Town

Governance

Westminster

Borough Council

Coat of arms

Freedom of the Borough

• Edward Harrison
• George Baker
• Charles Caleb Grinstead
• Henry William Goddard
• Henry Ingram Hill
• Herbert Pope
• Members of the “H” (Worthing Company) 2nd VB Royal Sussex Regiment, being members of the Active Service Company of Sussex Volunteers serving in South Africa in the Second Boer War
• Sir Henry Aubrey-Fletcher
• Andrew Carnegie
• Alderman James Gurney Denton
• John Kennedy Allerton
• Alderman Harry Thomas Duffield
• Alderman James Farquarson Whyte
• Alderman Joseph Arthur Mason
• Charles Bertram Barber
• Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment
• Lavinia Fitzalan-Howard, Duchess of Norfolk
• HMS Sussex
• Baron Higgins of Worthing

Geography

Districts

Physical geography

Marine environment

People

Etymology

History

Stone age

Bronze age

Iron age

Roman times

Saxon times

The Saxons settled nearby Goring and Sompting and by the 13th Century the settlement, then known as Wortinge, was populated primarily by farmers and mackerel fishermen. The hamlet of Worthing was originally part of the larger parish of Broadwater. Other nearby villages to later become part of Worthing include Tarring, Salvington, Goring, Heene and Durrington, as well as small parts of the parishes of Findon and Sompting.
   Droveways (transhumance trackways) that extend from Tarring, Broadwater and nearby Sompting to grazing areas in the Weald via Cissbury Ring and Buncton near Wiston are believed to date from this period or earlier.

Medieval times

Following the Norman conquest, William de Braose gave the manor of Worthing (then known as Ordinges) to Robert le Sauvage, whose descendants held Worthing for around 200 hundred years. Worthing is first mentioned in the Domesday Book as two separate hamlets, Ordinges and Mordinges, when it had a population of just 22. By 1218 the Ordinges had become known as Wordding.
In the 13th century, the manor of Worthing was owned by Margaret de Gaddesden, a descendant of Robert le Sauvage. Margaret de Gaddesden later left her husband, John de Camoys, to live with Sir William Paynel, who she later married. It is likely that as a consequence of leaving her first husband for another man she then gave the manor of Worthing to Easebourne Priory near Midhurst, while in 1332 Sir William gave the nearby manor of Cokeham to Hardham Priory near Pulborough. By giving away their property to the church it's likely that Margaret and Sir William were acting in fear of their souls as the medieval church taught damnation was likely.
   In 1300 and again in 1493, Worthing is recorded as having a harbour, possibly in the estuary of the Teville stream. Worthing harbour was a member of Shoreham Port in 1324.
   Worthing was owned by the Easebourne Priory until the dissolution of the monasteries in 1539. It then became the property of Anthony Browne, 1st Viscount Montagu, whose family held the manor of Worthing for over 200 years.

