View source for Worthing

{{Short description|Town and borough in West Sussex, England}}
{{About|the town in West Sussex}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2013}}
{{Infobox settlement
<!-- See Template:Infobox Settlement for additional fields that may be available -->
| name                   = Worthing
| official_name          =
| other_name             = Borough of Worthing
| native_name            =
| etymology              = [[Old English]] ''Wyrtingas''
| nickname               = Sunny Worthing
| settlement_type        = [[Town status in the United Kingdom|Town]] and [[Borough status in the United Kingdom|borough]]
| total_type             = Borough
| motto                  = "''Ex terra copiam e mari salutem''"<br/>([[Latin language|Latin]] for "From the land plenty and from the sea health")
| population_demonym     = Worthingite
| image_skyline          = {{Photomontage
|photo1a = Worthing sea front from the pier - geograph.org.uk - 413383.jpg {{!}}Worthing seafront from Worthing Pier
|photo2a = Worthing Pier - geograph.org.uk - 826346.jpg{{!}}Worthing Pier
|photo2b = Worthing - the Dome - geograph.org.uk - 2616571.jpg{{!}}Dome Cinema
|photo3a = Connaught Theatre, Worthing.jpg{{!}}Connaught Theatre
|photo3b = Footpath, Cissbury Rings - geograph.org.uk - 1334691.jpg{{!}}Cissbury Ring
|photo3c = North_side_of_Castle_Goring.jpg{{!}}North side of Castle Goring
|size = 280
|color_border =
|color =
|spacing = 2
|foot_montage =
}}
| image_caption          = Clockwise, from top: Worthing seafront from Worthing Pier, [[Dome Cinema, Worthing|Dome Cinema]], [[Castle Goring]], [[Cissbury Ring]] in the [[South Downs National Park]], [[Connaught Theatre]], [[Worthing Pier]]
| imagesize              =
| image_blank_emblem     = Coat of arms of Worthing.jpg
| blank_emblem_type      = Coat of Arms of the Borough Council
| blank_emblem_size      = 150px
| image_map              = Worthing UK locator map.svg
| map_caption            = Location within [[West Sussex]]
| pushpin_map            = England#UK#Europe
| pushpin_map_caption    = Location within England##Location within the United Kingdom##Location within Europe
| pushpin_relief         = 1
| image_dot_map          =
| subdivision_type       = [[List of sovereign states|Sovereign state]]
| subdivision_name       = {{flag|United Kingdom}}
| subdivision_type1      = [[Countries of the United Kingdom|Country]]
| subdivision_name1      = {{flag|England}}
| subdivision_type2      = [[Regions of England|Region]]
| subdivision_name2      = [[South East England]]
| subdivision_type3      = [[Historic counties of England|Historic county]]
| subdivision_name3      = {{flag|Sussex}}
| subdivision_type4      = [[Ceremonial counties of England|County]]
| subdivision_name4      = [[West Sussex]]
| subdivision_type5      = [[Districts of England|Borough]]
| subdivision_name5      = Worthing
| government_footnotes   =
| government_type        = Borough
| governing_body         = [[Worthing Borough Council]]
| leader_title           = [[Executive arrangements#Leader and cabinet|Leadership]]
| leader_name            = [[Local Government Act 2000#Options for council executive forms|Leader and cabinet]]
| leader_title1          = [[Political make-up of local councils in the United Kingdom#Unitary authorities|Executive]]
| leader_name1           = [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]
| leader_title2          = Leader of Council
| leader_name2           = Cllr Sophie Cox [[Labour Party (UK)|(Lab)]]
| leader_title3          = Chief Executive
| leader_name3           = Catherine Howe
| leader_title4          = [[List of MPs elected in the 2015 United Kingdom general election|MPs]]
| leader_name4           = [[Beccy Cooper]] (Lab)<br/> [[Tom Rutland]] (Lab)
| established_title      = Founded
| established_date       = In Antiquity
| established_title2     = Town charter
| established_date2      = {{Start date and age|df=yes|1803}}
| established_title3     = Borough status
| established_date3      = {{Start date and age|df=yes|1890}}
| seat_type              = Administrative HQ
| seat                   = [[Worthing Town Hall]]
| area_magnitude         =
| unit_pref              =
| area_rank              = [[List of English districts by area|{{English district area rank|GSS=E07000229}}]]
| area_total_km2         = 32.48
| area_land_km2          =
| area_water_km2         =
| area_water_percent     =
| elevation_footnotes    =
| elevation_m            = 7
| elevation_ft           = 25
| elevation_max_m        = 184
| elevation_max_ft       = 603
| population_as_of       = {{English statistics year}}
| population_footnotes   =
| population_note        =
| population_total       = {{English district population|GSS=E07000229}} ([[List of English districts by population|ranked {{English district rank|GSS = E07000229}}]])
| population_density_km2 = {{English district density|GSS=E07000229}}
| population_urban       = 474,485
<!-- demographics (section 1) -->
| demographics_type1      = Ethnicity <span style="font-weight:normal;">([[2021 United Kingdom census|2021]])</span>
| demographics1_footnotes = <ref name="2021 Nomis">{{NOMIS2021|id=E07000229|title=Worthing Local Authority|access-date=5 January 2024}}</ref>
| demographics1_title1    = [[Ethnic groups in the United Kingdom|Ethnic groups]]
| demographics1_info1     =
{{Collapsible list
| 91.4% [[White people in the United Kingdom|White]]
| 3.9% [[British Asians|Asian]]
| 2.6% [[Mixed (United Kingdom ethnicity category)|Mixed]]
| 1.2% [[Black British people|Black]]
| 1% [[Ethnic groups in the United Kingdom|other]]
}}
<!-- demographics (section 2) -->
| demographics_type2      = Religion <span style="font-weight:normal;">(2021)</span>
| demographics2_footnotes = <ref name="2021 Nomis"/>
| demographics2_title1    = [[Religion in England|Religion]]
| demographics2_info1     =
{{Collapsible list
| 45.7% [[Irreligion in the United Kingdom|no religion]]
| 43.9% [[Religion in England#Christianity|Christianity]]
| 6.3% not stated
| 1.7% [[Islam in England|Islam]]
| 0.7% [[Religion in England|other]]
| 0.7% [[Hinduism in England|Hinduism]]
| 0.6% [[Buddhism in England|Buddhism]]
| 0.2% [[History of the Jews in England|Judaism]]
| 0.1% [[Sikhism in England|Sikhism]]
}}
| timezone               = [[GMT]]
| utc_offset             =
| timezone_DST           = [[British Summer Time]]
| utc_offset_DST         =
| coordinates            = {{Coord|50|48|53|N|0|22|17|W|display=inline,title}}
| coor_pinpoint          =
| coordinates_footnotes  =
| postal_code_type       = Postcode
| postal_code            = BN11–BN14
| area_code              = 01903
| blank_name             = ONS code
| blank_info             = 45UH
| blank1_name            = Highest point
| blank1_info            = Cissbury Ring (184m)
| blank2_name            = Grid reference
| blank2_info            = SU775075
| website                = {{URL|https://adur-worthing.gov.uk}}
}}
