet green countryside. The promenade is the route used by the Worthing parkrun[215] which has been taking place since June 2016. The high street is now mostly residential, and at the older south end are some very pretty flint and cobble cottages, as well the Parsonage Bar and Restaurant in a fine 16th-century half-timbered building. [129] Drainage and sewage disposal was poorly developed in the 19th century, but a fatal typhoid outbreak in 1893 prompted investment in sewage works and better pipes.[119][130]. Princess Amelia stayed in the town in 1798 and the fashionable and wealthy continued to stay in Worthing, which became a town in 1803. Source: Wikipedia ; Worthing Pier became famous among indie fans in the 90s when it featured on the front cover of indie band Gene’s album To See the Lights Can be found north of, Homefield Park – formerly known as the 'People's Park' it was once home to, Liverpool Gardens – overlooking the graceful, Steyne Gardens – which includes a sunken garden re-landscaped in 2007 with a fountain of the, Victoria Park – was donated by the Heene Estate to the poor of Worthing in commemoration of the death of. [131] Jane Austen's unfinished final novel Sanditon is thought to have been significantly based on experiences from her stay in Worthing in 1805. The modern name was first documented in 1297.[6][7]. [167], In the visual arts, painter Copley Fielding lived at 5 Park Crescent in the mid-18th century. [95] A new £16 million municipal swimming pool, Splash Point Leisure Centre, has been designed by Stirling Prize-winning architects Wilkinson Eyre;[96] it was opened by Paralympian Ellie Simmonds in June 2013. [134] Oscar Wilde wrote The Importance of Being Earnest while staying in the town in the summer of 1894. Worthing’s flat wide promenade is perfect for a family cycle ride to explore the area by bike. Worthing's first Anglican church, St Paul's, was built in 1812; previously, worshippers had to travel to the ancient parish church of Broadwater. It was renamed the Dome in 1915 in response to anti-German sentiment during World War I. Seebold opened the 950-capacity Dome Cinema in place of the skating rink in 1922;[143] it is still open, and is one of Britain's oldest operational cinemas. The park also has a putting green, for some light family fun, as well as ornamental gardens around a pond on the west side and a restaurant for afternoon tea to the east. In 2012, a consultation was underway to review whether to continue this policy or adopt a policy of transferring to secondary schools at the age of 11 as elsewhere in West Sussex.