18th and 19th centuries

It was in the late 18th Century that Worthing began to attract visitors. John Luther, from London, started the trend, building a large lodging house around 1759. In 1789, George Greville, 4th Earl of Warwick, bought the house (renaming it Warwick House) and the town began to become fashionable. With a warm climate and calm seas, it benefited from the Edwardian fashion for sea cures. Over the course of the next century Worthing became a fashionable resort on the circuit along with the towns of Bath, Brighton, Bognor Regis, Cheltenham and Margate.
   Royal visits from Princess Amelia in 1798, Princess Charlotte in 1807 and Princess Augusta in 1829 did much to make the town popular. The Prince of Wales visited his youngest sister Princess Amelia in Worthing from nearby Brighton. In 1814, Queen Caroline visited Worthing on her way back to live in Brunswick in northern Germany. In addition, Queen Adelaide, wife of King William IV stayed in the town in 1849 and in 1861 Queen Marie Amelie of France, wife of King Louis-Philippe of France stayed in the town when exiled from France.
   Notable visitors to the fashionable town of Worthing in the 19th century included novelist Ann Radcliffe, the Duke of Northumberland in 1802, Henry Dundas in 1804, Jane Austen in 1805, Lord Byron in 1806, the Duke of Cumberland in 1817, George Eliot in 1855, Oscar Wilde in 1893 and 1894, who wrote his masterpiece The Importance of Being Earnest while staying in the town in 1894, and the future Emperor Maximilian of Mexico.
   In 1803 Worthing's population was approximately 2,500 and the hamlet was given town status. Cross Lane was renamed Montague Street and went on to become one of the new town's key thoroughfares. A turnpike road was built around this time linking Worthing directly to Horsham and London for the first time.
   In the early 1800s, a wall was built separating the fashionable town of Worthing from Heene just to the west. The wall was built from the sea to the banks of the Teville stream, which could only easily be crossed at one point - the bridge at the top of the High Street, close to the Anchor public house (today's Jack Horner). Since the Teville stream flows east and south to the sea, this effectively gave the town just one point of entry and exit, allowing 'undesirables' to be kept out.
   In 1815, two infants' schools opened, mainly through the efforts of the Revd. W. Davison.
   In the early hours of February 22, 1832, a major smuggling foray took place when 300 kegs of contraband spirits were unloaded at the beach opposite the Steyne. Excise officers chased a group of some two to three hundred men, one of Sussex's last smuggling gangs, up the town's High Street and alleyways (known in the Sussex dialect as twittens) towards Broadwater. As the group slowed down to climb the gate guarding the bridge over the Teville stream that would take them out of Worthing into open fields, horse-mounted excise officers opened fire at point-blank range on the crowd, who were armed only with wooden staves. They shot dead William Cowerson of Steyning and injured several others. Civil unrest was feared and the military were brought into the town for two years to ensure peace was kept. As with many towns and villages in Sussex and Kent, close proximity to the Continent made the trade of smuggling a lucrative and popular business.
   In 1845 the railway was extended from Shoreham to Worthing, linking the town by rail with London and the railway network.
   On November 25, 1850 eleven local fishermen were drowned as they set out from the town's beach to save the crew of the barque the Lalla Rookh, a trading vessel of around 700 tons. The boat was in distress in a storm three miles off the coast, and eleven fishermen set out onbaord a small ferry, the Britannia. The Britannia capsized, and a second boat was launched, returning with the news that the Britannia was lost with all lives. Soon afterwards the town's inhabitants subscribed for the town's first lifeboat.
   In 1890 the town received its Royal Charter and became the borough of Worthing. Worthing absorbed the neighbouring town of West Worthing and parish of Heene. The first meeting of the new Borough Council (replacing the Worthing Local Board and the West Worthing Commissioners) took place on 10th November 1890, when Worthing elected its first mayor, Alfred Cortis.
   In 1893 an outbreak of typhoid fever caused 200 fatalities in the town, after 1,416 people caught the disease. The relatively young council took swift action, and by 1895 the town had a new drainage system.

20th century

The 20th century saw a continual expansion of the town, as it expanded to include local villages. In 1902 the borough of Worthing expanded to include parts of Broadwater and West Tarring. In 1929 the borough of Worthing expanded to include Goring and Durrington. And in 1933 the borough of Worthing expanded again to include the west of Sompting and the south of Findon.
   Between 1908 and 1910, King Edward VII visited Worthing several times to stay at Beach House with the Loder family.
   Following Italy's invasion of Abyssinia in 1936, Emperor Haile Selassie and his family were forced out of Ethiopia to the United Kingdom. They spent their first six weeks in the UK at the Warnes Hotel, one of the town's top hotels at the time.
   During World War II, a hole was blown through Worthing Pier to prevent it being used as a landing stage in the event of an invasion. Barbed wire was spread across the beach, which was also mined. Canadian soldiers stayed in several parts of the town, including the former site of the town's rugby club in Tarring and at Park Crescent in the town centre. Courtlands, an impressive country house in the Goring area of the town was used as headquarters of the First Canadian Army. In February 1944, the British Army's 4th Armoured Brigade set up headquarters in the Eardley Hotel by Splash Point. 200 tanks arrived and troops were billeted in and around Steyne Gardens. Historic Beach House was used by the Air Training Corps. During World War II, food supplies were scarce and rationed. The people of Timaru in New Zealand donated food parcels to the people of Worthing. After the war, the people of Worthing donated a stained glass window to the people of Timaru in thanks for their efforts.
   Immediately post-war, Worthing expanded with the Maybridge estate, planned by Charles Cowles-Voysey. The redbrick housing estate used Prisoner of War labour, and was built between 1948 and 1956.
   In the late 20th century many of the town's historic buildings were demolished by planners eager to 'modernise' the town. Notable losses included the town's Theatre Royal, the Old Town Hall, dating from 1834, medieval Offington Hall, the mansion at Charmandean, a medieval fig garden in Tarring and dozens of Victorian villas throughout the town.
   In the late 20th century, Worthing had a significant motor industry. In 1979, Octav Botnar founded Datsun UK, later Nissan UK, in the West Durrington area of the town. In the 1970s and 1980s, Dutton Cars produced kit cars from their Worthing headquarters, and for a time was the largest manufacturer of kit cars in the world. The company went on to produce two models of amphibious car, that could be 'driven' across land and sea. International Automotive Design (IAD) was one of the UK's major design houses for cars, producing prototypes for manufacturers such as Mazda, including the first Mazda MX-5. In 1990, the company was bought by Daewoo who continued to develop cars at their Worthing Technical Centre, including the Daewoo Nubira and the Daewoo Kalos (later renamed the Chevrolet Aveo). In 2000, the Worthing centre was bought by TWR Racing which went out of business in 2003.