'''Worthing''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|w|ɜːr|ð|ɪ|ŋ}} {{respell|WUR|dhing}}) is a seaside town and borough in [[West Sussex]], England, at the foot of the [[South Downs]], {{convert|11|mi|km|0}} west of [[Brighton]], and {{convert|18|mi|km|0}} east of [[Chichester]]. With a population of 113,094<ref name="ONS-pop">{{Cite web |title=How the population changed in Worthing, Census 2021 - ONS |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/visualisations/censuspopulationchange/E07000229/ |access-date=2022-11-13 |website=www.ons.gov.uk |language=en}}</ref> and an area of {{convert|12.5|sqmi|km2|1}}, the borough is the second largest component of the [[Brighton and Hove built-up area]], the [[List of urban areas in the United Kingdom|15th most populous urban area in the United Kingdom]]. Northern parts of the borough, including the [[Worthing Downland Estate]], form part of the [[South Downs National Park]]. In 2019, the [[Art Deco]] [[Worthing Pier]] was dubbed the best in Britain.<ref>{{cite news |title=Art Deco Worthing Pier dubbed best in Britain |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-47878538 |work=BBC News |date=10 April 2019 |access-date=10 April 2019 |archive-date=10 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190410180056/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-47878538 |url-status=live}}</ref>
Dating from around 4000 BC, the [[flint mine]]s at [[Cissbury]] and nearby [[Church Hill, West Sussex|Church Hill]], [[Blackpatch]] and [[Harrow Hill, West Sussex|Harrow Hill]] are amongst the earliest [[Neolithic British Isles|Neolithic]] monuments in Britain.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/348150946|first1=Robin|last1=Holgate|first2=Jon|last2=Baczkowski|date=January 2017|title=Breaking Chalk: the archaeological investigation of early neolithic flint mines at Long Down and Harrow Hill, West Sussex, 1984-86.}}</ref> The [[Iron Age]] [[hill fort]] of [[Cissbury Ring]] is one of Britain's largest. The recorded [[history of Worthing]] began with the [[Domesday Book]].  Worthing is [[Historic counties of England|historically]] part of [[Sussex]], mostly in the [[rape of Bramber]]; [[Goring-by-Sea|Goring]], which forms part of the [[rape of Arundel]], was incorporated in 1929. Worthing was a small [[mackerel]] fishing hamlet for many centuries until, in the late 18th century, it developed into an elegant [[Georgian era|Georgian]] seaside resort and attracted the well-known and wealthy of the day. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the area was one of Britain's chief [[market gardening]] centres.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://eventium.io/venues/111126958910952 |title=Worthing, West Sussex |website=Eventium |language=en |access-date=6 June 2017 |archive-date=23 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123002554/https://eventium.io/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
Modern Worthing has a large service industry, particularly in financial services. It has three theatres and one of Britain's oldest cinemas, the [[Dome Cinema, Worthing|Dome]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.worthingdome.com/history.html |title=History of The Worthing Dome |website=www.worthingdome.com |access-date=6 June 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131210050054/http://worthingdome.com/history.html |archive-date=10 December 2013}}</ref> Writers [[Oscar Wilde]] and [[Harold Pinter]] lived and worked in the town.
==Etymology==
The earliest known appearance of the name of Worthing is ''Wyrtingas'', from circa AD 960.<ref name="Charters">{{cite web |url=http://www.anglo-saxons.net/hwaet/?do=get&type=charter&id=687 |title=S 687 |work=King Edgar to Wulfric, minister: restitution of forfeited lands |date=5 December 2010 |publisher=Anglo-Saxons.net |access-date=2 June 2022}}</ref> It was listed as ''Ordinges'' or ''Wordinges'' in the [[Domesday Book]]<ref>{{Cite book |last=Elwes |first=Dudley George Cary |title=A History of the Castles, Mansions, and Manors of Western Sussex |publisher=Longmans and Co. |year=1837}}</ref> and was subsequently known as ''Wuroininege'', ''Wurdingg'', ''Wording'' or ''Wurthing'', ''Worthinges'', ''Wyrthyng'', ''Worthen'' and ''Weorðingas''.<ref name ="EPNS">{{cite web |url=http://epns.nottingham.ac.uk/browse/Sussex/Broadwater+%28including+Worthing%29/5328722db47fc40c3600018e-Worthing |title=Worthing: Major Settlement in the Parish of Worthing |work=Survey of English Place-Names |date=1 January 1923 |publisher=English Place-name Society |access-date=4 June 2020}}</ref> The modern name ''Worthing'' was first documented in AD 1297.<ref name="MEWH112">{{Harvnb|Elleray|1998|p=112.}}</ref><ref name="PNS194">{{Harvnb|Mawer|Stenson|1929–1930|p=194.}}</ref>
The etymology of the root ''Worth-'' is uncertain. ''Wyrt'' is the [[Old English]] word for "plant," "vegetable," "herb" or "spice,"<ref>[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/wyrt Wiktionary],</ref> though there is no obvious connection with the name of the town. Additionally, the "y" was a front-loaded vowel that was indistinguishable from "i" by the end of the Anglo-Saxon period<ref name="O'Donnell">{{cite web |url=https://people.uleth.ca/~daniel.odonnell/Tutorials/the-pronunciation-of-old-english |title=The Pronunciation of Old English |work=Old English |date= |publisher=Daniel Paul O'Donnell |access-date=4 June 2022}}</ref> and the spelling never evolved in that direction. The more obvious [[Middle English]] ''worth'' is not likely as well, as there was a dramatic [[Norman language]] influence on the spelling at the time of the [[Domesday Book]].<ref name ="EPNS"/> A more probable root is the word for an Anglo-Saxon goddess - ''Wyrd'', known in [[Norse mythology]] as ''[[Urðr]]'' <ref name ="NMFSP">{{cite web |url=https://norse-mythology.org/concepts/destiny-wyrd-urd/ |title=Fate-Wyrd/Urd |work=Norse Mythology for Smart People |date=5 October 2014 |publisher=Norse-mythology.org |access-date=4 June 2022}}</ref> - with a shift of the [[alveolar consonant]] ''d'' to ''t'' as evidenced by the eleventh century evolution of the word.<ref name ="EPNS"/>
The suffix ''-ing'' is a [[cognate]] of ''inge,'' an ethnonym for the [[Germanic peoples|Germanic]] [[Ingaevones]] peoples, said variously to mean "of [[Yngvi]]" - of [[Freyr]] in Norse mythology,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Seibricke |first=Wilfried |title=Historisches Duteches Vornamenbuch |publisher=de Gruyter |year=1996 |isbn=3-11-014445-X |pages=712 |language=German}}</ref> "family, people or followers of"<ref name="Briggs">{{Cite conference |conference=Surrey Archaeological Society Medieval Studies Forum |last=Briggs |first=Robert J. S. |title=Godalming and Old English -ingas name formations |location=Godalming |access-date=2022-06-01 |date=2016-06-11 |url=https://www.academia.edu/26096181}}</ref> or a [[Genitive case|genitive]] [[plural]] form of an inhabitant appellation.<ref name="ING">{{cite web |url=https://names.ku.dk/place-names/common_place-name_endings/inge/ |title=Settlement names in -inge |work=Names in Denmark |date=28 December 2011 |publisher=Department of Nordic Research |access-date=17 May 2020}}</ref>
==History==
{{Main|History of Worthing}}
{{see also|Timeline of Worthing}}
[[File:Workings at Cissbury Ring - geograph.org.uk - 1326767.jpg|thumb|left|The backfilled remains of a flint mine shaft, one of about 270 mine shafts at Cissbury.  From around 4000 BC, the South Downs above Worthing was Britain's earliest and largest flint-mining area.]]
[[File:The Royal Arcade Worthing (Edwardian Architecture).jpg|thumb|left|The marbled Edwardian architecture of The Royal Arcade, Worthing]]
From around 4000&nbsp;BC, the South Downs above Worthing was Britain's earliest<ref name="SE">{{cite book |title=The South East to Ad 1000 |url=https://archive.org/details/southeasttoad1000000drew |url-access=registration |last=Drewett |first=Peter L., David Rudling and Mark F. Gardine |year=1988 |publisher=Longman Publishing Group |isbn=978-0-582-49271-4 |page=[https://archive.org/details/southeasttoad1000000drew/page/48 48]}}</ref> and largest flint-mining area,<ref name="BU">{{cite web |url=http://www.bournemouth.ac.uk/caah/landscapeandtownscapearchaeology/neolithic_flint_mines_of_sussex.html |first=Miles |last=Russell |publisher=Bournemouth University |title=The Neolithic Flint Mines of Sussex: Britain's Earliest Monuments |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130212014543/http://www.bournemouth.ac.uk/caah/landscapeandtownscapearchaeology/neolithic_flint_mines_of_sussex.html |archive-date=12 February 2013}}</ref> with four of the UK's 14 known flint mines lying within {{convert|7|mi|km|0}}  of the centre of Worthing.<ref name="BU"/>  Graffiti or art scratched into the chalk at Cissbury and nearby Harrow Hill may be  the earliest dateable examples of Neolithic art in Britain.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://antiquity.ac.uk/projgall/teather347|title=The first British Neolithic representational art? The chalk engravings at Cissbury flint mine|first=Anne M.|last=Teather|date=2017|publisher=Antiquity}}</ref> An excavation at Little High Street dates the earliest remains from Worthing town centre to the [[Bronze Age]]. There is also an important Bronze Age hill fort on the western fringes of the modern borough at [[Highdown Hill]].
During the [[Iron Age]], one of Britain's largest hill forts was built at Cissbury Ring. The area was part of the [[civitas]] of the [[Regni]] during the [[Romano-British]] period. Several of the borough's roads date from this era and lie in a grid layout known as [[centuriation]]. A Romano-British farmstead once stood in the centre of the town, at a site close to [[Worthing Town Hall]]. In the 5th and 6th centuries, the area became part of the [[Kingdom of Sussex]]. The place names of the area, including the name Worthing itself, date from this period.
Worthing remained an agricultural and fishing hamlet for centuries until the arrival of wealthy visitors in the 1750s. [[Princess Amelia of the United Kingdom|Princess Amelia]] stayed in the town in 1798 and the fashionable and wealthy continued to stay in Worthing, which became a town in 1803. The town expanded and elegant developments such as [[Park Crescent, Worthing|Park Crescent]] and Liverpool Terrace were begun. The area was a stronghold of smugglers in the 19th century and was the site of rioting by the [[Skeleton Army]] in the 1880s.
[[Oscar Wilde]] holidayed in the town in 1893 and 1894, writing the ''[[Importance of Being Earnest]]'' during his second visit. The town was home to several literary figures in the 20th century, including [[Nobel prize]]-winner [[Harold Pinter]].  On 9 October 1934 violent confrontations took place in the town between protestors and [[Oswald Mosley]]'s [[British Union of Fascists]] which subsequently became known as the [[Battle of South Street]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/6743893.Friend_of_the_Nazis_who_fate_left_behind/ |title=Friend of the Nazis who fate left behind |date=23 January 2003 |publisher=The Argus |access-date=6 May 2018 |archive-date=4 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180504232859/http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/6743893.Friend_of_the_Nazis_who_fate_left_behind/ |url-status=live}}</ref>  During the [[Second World War]], Worthing was home to several allied military divisions in preparation for the [[D-Day]] landings.
Worthing became the world's 229th [[Transition town|Transition Town]] in October 2009.{{sfn|TTW|2022}} The project explored the town's transition to life after oil, and was established by local residents as a way of planning the town's Energy Descent Action Plan.
==Governance==
{{See also|Worthing Borough Council|Worthing local elections}}
[[File:South Street Worthing England.jpg|thumb|right|[[Photochrom]] print of South Street in the 1890s, showing the Old Town Hall]]
[[File:Worthing Town Hall - geograph.org.uk - 1050232.jpg|thumb|left|Built in 1933, [[Worthing Town Hall]] replaced the town's original Georgian town hall as the headquarters of Worthing Borough Council]]
Local government for the borough of Worthing is shared between [[Worthing Borough Council]] and [[West Sussex County Council]] in a [[non-metropolitan district|two-tier structure]].  Worthing Borough Council partners with neighbouring local authorities, as part of [[Adur and Worthing Councils]] and the [[Greater Brighton City Region]].  The borough is divided into 13 wards, with 11 returning three councillors and two returning two councillors to form a total council of 37 members. The borough is unparished.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/__data/assets/file/0009/9945/Worthing_5902-5506__E__.pdf |title=Final recommendations on the future electoral arrangements for Worthing in West Sussex |author=The Boundary Committee for England |date=July 2002 |publisher=Her Majesty's Stationery Office |page=9 |access-date=16 April 2009 |archive-date=1 March 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090301085129/http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/__data/assets/file/0009/9945/Worthing_5902-5506__E__.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> At the [[2022 Worthing Borough Council election|2022 election]] the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] won control of the council for the first time,<ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-05-06 |title=Sussex election results 2022: Labour wins control of Worthing for first time |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-sussex-61334904 |access-date=2022-05-06}}</ref> ending 18 years of [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] administration.
The town currently returns nine councillors from nine single-member electoral divisions to West Sussex County Council out of a total of 70.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/68343/West-Sussex-Final-Recommendations-Web.pdf |title=Future electoral arrangements for West Sussex County Council |author=The Boundary Committee for England |date=November 2008 |pages=39–53 |access-date=16 April 2009 |archive-date=23 November 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081123054316/http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/68343/West-Sussex-Final-Recommendations-Web.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> At the [[2021 West Sussex County Council election]], Worthing  returned five Labour and four Conservative councillors. The council is responsible for services including school education, social care and highways. The county council has been controlled by the Conservative Party since 1974, with the exception of the period 1993—97 when the council was under [[no overall control]].