21st century

The town's council approved Worthing Evolution, a Masterplan for the town's regeneration, in 2006 after extensive public consultation.
   Since May 2006, environmentalist protesters have been tree sitting at Titnore Woods, in the Durrington area of the town. The action is in protest at plans to build houses and a road-widening scheme through ancient woodland on the edge of the town.
   From February 2008, Worthing will host the reopened public inquiry into the proposed national park for the South Downs.

Folklore of Worthing

Midsummer Tree

As recently as the 19th century, it was believed that on Midsummer's Eve skeletons would rise up from the Midsummer Tree and dance around the tree until dawn when they'd sink back into the ground. The oak tree is said to be around 300 years old and is situated close to Broadwater Green in Broadwater. The legend of the Midsummer Tree was first recorded by folklorist Charlotte Latham in 1868.

Knuckerhole

It was once believed that monsters known as knuckers lived in bottomless ponds, known as knuckerholes. There were several knuckerholes in Sussex, including one in Worthing just by the Ham Bridge (modern Ham Road) close to the railway and the Teville Stream.

Tunnel from Offington to Cissbury

There is a legend of a tunnel leading all the way from medieval Offington Hall (now demolished) up to Cissbury, a distance of several miles. The tunnel was said to be sealed, with treasure at the far end. It was said that the owner of the Hall 'had offered half the money to anyone who would clear out the subterranean passage and several persons had begun digging, but all had been driven back by large snakes springing at them with open mouths and angry hisses'.

Economy and regeneration

Worthing's economy is dominated by the service industry, particularly finanicial services. The town is home to several major employers including GlaxoSmithKline, HM Revenue & Customs, Lloyds TSB, MGM Assurance, Norwich Union and Southern Water.
   In 2006, Worthing Borough Council agreed a masterplan for the town's regeneration. Much of the regeneration is focused on improving the town centre and seafront. The historic Dome Cinema was reopened in 2007 after major investment from the Heritage Lottery Fund. A new £150 million development is proposed for Teville Gate, close to the town's main railway station, which is expected to include 18-storey and 11-storey residential towers, with shopping and leisure facilities. The Grafton Centre and Lido on the seafront are also earmarked for major redevelopment and improvement. The town's major undercover shopping centre, the Guildbourne Centre, may also be rebuilt entirely and extended to Union Place, covering the site of the town's former police station. A public art strategy is being prepared for the seafront, which may be extended to cover the whole town centre, while a £70,000 piece of artwork named Suncloud has been commissioned for Splash Point on the seafront, to be completed later in 2008. £650,000 is being spent on improvements to the public realm for Chapel Road / South Street (the town centre's major north-south route) and the seafront which will take place later in 2008. It is proposed that the seafront would also undergo major improvement, starting in 2008 with improvements to the Splash Point Café on the beach and a new high quality café-restaurant on the site of an existing seafront shelter. Marks and Spencer is due to carry out a £12 million refurbishment of its Worthing store in 2008, which will see a new store café open overlooking the seafront. Also in 2008, work is expected to start on rebuilding the Victorian Eardley Hotel on the town's seafront. There are plans to develop a new transport model linking the town centre with the Sussex coast's major trunk road, the A27.
   In the longer term, a new marina has been proposed, possibly just to the east of the town centre. It is also intended to review the town's cultural and civic hub, possibly introducing new facilities, buildings and public squares around the Town Hall. The town's Museum and Art Gallery is expected to undergo a £6 million pound redevelopment in the next few years. It is expected that a new £24 million municipal swimming pool will be built in the town centre in the next few years, possibly next to the existing pool, the Aquarena, which would be redeveloped. Swiss electronics firm, Lemo are building a new £5 million UK headquarters in North Street, due to open in 2009. It has also been proposed that Montague Place is pedestrianised and improved to better link the town centre with the seafront.
   In early 2008, the town's further education college, Northbrook College announced proposals to invest £70 million to consolidate its operations onto one major campus in Broadwater. Worthing College, the town's Sixth Form college, has also had plans approved for a £35 million redevelopment of its campus close to Durrington railway station.