Since 2014, Worthing has also been within the area of the [[Greater Brighton City Region]]. The borough is represented on the City Region's Economic Board by the leader of the borough council.<ref name="GreaterBrightonMTB">{{cite web |title=Meet The Board {{!}} Greater Brighton |url=https://greaterbrighton.com/about-us/about-the-board/meet-the-board/ |website=greaterbrighton.com |access-date=23 February 2020 |archive-date=4 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200604140715/https://greaterbrighton.com/about-us/about-the-board/meet-the-board/ |url-status=dead}}</ref>
The town has two [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Members of Parliament]] (MPs): [[Beccy Cooper]] (Labour) for [[Worthing West (UK Parliament constituency)|Worthing West]] and [[Tom Rutland]] (Labour) for [[East Worthing and Shoreham (UK Parliament constituency)|East Worthing and Shoreham]].
At the [[2017 United Kingdom general election|2017 general election]], the East Worthing and Shoreham seat became a [[marginal seat]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2019-50349111 |publisher=BBC |title=Election 2019 in maps: Where are the seats that could turn the election? |first1=Peter |last1=Barnes |first2=Christine |last2=Jeavans |date=19 November 2019 |access-date=20 November 2019 |archive-date=19 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191119114237/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2019-50349111 |url-status=live}}</ref> for the first time, with both seats having been held by their incumbents since the seats' creation before the [[1997 United Kingdom general election|1997 general election]]. From 1945 to 1997 Worthing returned one MP. From 1945 until 2024 Worthing had always returned Conservative MPs.<ref name="1945elec">{{cite web |url=http://www.psr.keele.ac.uk/area/uk/ge45/i21.htm |title=UK General Election results July 1945 |last=Kimber |first=Richard |date=11 March 2008 |work=Political Science Resources |access-date=16 April 2009 |archive-date=23 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123002555/https://www.politicsresources.net/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="1992elec">{{cite web |url=http://www.psr.keele.ac.uk/area/uk/ge92/i22.htm |title=UK General Election results: April 1992 |last=Kimber |first=Richard |date=11 March 2008 |work=Political Science Resources |access-date=16 April 2009 |archive-date=25 September 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060925070557/http://www.psr.keele.ac.uk/area/uk/ge92/i22.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> Until 1945 Worthing formed part of the [[Horsham and Worthing (UK Parliament constituency)|Horsham and Worthing]] parliamentary constituency.
==Geography==
[[File:Cissburyring.jpg|thumb|At {{convert|184|m|ft|0}} above sea level, the summit of Cissbury Ring is the highest point in Worthing.]]
Worthing is situated in West Sussex in [[South East England]], {{convert|49|mi|km|0}} south of London and {{convert|10|mi|km|0}} west of [[Brighton and Hove]]. [[Historic counties of England|Historically]] within [[Sussex]], in the [[rape of Bramber]], Worthing is built on the [[South Coast Plain]] facing the [[English Channel]].  To the north of the urban area are the chalk hills of the [[South Downs]], which form a [[South Downs National Park|National Park]].  The suburbs of [[High Salvington]] and [[Findon Valley]] climb the lower slopes of the Downs, reaching up to the {{convert|120|m|ft|0|adj=on}} contour line, whereas the highest point in the borough reaches {{convert|184|m|ft|0}} at [[Cissbury Ring]].  Land at Cissbury Ring and the adjacent publicly owned [[Worthing Downland Estate]] together form a {{convert|145|ha|acre|abbr=off|adj=on}} area of [[Freedom to roam|open access land]] within the borough.  Further high points are at West Hill (139m) north-west of [[High Salvington]] and at [[Highdown Hill]] (81m) on the boundary with [[Ferring]].<ref name="os198">{{cite book |title=Sheet 198: Brighton & Lewes Worthing, Horsham & Haywards Heath |publisher=Ordnance Survey |date=16 February 2009 |edition=E2 |series=OS Landranger Maps |volume=198 |isbn=978-0-319-23143-2}}</ref>  Cissbury Ring forms the only [[Site of Special Scientific Interest]] in the borough.<ref name="cissSSSI">{{cite web |url=http://www.sssi.naturalengland.org.uk/Special/sssi/sssi_details.cfm?sssi_id=1004162 |title=SSSI information: Cissbury Ring |work=Sites of Special Scientific Interest |publisher=Natural England |access-date=17 April 2009 |archive-date=18 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118183616/http://www.sssi.naturalengland.org.uk/Special/sssi/sssi_details.cfm?sssi_id=1004162 |url-status=live}}</ref>
With a population of about 200,000,<ref group="nb">The combined population in 2011 of the Worthing urban subdivision (109,120), the Littlehampton subdivision (55,706), Sompting (8,561) and Lancing (18,810) was 192,197</ref> the [[Centre for Cities]] identifies the wider [[primary urban area]] of Worthing as one of the 63 largest cities and towns in the UK. Extending from Littlehampton to Lancing, the primary urban area is roughly equivalent to the present day borough and the area administered from 1933 to 1974 as the [[Worthing Rural District]], or the 01903 Worthing telephone code area. Worthing forms the second-largest part of the [[Brighton and Hove built-up area]], England's 12th largest conurbation, with a population in 2011 of over 470,000.<ref name="BUA">{{cite web |url=http://www.nomisweb.co.uk/articles/747.aspx |title=2011 Census - Built-up areas |publisher=[[Office for National Statistics|ONS]] |access-date=3 July 2013}}</ref> The borough of Worthing is bordered by the West Sussex [[local authority|local authority districts]] of [[Arun District|Arun]] in the north and west, and [[Adur (district)|Adur]] in the east.