Landmarks, buildings & places of interest

Worthing Pier, opened April 1862.

The Dome was built in 1911 as the Kursaal. Responding to anti-German sentiment during World War One, the building was renamed The Dome in 1915. In 1921 the downstairs Coronation Hall was converted into the Dome Cinema, which is preserved today. The Dome is one of Britain's oldest working cinemas.

Castle Goring, built in the 1790s, is Worthing's most important building in terms of its architecture and is one of the town's two Grade I listed buildings.

The Archbishop's Palace in Tarring dates from the 13th century and is Worthing's oldest secular building. It is one of the town's two Grade I listed buildings.

High Salvington windmill.

Cissbury Ring, an ancient hill fort located on the South Downs.

St Paul's Church, formerly the Chapel of Ease, opened in 1812, designed by John Rebecca.

Beach House, built in 1820 by John Rebecca.

Park Crescent, built in 1829 by Amos Henry Wilds.

Worthing Museum and Art Gallery built in 1908 as the town's museum and library by Alfred Cortis, the first mayor of Worthing, and Andrew Carnegie. West Sussex County Council built a new library in 1974 and the museum has had a chequered history ever since, fighting off closure in 2003 with the support of local residents.

Open spaces

The town contains a considerable number of parks and gardens, many laid out in the Victorian and Edwardian eras.

Beach House Park - named after nearby Beach House the park is home to one of the world's most well-known venues for the sport of bowls. The park is also home to a possibly unique memorial to homing pigeons that served in the Second World War.

Beach House Green - Field of hope

Broadwater Green - Broadwater's 'village green'.

Brooklands Park

Denton Gardens

Goring Green

Highdown Gardens - a beautiful garden at the foot of the South Downs, deemed to be of national importance.

Homefield Park - formerly known as the 'People's Park' it was once home to Worthing F.C.

Liverpool Gardens - overlooking the graceful Georgian Liverpool Terrace, the gardens and terrace are named after Lord Liverpool. Overlooking the park from the east are four bronze heads known as Desert Quartet, sculptured by Dame Elisabeth Frink.

Marine Gardens

Palatine Park

Promenade Waterwise Garden

Steyne Gardens - which includes a sunken garden re-landscaped in 2007 with a fountain of the Ancient Greek sea god, Triton, by sculptor William Bloye.

Victoria Park - was donated by the Heene Estate to the poor of Worthing in comemoration of the death of Queen Victoria. (Taken from title deeds to property owned in St. Matthews Road.) The land was previously used for market gardening and once sported a paddling pool which was closed due to foot infections in the children. Victoria Park is very popular for club and casual footballers.

West Park - has a running track and basketball court and lies next to Worthing Leisure Centre.

Annual events

In January, the ancient custom of wassailing takes place in Tarring to bless the apple trees. A flaming torchlit procession takes place down Tarring High Street culminating in hundreds of people gathering around an apple tree to shout, chant and sing to drive away evil spirits. The apple trees are toasted with wassail, apple cider and apple cake, followed by fireworks.
   Every February, to coincide with Valentine's Day, the Revolutionary Arts Group stage the We Love You festival, a small event which includes artistic interventions around the town.
   Each March a fruit-flinging contest is held on the beach to mark the sinking of the 1000-ton SS Indiana off the coast of Worthing in 1901. The ship was sailing to London from Venice via Valencia and crashed into another ship off Worthing. The ship's cargo of oranges and lemons was washed up on the beach to the delight of the town's inhabitants.
   On May Day, a procession and dancing takes place in Worthing town centre, culminating in the crowning of the May Queen. Also in May, the Three Forts Marathon starts and finishes at the Norwich Union building on the outskirts of Worthing before taking in the ancient hill forts of Cissbury Ring, Devil's Dyke and Chanctonbury Ring over the rough and steep terrain of the South Downs.
   The Artists and Makers Festival, organised by the Revolutionary Arts Group, takes place in the first two-three weeks every July, and includes artists' open houses, studios and gardens; a textile arts trail; and music and theatre, including Rainbow Shakespeare which takes place in Highdown Gardens.
   The Worthing Festival is held in the last two weeks each July with open-air concerts in the town centre and a fairground along the town's promenade.
   Pier Day takes place on Worthing Pier and the nearby promenade every September.

Cannabis culture

Worthing, home of Chris Baldwin (a Legalise Cannabis Alliance activist), was one of the few towns in the UK to experience cannabis cafés for the first time. Chris first opened a café in a back room of his shop, "Bongchuffa", on Rowlands Road. The café was named "The Quantum Leaf". The café was so successful that he opened his second, on the other side of Worthing. He named his second creation "Buddies", and simultaneously set up "The Herb Connection" - a source of cannabis for those with alleged "medical need". Both cafés were subject to continuous police raids. The first café eventually came to a close when the landlord withdrew the lease for the property - shortly followed by "Buddies" closing due to police, who were intercepting customers on their way out of the property.
   Another cannabis cafe, operating in a less obvious, but still public, manner was also opened and operating freely in Worthing for over two years, by a group not associated with the LCA. It survived a great deal of police attention and a few raids but no longer exists. The site of this cafe was reduced to rubble within months of the last raid, and is currently a building site with flats planned later in the year.
   A Headshop opened in November 2006 in Worthing, called Green (External Link), to cater for the town's cannabis culture.

Crime

The borough of Worthing currently has a lower crime rate than the national average, with a downward trend in recorded crime falling faster than the rest of the country - a trend that's in keeping with Sussex and the south-east of England as a whole. (External Link) (External Link)

Transport

Rail

Worthing is served by five railway stations on the West Coastway Line:

East Worthing

Worthing

West Worthing

Durrington-on-Sea

Goring Rail connections include services to Brighton (26 minutes), London (Victoria) (84 minutes), Gatwick Airport (50 minutes), Portsmouth, Southampton and Worcester Shrub Hill. In the winter of 2007, South West Train Services withdrew their services from Portsmouth to Brighton (via Worthing).

Road

Worthing lies 60 miles (100km) south of London and 11 miles (16km) west of Brighton. It is served by the following main roads:

A27 road to Brighton and Portsmouth

A24 road to London

A259 road to Chichester, Brighton, Hastings and Folkestone Since 2005, the Megabus has run between Worthing and London, via Brighton.

Cycle

To the east of Worthing, the National Cycle Network Route 2 runs off-road along the sea-front from Splash Point to Shoreham and is then signed on quiet roads to Hove Lagoon where an off-road route runs to Brighton.
   To the west of Worthing the South Coast Cycle Route is on-road and isn't designed to the standards of the National Cycle Network. Cycling on the seafront promenade in Worthing has become a highly contentious issue. Worthing remains one of the few towns in the country with a large seafront promenade that has failed to accommodate an off-road cycle route, although this is expected to be developed as part of the Worthing Evolution masterplan.

Literary and artistic connections

Architecture

Renowned architect Anthony Salvin, who designed Harlaxton Manor, parts of Windsor Castle and Durham Castle Keep was born in Worthing in 1799 and died in Worthing in 1881.

Architect, engineer and archaeologist John Turtle Wood lived at Marine Parade in the town and is buried in Christ Church in the town centre. He is possibly most famous for discovering the ancient Ionian city of Ephesus.

Comedy

Comedian Bob Monkhouse moved to Worthing in 1939, attending school at Goring Hall in Goring.