Worthing is situated on a mix of two beds of sedimentary rock. The large part of the town, including the town centre is built upon [[chalk]] (part of the [[Chalk Group]]), with a bed of [[London clay]] found in a band heading west from Lancing through Broadwater and Durrington.<ref name="geolmap">{{cite web |url=http://www.soton.ac.uk/~imw/jpg/sussex.jpg |title=Geology of Surrey and Sussex, after Woodward (1904), based on Reynolds (1860; 1889) |access-date=1 April 2008 |publisher=Ian West and Tonya West |year=2008 |work=Geology of Great Britain—an Introduction with Geological Maps (from the website of Southampton University) |archive-date=28 May 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080528225433/http://www.soton.ac.uk/~imw/jpg/sussex.jpg |url-status=live}}</ref>
Worthing lies roughly midway between the Rivers [[River Arun|Arun]] and [[River Adur|Adur]].  The [[culvert]]ed [[Teville Stream]] and the partially-culverted [[Ferring Rife]] run through the town.  One of the Ferring Rife's sources is in [[Titnore Wood]], a [[Site of Nature Conservation Interest]] and one of the last remaining blocks of [[ancient woodland]] on the coastal plain.<ref name="titnore">{{cite web |url=http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/Images/jca126_tcm2-21630_tcm6-5322.pdf |archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20090206124042/http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/Images/jca126_tcm2-21630_tcm6-5322.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=6 February 2009 |title=Countryside Character: Volume 7 South East & London |publisher=The Countryside Agency |page=133 |access-date=17 April 2009}}</ref>
The development along the coastal strip is interrupted by strategic gaps at the borough boundaries in the east and west, referred to as the [[Goring-by-Sea|Goring Gap]] and the [[Sompting|Sompting Gap]].  Each gap falling largely outside the borough boundaries.<ref name="gaps">{{cite web |url=http://www.worthing.gov.uk/worthings-services/planningandbuildingcontrol/planningpolicy/localdevelopmentframework/evidencebaseincludingbackgroundstudies/worthinggapandlandscapecapacitystudy/pdffile,49492,en.pdf |title=HDA1 Study Area Map |date=18 May 2008 |work=Worthing Gap and Landscape Capacity Study |publisher=Worthing Borough Council / Hankinson Duckett Associates |access-date=17 April 2009 |archive-date=16 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716142715/http://www.worthing.gov.uk/worthings-services/planningandbuildingcontrol/planningpolicy/localdevelopmentframework/evidencebaseincludingbackgroundstudies/worthinggapandlandscapecapacitystudy/pdffile,49492,en.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>  The borough of Worthing contains no [[Local Nature Reserve|nature reserves]]: the nearest is Widewater Lagoon in Lancing.<ref name="wwater">{{cite web |url=http://www.westsussex.gov.uk/ccm/content/environment/the-west-sussex-countryside/the-coastal-plain/special-places-in-the-west-sussex-coastal-plain-area.en?page=3 |title=Widewater Lagoon |date=5 February 2009 |work=Special places in the West Sussex Coastal Plain Area |publisher=West Sussex County Council |access-date=17 April 2009}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>
===Marine environment===
{{Main|Maritime history of Worthing}}
Lying some {{convert|3|mi|km|0}} off the coast of Worthing, the ''Worthing Lumps'' are a series of underwater chalk cliff faces, up to {{convert|3|m|ft|0}} high. The lumps, described as "one of the best chalk reefs in Europe" by the [[Marine Conservation Society]], are home to rare fish such as [[blennies]] and the [[lesser spotted dogfish]].<ref name="lumps">{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/marine-wildlife-bill-is-scuppered-by-shipping-interests-639026.html |title=Marine wildlife Bill is scuppered by shipping interests |last=Woolf |first=Marie |date=6 August 2002 |work=The Independent |publisher=Independent News and Media Limited |access-date=17 April 2009 |location=London |archive-date=6 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080406001551/http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/marine-wildlife-bill-is-scuppered-by-shipping-interests-639026.html |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="lumpsRSPB">{{cite web |url=http://www.rspb.org.uk/news/details.asp?id=tcm:9-171835 |title=Local MP joins call for better protection of marine wildlife |date=28 September 2007 |publisher=Royal Society for the Protection of Birds |access-date=17 April 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080328093227/http://www.rspb.org.uk/news/details.asp?id=tcm%3A9-171835 |archive-date=28 March 2008}}</ref> The site has been declared a Site of Nature Conservation Importance (SNCI) (a site of county importance) by West Sussex County Council.<ref name="lumpsSNCI">{{cite web |url=http://naturalengland.etraderstores.com/NaturalEnglandShop/product.aspx?ProductID=e3457226-9f1a-4855-9faa-bf10f339a190 |title=The Eastern Channel Marine Natural Area |year=2004 |publisher=English Nature |access-date=17 April 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110710204616/http://naturalengland.etraderstores.com/NaturalEnglandShop/product.aspx?ProductID=e3457226-9f1a-4855-9faa-bf10f339a190 |archive-date=10 July 2011}}</ref> Since 2013 the area has also formed part of the [[Kingmere]] [[Marine Conservation Zone]].  Just south of the shoreline lies remains of what was once an extensive [[kelp forest]] which until the 1980s stretched from Bognor Regis to Brighton and covered approximately {{cvt|177|sqkm|sqmi|0}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sussex-ifca.gov.uk/kelp |publisher=Sussex Inland Fisheries and Conservation Authority |title=Kelp |access-date=11 November 2019 |archive-date=11 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191111083252/https://www.sussex-ifca.gov.uk/kelp |url-status=live}}</ref>  With only {{cvt|6|sqkm|sqmi|0}} remaining, the kelp forest is now being supported to recover.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.worthingherald.co.uk/news/watch-stunning-underwater-help-our-kelp-campaign-film-voiced-by-sir-david-attenborough-showcasing-the-vital-role-sussex-waters-can-play-in-fighting-climate-change-1-9091192 |title=Watch stunning underwater Help Our Kelp campaign film, voiced by Sir David Attenborough, showcasing the vital role Sussex waters can play in fighting climate change |publisher=Worthing Herald |date=1 October 2019 |access-date=11 November 2019 |archive-date=11 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191111083253/https://www.worthingherald.co.uk/news/watch-stunning-underwater-help-our-kelp-campaign-film-voiced-by-sir-david-attenborough-showcasing-the-vital-role-sussex-waters-can-play-in-fighting-climate-change-1-9091192 |url-status=live}}</ref>
===Climate===
{{See also|Climate of the United Kingdom}}
Worthing has a [[temperate]] oceanic climate: its [[Humid temperate climate|Köppen climate classification]] is ''Cfb''. Its mean annual temperature of {{cvt|10.6|C|F}}  is similar to that experienced along the Sussex coast, and slightly warmer than nearby areas such as the Sussex Weald.<ref name="temperature">{{cite web |year=2001 |url=http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/averages/19712000/tmean/17.gif |title=Mean Temperature Annual Average |publisher=[[Met Office]] |access-date=22 August 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130801122236/http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/averages/19712000/tmean/17.gif |archive-date=1 August 2013}}</ref>  On most summer afternoons a [[sea breeze]], sometimes known as ''The Worthing Effect''<ref name="LKSC">{{cite web |url=http://www.lancingkitesurfingclub.com/pdfs/Lancing_Kitesurfing_Club.pdf |title=Lancing Kitesurfing Club |publisher=Lancing Kitesurfing Club |access-date=6 March 2012}}{{dead link|date=September 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref name="BdSker">{{cite web |url=http://www.boardseekermag.com/wnews/show/1/2603 |title=Latest News |publisher=Boardseeker.com Windsurfing Magazine |access-date=6 March 2012 |archive-date=23 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123002559/https://boardseekermag.com/news/news-videos/1-minute-46-seconds-of-jaeger-stone-magic/2603/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="AnotherHardDay">{{cite web |url=http://www.anotherharddayattheoffice.co.uk/rampion-offshore-wind-farm.html |title=Rampion Offshore Wind Farm |publisher=Another Hard Day at the Office |access-date=6 March 2012 |archive-date=2 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120302125842/http://www.anotherharddayattheoffice.co.uk/rampion-offshore-wind-farm.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="UKWind">{{cite web |url=http://ukwindsurfing.com/events/2011/freestyle-4 |title=Freestyle Tour 4 – Worthing |publisher=UK Windsurfing Association |access-date=6 March 2012 |archive-date=18 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110818023913/http://ukwindsurfing.com/events/2011/freestyle-4/ |url-status=live}}</ref> by the local watersports community, blows from the south-west, building throughout the morning and peaking generally mid to late afternoon.<ref name="LKSC"/>
===Districts===
The naming of parts of the town reflect its growth in its formative years of the 19th century.  Central parts of the town are made up of the former [[Township (England)|township]]s of Worthing and [[Heene|West Worthing]], which merged in 1890 when the town gained borough status.  This area comprises the town centre, [[East Worthing, West Sussex|East Worthing]] and West Worthing.  To the north and west of this area are the former villages of Worthing which have old roots but only became urbanised in the 20th century.  These districts sometimes share their names – although not necessarily boundaries – with local electoral [[Ward (politics)|wards]] and include the former parishes of [[Broadwater, West Sussex|Broadwater]], [[Durrington, West Sussex|Durrington]], [[Goring-by-Sea|Goring]] and [[Tarring, West Sussex|(West) Tarring]], as well as [[Findon Valley]], which was formerly part of the parish of [[Findon, West Sussex|Findon]].  Other areas within these parishes include [[High Salvington]], [[Offington]] and [[Salvington]].