Harry Hill was a locum at Worthing Hospital before becoming a comedian.

Historical

Walter Dew, the police officer involved in the hunt for Jack the Ripper and Dr Crippen, retired to Worthing and was buried in the town's Durrington Cemetery in 1947.

Five idealistic Worthing men, Tom Elliott, Chris Thornycroft, James Jump, Frederick Cronshaw and Edmond Updale, joined the International Brigade in 1936-1937 to fight against General Franco's nationalist forces in the Spanish Civil War.

David Thomson, once a resident of Sea Close in Goring, is believed to have saved more than 100 people from the sinking Titanic in the North Atlantic while serving aboard the Canadian ship HMCS Rainbow in 1912.

Theatre, Film and broadcast media

David Leland's 1987 film Wish You Were Here was filmed along Worthing's seafront, and in various locations around the town most notably the town's historic Dome Cinema.

The 1985 film Dance with a Stranger by Mike Newell, which starred Miranda Richardson and Rupert Everett was partly filmed at Worthing beach.

Birthplace of actress Paddy Croft.

Nicollette Sheridan, American television actress, was born in the town in 1963.

Actor and star of Coronation Street in the 1960s and 1970s, Reginald Marsh, grew up in Worthing.

Several early films were made in Worthing in 1898 including Water Polo, Launch of the Worthing Life-Boat: Coming Ashore and Worthing Life-Saving Station.

D'Oyly Carte Opera Company actress and singer, Jessie Bond moved to Worthing in the 1920s.

Actor Peter Tuddenham moved to Worthing in 1961 and lived in Portland Road in the town centre until his death in 2007. Tuddenham is best known for his roles in cult television dramas Doctor Who and Blake's 7.

The 1968 film version of Harold Pinter's play The Birthday Party was filmed opposite Heene Terrace on the seafront in West Worthing.

Television producer Britt Allcroft, best known for producing Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends, grew up in Worthing.

Actor Jonathan Cake was born in Worthing in 1967 and grew up in the town.

The 1973 television play Secrets by Michael Palin and Terry Jones, starring Warren Mitchell, involves three men falling into a vat of chocolate, the produce of which is shipped off to Worthing.

Richard Vobes podcasts to the world from his studios in Worthing. His 30-minute daily show features a mix of entertainment, comedy and news.

Actor Tony Caunter, who played Roy Evans in EastEnders grew up in Worthing and went to Worthing High School.

Screenwriter Talbot Rothwell, who wrote many of the Carry On films, moved to Worthing from Fulking in the late 1970s.

Home to Dave Benson-Phillips, children's television presenter.

An episode of UK sitcom Men Behaving Badly was partially filmed and set in Worthing.

Actor Noah Huntley went to school at Our Lady of Sion School in Worthing and attended the West Sussex Theatre Studios in the town.

Hollyoaks actress Roxanne McKee grew up in Worthing and went to school at Our Lady of Sion School.

Actress Lucinda Kennard who played Amy Kerrigan in Dream Team is from Worthing.

Literature

John Selden, jurist, legal antiquary and oriental scholar was born in Salvington in Worthing in 1584. The area around Farncombe Road in Worthing was once known as Seldenville, in his honour.

Jane Austen's unfinished work, Sanditon, based on the growth of a fictitious seaside resort between Eastbourne and Hastings is said to have been inspired by her visit to Worthing in 1805, when the resort of Worthing was in its infancy (just after the hamlet of Worthing had been declared a town in 1803).

Percy Bysshe Shelley's first two works were printed in a building in Warwick Street. These were Original Poetry by Victor and Cazire (1810) which he wrote with his sister, Elizabeth Shelley, and The Necessity of Atheism (1811), which he wrote with his friend Thomas Jefferson Hogg. Publishing The Necessity of Atheism was considered so shocking at the time that both Shelley and Hogg were expelled from University College, Oxford. All but a few copies of the work were burned. Had Shelley not died prematurely aged 29, it's likely he'd have lived at Castle Goring in Worthing, which had been built for him by his grandfather. He would also have received the title 3rd Baronet of Castle Goring. Percy Bysshe Shelley's father, Sir Timothy Shelley, was leader of the Worthing Commissioners, effectively the town's first local authority. Sir Timothy Shelley served as Whig Member of Parliament for New Shoreham from 1802 to 1818, making him Worthing's local MP. Sir Timothy Shelley also owned much land in Worthing, including land that he donated for the site of Worthing's original town hall. Shelley Road in the town is named after the Shelley family.