==Demography==
===Population change===
According to the [[Office for National Statistics]], Worthing's population increased to an estimated 110,570 in 2019.<ref name="Office for National Statistics">{{cite web |last=Office for National Statistics |date=28 June 2019 |title=Population Estimates for UK, England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, Mid-2018 |url=http://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/datasets/populationestimatesforukenglandandwalesscotlandandnorthernireland |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190703220247/https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/datasets/populationestimatesforukenglandandwalesscotlandandnorthernireland |archive-date=3 July 2019 |access-date=4 July 2019}}</ref>  Worthing is the second most densely populated local authority area in East and West Sussex, with a population density in 2011 of 33.83 people per hectare.<ref name="Office for National Statistics"/>  Worthing underwent dramatic population growth both in the early 19th century as the hamlet had newly become a town and again in the 1880s. The town experienced further growth in the 1930s, and again when new estates were built, using [[prisoner of war]] labour, to the west of the town from 1948. The main driver of population growth in Worthing during the 1990s and first decade of the 21st century has been in-migration into Worthing; in particular Worthing is the most popular destination for people moving from the nearby city of [[Brighton and Hove]], with significant numbers also moving to the borough from London.<ref name="WSx Housing Mkt">{{cite web |url=http://www.worthing.gov.uk/worthings-services/planningandbuildingcontrol/planningpolicy/localdevelopmentframework/evidencebaseincludingbackgroundstudies/strategichousingmarketassessment/pdffile,62881,en.pdf |title=WSx Strategic Housing Market Assessment |access-date=6 February 2010 |work=GVA Grimley |archive-date=16 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716142948/http://www.worthing.gov.uk/worthings-services/planningandbuildingcontrol/planningpolicy/localdevelopmentframework/evidencebaseincludingbackgroundstudies/strategichousingmarketassessment/pdffile,62881,en.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable" style="border:none;"
|+Historic and projected population growth in Worthing since 1801
|-
! Year || colspan="2"|Population
| rowspan="13" style="border:none;padding:1em;"|
! Year || colspan="2"|Population
|-
| 1801 || style="text-align:right;"|{{bartable| 2,151||0.001}}
| 1921 || style="text-align:right;"|{{bartable| 37,906||0.001}}
|-
| 1811 || style="text-align:right;"|{{bartable| 3,824||0.001}}
| 1931 || style="text-align:right;"|{{bartable| 45,905||0.001}}
|-
| 1821 || style="text-align:right;"|{{bartable| 4,922||0.001}}
| 1939 || style="text-align:right;"|{{bartable| 55,584||0.001}}
|-
| 1831 || style="text-align:right;"|{{bartable| 5,654||0.001}}
| 1951 || style="text-align:right;"|{{bartable| 67,305||0.001}}
|-
| 1841 || style="text-align:right;"|{{bartable| 6,856||0.001}}
| 1961 || style="text-align:right;"|{{bartable| 77,155||0.001}}
|-
| 1851 || style="text-align:right;"|{{bartable| 7,615||0.001}}
| 1971 || style="text-align:right;"|{{bartable| 88,467||0.001}}
|-
| 1861 || style="text-align:right;"|{{bartable| 9,744||0.001}}
| 1981 || style="text-align:right;"|{{bartable| 90,686||0.001}}
|-
| 1871 || style="text-align:right;"|{{bartable| 11,873||0.001}}
| 1991 || style="text-align:right;"|{{bartable| 98,066||0.001}}
|-
| 1881 || style="text-align:right;"|{{bartable| 14,002||0.001}}
| 2001 || style="text-align:right;"|{{bartable| 97,540||0.001}}
|-
| 1891 || style="text-align:right;"|{{bartable| 19,177||0.001}}
| 2011 || style="text-align:right;"|{{bartable| 104,640||0.001}}
|-
| 1901 || style="text-align:right;"|{{bartable| 24,479||0.001}}
| 2021 || style="text-align:right;"|{{bartable|111,400||0.001}}
|-
| 1911 || style="text-align:right;"|{{bartable| 31,301||0.001}}
| 2031 || style="text-align:right;"|{{bartable|122,200||0.001}}
|}
Source: A Vision of Britain Through Time,<ref>[http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/data_cube_page.jsp?data_theme=T_POP&data_cube=N_TOT_POP&u_id=10056524&c_id=10001043&add=N A Vision of Britain through Time]</ref>
[[Office for National Statistics]]<ref>mid year estimate</ref>
<ref name="ONS-pop"/>[[Office for National Statistics|ONS population projections 2014 base / projections uplifted by '21-1,800/'26-2,100/'36-2,500 given underestimation at 2016 - 2,250/]]
===Ethnicity===
According to the [[Politics of the United Kingdom|UK Government]]'s [[United Kingdom Census 2021|2021 census]], 91.2% of the population was [[White people|White]] (85.1% [[White British]], 0.8% [[Irish migration to Great Britain|White Irish]], 0.1% Gypsy/[[Irish Travellers|Irish Traveller]], 0.2% [[Romani people|Roma]], 5.2% [[Other White]]), 2.5% of [[Mixed (United Kingdom ethnicity category)|mixed ancestry]] (0.9% White and Black Caribbean, 0.5% White and Black African, 0.9% White and Asian, 0.7% Other Mixed), 4.0% [[British Asian|Asian]] (1.0% [[British Indian|Indian]], 0.2% [[British Pakistanis|Pakistani]], 0.7% [[British Bangladeshi|Bangladeshi]], 0.5% [[British Chinese|Chinese]], 1.5% Other Asian), 1.2% [[Black British|Black]] (0.8% African, 0.2% [[British African-Caribbean people|Caribbean]], 0.1% [[Other Black]]), 0.2% [[British Arab|Arab]] and 0.8% of other ethnic heritage.<ref name=2021censusdemo>{{cite web |title=2021 Census – Ethnic group (detailed) |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/datasets/TS022/editions/2021/versions/1 |publisher=[[Office for National Statistics|ONS]] |access-date=30 November 2022}}</ref>
The town also has some notable communities from overseas.  At the 2021 census 0.79% (864 people) were born in [[Poles in the United Kingdom|Poland]], 0.70% of its population (778 people) were born in [[British Indian|India]], 0.68% (753 people) were born in the [[Filipinos in the United Kingdom|Philippines]] and 0.65% (724 people) were born in Romania.
===Age===
Worthing has a younger population than the other three districts of coastal West Sussex, albeit older than the South East average. In 2006, 26.7% of the population were between 25 and 44 years old, which is a higher proportion compared to the other districts in the coastal West Sussex area.<ref name="WSx Housing Mkt"/>  Over the last 20 years, Worthing has seen the sharpest decline in its population aged 65 years or more with its proportion of the total population falling by 8.1% (7,000 in real terms), at a time when this age group has actually grown across the South East region and elsewhere.<ref name="WSx Housing Mkt"/> In contrast there have been comparatively significant increases in older families (4.5%) and family makers (4.3%) within the borough.<ref name="WSx Housing Mkt"/>  In 2010 the estimated median age of the population of Worthing was 42.8 years, 3.2 years older than the average for the UK of 39.6 years.<ref name="Age in the UK">{{cite web |url=http://www.statistics.gov.uk/ageingintheuk/agemap.html |title=The Age of the UK: Median Age 1992–2003 by Local Area |access-date=8 November 2010 |work=ONS |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101114060320/http://www.statistics.gov.uk/ageingintheuk/agemap.html |archive-date=14 November 2010}}</ref>
===Religion===
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
! rowspan="2" |Religion
! colspan="2" |2001<ref>{{Cite web |title=KS007 - Religion - Nomis - 2001 |url=https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/datasets/ks007 |access-date=2024-04-25 |website=www.nomisweb.co.uk}}</ref>
! colspan="2" |2011<ref>{{Cite web |title=KS209EW (Religion) - Nomis - 2011 |url=https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks209ew |access-date=2022-10-18 |website=www.nomisweb.co.uk}}</ref>
! colspan="2" | 2021<ref>{{cite web |date=29 Nov 2022 |title=Religion - 2021 census |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/datasets/TS030/editions/2021/versions/1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221129115419/https://www.ons.gov.uk/datasets/TS030/editions/2021/versions/1 |archive-date=29 Nov 2022 |access-date=16 Dec 2022 |website=Office of National Statistics}}</ref>
|-
!Number
!%
!Number
!%
!Number
!%
|-
|
|
|
|
|
|-
!Holds religious beliefs
!72,477
!74.2
!64,326
!61.4
!53,428
!47.9
|-
|[[File:Gold_Christian_Cross_no_Red.svg|26x26px]] [[Christians|Christian]]
| align="right" |70,387
| align="right" |72.1
| align="right" |60,817
| align="right" |58.1
| align="right" |48,897
| align="right" |43.9
|-
|[[File:Dharma_Wheel.svg|20x20px]] [[Buddhism|Buddhist]]
| align="right" |330
| align="right" |0.3
| align="right" |600
| align="right" |0.6
| align="right" |704
| align="right" |0.6
|-
|[[File:Om.svg|21x21px]] [[Hinduism|Hindu]]
| align="right" |214
| align="right" |0.2
| align="right" |546
| align="right" |0.5
| align="right" |739
| align="right" |0.7
|-
|[[File:Star_of_David.svg|23x23px]] [[Jews|Jewish]]
| align="right" |256
| align="right" |0.3
| align="right" |227
| align="right" |0.2
| align="right" |274
| align="right" |0.2
|-
|[[File:Star_and_Crescent.svg|20x20px]] [[Islam]]
| align="right" |733
| align="right" |0.8
| align="right" |1,348
| align="right" |1.3
| align="right" |1,912
| align="right" |1.7
|-
|[[File:Khanda.svg|24x24px]] [[Sikhism|Sikh]]
| align="right" |106
| align="right" |0.1
| align="right" |122
| align="right" |0.1
| align="right" |124
| align="right" |0.1
|-
|Other religion
| align="right" |451
| align="right" |0.5
| align="right" |666
| align="right" |0.6
| align="right" |778
| align="right" |0.7
|-
!No religion
! align="right" |16,575
! align="right" |17.0
! align="right" |31,577
! align="right" |30.2
! align="right" |50,895
! align="right" |45.7
|-
!Religion not stated
! align="right" |8,516
! align="right" |8.7
! align="right" |8,737
! align="right" |8.3
! align="right" |7,013
! align="right" |6.3
|-
|
|
|
|
|
|-
!Total population
! align="right" |97,568
! align="right" |100.0
! align="right" |104,640
! align="right" |100.0
! align="right" |111,336
! align="right" |100.0
|}
[[File:St Andrew's Church, Victoria Road, Worthing.JPG|thumb|The Church of St Andrew the Apostle (Church of England)]]
[[File:St Andrew's Church, West Tarring, Worthing.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Three-quarter view of a stone church with a buttressed tower in the foreground. This has small battlements and a spire. The nave roof, below which are four small, evenly spaced windows, is visible, but its aisle and an attached porch are obscured by a bush. There are gravestones and a table tomb in the foreground.|[[St Andrew's Church, West Tarring|St Andrew's]] is the parish church of West Tarring.]]
[[File:Masjid Assalam Mosque, Worthing.jpg|thumb|right|alt=A brown-brick, flat-roofed, warehouse-style building. The lower half of its façade has been painted cream and decorated with arch-shaped window and door surrounds attached to the walls. On the first floor there are three two-pane windows and one single window. The side wall is mostly blank, with some small windows.|The ''Masjid Assalam'' mosque serves the town's Sunni Muslim population.]]
{{See also|List of places of worship in Worthing}}
More people in Worthing identify as Christian than any other religion (43.9% in 2021){{sfn|ONS|2021}} and the borough has about 50 active Christian places of worship.  Worthing's [[Churches Together in England|Churches Together organisation]]<ref name="CT4W">{{cite web |url=http://www.churchestogetherworthing.co.uk/about_us.html |title=About CT4W |year=2007 |publisher=Churches Together for Worthing |access-date=9 November 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090821142015/http://www.churchestogetherworthing.co.uk/about_us.html |archive-date=21 August 2009}}</ref> encourages [[ecumenical]] work and links between the town's churches.