In the 1830s, Edward William Lane translated The Thousand and One Nights (Arabian Nights) from Arabic, whilst living at 4 Union Place in the town.

Poet and adventurer Edward Trelawney was a frequent visitor to Worthing when in 1870 he moved to the neighbouring village of Sompting. Trelawney had been a close friend of Percy Bysshe Shelley. Trelawney had many notable guests to stay with him in Sompting including William Rossetti.

Antiquarian Anthony Rich, who lived at Chapel Croft in West Worthing, wrote A Dictionary of Roman and Greek Antiquities (1874). Rich had intended to leave his fortune to his friend, the great naturalist, Charles Darwin and his house (which included a library) to another friend, the biologist Thomas Henry Huxley. Darwin is known to have visited Rich several times, sometimes staying at the West Worthing Hotel(now the Burlington Hotel). As it turned out, Rich lived longer than Darwin, so he was unable to pass on his fortune to him, but he was able to bequeath his house to Huxley.

Oscar Wilde wrote his masterpiece The Importance of Being Earnest while staying in Worthing with his family in the summer of 1884 and escaping his creditors in London. Wilde and his family stayed at a guest house on the Esplanade in the summers of 1883 and 1884, the site of which is today marked with a blue plaque. Wilde wrote the play in 1884, which he described as 'his best' in only three weeks. He was often seen walking along the town's promenade and gave the play the working title Lady Lancing after the village of Lancing that he'd often walk to from Worthing along the coast. Wilde took his inspiration for the play from an article he read in the local newspaper at the time, the Worthing Gazette, which described how a baby had been found in a hamper at London's King's Cross railway station. From another article in the Worthing Gazette about a Captain Bunbury of Slindon, Wilde took the name Bunbury, which he used in the play. Wilde named the play's hero, Jack Worthing, in honour of the town. Wilde also named Lord Goring, one of the characters in his play An Ideal Husband after Goring, which he'd also walk to along the coast. In 1884, Goring was still a separate village but has been part of the borough of Worthing since 1929. Wilde was believed to have spent a lot of time walking along the town's seafront and presented the awards at the 1884 Worthing Regatta.

Richard Jefferies, author and naturalist spent the last 10 months of his life living in Goring and was buried in Broadwater Cemetery in 1887.

Author and naturalist William Henry Hudson lived in the town and is also buried in Broadwater cemetery.

Poet William Ernest Henley lived in Chesswood Road between 1899 and 1901. He wrote Hawthorn and Lavender (1901) while living in Worthing.

US-born playwright and author Edward Knoblock, author of Kismet (1911) bought and lived in Beach House from 1917. His visitors whilst living in Worthing included J. B. Priestley, Arnold Bennett and Sir Compton Mackenzie.

Novelist, poet and journalist John Oxenham (real name William Arthur Dunkerley) lived in Farncombe Road in the town from 1922 until his death in 1941.

Children's author Elsie J. Oxenham (real name Elsie J. Dunkerley), daughter of John Oxenham also lived at Farncombe Road when her family moved there in 1922. She later lived at The Glen in the town until her death in 1960.

Children's author Vivien Alcock was born in Worthing in 1924, living in the town until she was ten years old.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of detective Sherlock Holmes, opened Worthing Spiritualist Church in Grafton Road in 1926. He also delivered a lecture on spiritualism at the Connaught Hall (precursor to the town's modern-day Connaught Theatre) in 1919.

In the 1930s, Beatrice Hastings moved to Worthing from Paris, publishing two books in the town, The Old New Age - Orage and Others (1935) and The Defence of Madame Blavatsky (1937). She lived in the town until her death in 1943.

Poet, playwright and novelist Maureen Duffy was born in Worthing in 1933.

Poet and novelist Laurie Lee travelled on foot to Worthing in 1934 on his way from Gloucestershire to London, and then on to Spain. His epic journey is retold in the autobiographical As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning (1969).

Playwright and poet Vera Arlett lived at