Worthing's first [[Church of England|Anglican]] church, [[St Paul's Church, Worthing|St Paul's]], was built in 1812; previously, worshippers had to travel to the ancient [[Broadwater Church|parish church of Broadwater]].  Residential growth in the 19th century led to several other [[Anglican church]]es opening in the town centre: [[Christ Church, Worthing|Christ Church]] was started in 1840<ref name="Pevsner386">{{Harvnb|Nairn|Pevsner|1965|p=386.}}</ref> and survived a closure threat in 2006;<ref name="Argus-ChristChurch">{{cite news |url=http://archive.theargus.co.uk/2006/5/18/210938.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130505134413/http://archive.theargus.co.uk/2006/5/18/210938.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=5 May 2013 |title=Historic church is facing closure |date=18 May 2006 |work=[[The Argus (Brighton)|The Argus]] |publisher=[[Newsquest|Newsquest Media Group]] |access-date=9 November 2009}}</ref> [[Arthur Blomfield]]'s [[St Andrew's Church, Worthing|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;<ref name="WAPH151">{{Harvnb|Elleray|1977|loc=§151.}}</ref><ref name="MEWH48">{{Harvnb|Elleray|1998|p=48.}}</ref> and Holy Trinity church opened at the same time but with less dispute.<ref name="MEWH48"/><ref name="WAPH150">{{Harvnb|Elleray|1977|loc=§150.}}</ref>
Other Anglican churches were built in the 20th century to serve new residential areas such as [[High Salvington]] and Maybridge; and the ancient villages which were absorbed into Worthing Borough between 1890 and 1929<ref name="MEWH96">{{Harvnb|Elleray|1998|p=96.}}</ref> each had their own church: [[Broadwater Church|Broadwater's]] had [[Anglo-Saxons|Saxon]] origins,<ref name="IoE302233">{{NHLE|num=1025810|desc=Broadwater Church (St Mary's), Broadwater Road (east side), Worthing, West Sussex|year=2007|access-date=9 November 2009}}</ref> [[St Mary's Church, Goring-by-Sea|St Mary's]] at Goring-by-Sea was [[Norman conquest of England|Norman]] (although it was rebuilt in 1837),<ref name="IoE432516">{{NHLE|num=1250239|desc=St Mary's Church, Goring Road (north side), Worthing, West Sussex|year=2007|access-date=9 November 2009}}</ref> [[St Andrew's Church, West Tarring|St Andrew's]] at West Tarring was 13th century,<ref name="IoE302248">{{NHLE|num=1354775|desc=West Tarring Church (St Andrew's), Church Road (south side), Worthing, West Sussex|year=2007|access-date=9 November 2009}}</ref> and [[St Botolph's Church, Heene|St Botolph]]'s at Heene and [[St Symphorian's Church, Durrington|St Symphorian's]] at Durrington were rebuilt from medieval ruins.<ref name="IoE432799">{{NHLE|num=1250436|desc=St Botolph's Church, Lansdowne Road (north side), Worthing, Worthing, West Sussex|year=2007|access-date=9 November 2009}}</ref><ref name="IoE302255">{{NHLE|num=1263369|desc=Durrington Church (St Symphorian's), Durrington Hill (west side), Worthing, Worthing, West Sussex|year=2007|access-date=9 November 2009}}</ref>  All of the borough's churches are in the Rural [[Deanery]] of Worthing and the [[Diocese of Chichester]].<ref name="Diochi-RDWorthing">{{cite web |url=http://www.diochi.org.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=about.deanery&deaneryid=21 |title=Rural Deanery of Worthing |year=2009 |publisher=Diocese of Chichester |access-date=27 September 2009 |archive-date=23 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123002600/https://www.chichester.anglican.org/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
The first Roman Catholic church in Worthing opened in 1864; the centrally located [[St Mary of the Angels, Worthing|St Mary of the Angels Church]] has since been joined by others at East Worthing, Goring-by-Sea and High Salvington. All are in Worthing Deanery in the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Arundel and Brighton]].<ref name="DABNET-Worthing">{{cite web |url=http://www.dabnet.org/parishes/Deaneries/worthingdeanery.htm |title=Worthing Deanery |year=2009 |work=Diocese of Arundel and Brighton website |publisher=DABNet |access-date=27 September 2009 |archive-date=17 May 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517144407/http://www.dabnet.org/parishes/Deaneries/worthingdeanery.htm |url-status=live}}</ref>  Protestant [[Nonconformist (Protestantism)|Nonconformism]] has a long history in Worthing: the town's first place of worship was an Independent chapel.<ref name="MEWH54">{{Harvnb|Elleray|1998|p=54.}}</ref> [[Methodism|Methodists]], [[Baptists]], the [[United Reformed Church]] and [[Evangelicalism|Evangelical Christian]] groups each have several churches in the borough, and other denominations represented include [[Christadelphians]], [[Church of Christ, Scientist|Christian Scientists]], [[Jehovah's Witnesses]], [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|Mormons]] and [[Plymouth Brethren]].<ref name="MEWH51–56">{{Harvnb|Elleray|1998|pp=51–56.}}</ref>  A [[Coptic Orthodox Church in Britain and Ireland|Coptic Orthodox]] church is also present in the town.  The [[Salvation Army]] have been established for more than a century, but their arrival in Worthing prompted large-scale riots involving a group called the [[Skeleton Army]]. These continued intermittently for several years in the 1880s.<ref name="MEWH124–125">{{Harvnb|Elleray|1998|pp=124–125.}}</ref><ref name="WAOC58">{{Harvnb|Elleray|1985|loc=§58.}}</ref>  Other Christian organisations include Worthing Churches Homeless Projects and [[Street Pastors]].
In 2021, 1.7% of the population of Worthing were Muslim.{{sfn|ONS|2021}} Since 1994 the Muslim community has had a mosque at the Worthing Islamic Cultural Centre, also known as ''Worthing Masjid'' (Worthing Mosque) or ''Masjid Assalam'' (Mosque of Peace, or Mosque of Allah)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://worthingmasjid.co.uk/our-history/ |title=Worthing Masjid - Our History |date=28 April 2016 |publisher=Worthing Masjid |access-date=11 June 2022}}</ref> which follows the [[Sunni Islam|Sunni]] tradition and holds prayer, education, and funeral services for the local community.<ref name="Mosque">{{cite web |url=http://www.worthingmasjid.com/ |title=Worthing Islamic Social and Welfare Society |year=2008 |publisher=Worthing Islamic Cultural Centre |access-date=9 November 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090703062530/http://www.worthingmasjid.com/ |archive-date=3 July 2009}}</ref>
There are also small communities of [[Buddhism|Buddhists]] (0.6% in 2021) in Worthing,{{sfn|ONS|2021}} including a community of [[Triratna]] Buddhists. There is a small Jewish community (0.2% in 2021) and the town had a synagogue in the 1930s.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sussexjewishoutreach.com/west-sussex |title=West Sussex Jewish Community |publisher=Sussex Jewish Outreach Group |access-date=14 November 2019 |archive-date=14 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191114211432/https://www.sussexjewishoutreach.com/west-sussex |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2011, 0.7% of the population were [[Hinduism|Hindu]], 0.1% were Sikh and 0.7% followed another religion. A small community of the [[Baháʼí Faith]] practises in Worthing. 45.7% claimed no religious affiliation, a figure significantly higher than the average for England and Wales of 37.2%, and 6.3% did not state their religion.{{sfn|ONS|2021}}
==Education==
{{See also|Schools in Worthing, West Sussex}}
[[File:Learning Resource Centre, Northbrook College, Littlehampton Road, Goring - geograph.org.uk - 5498825.jpg|thumb|The Learning Resource Centre at [[Northbrook College]]'s main campus in West Durrington]]
Worthing has 22 primary schools, six secondary schools, one primary and secondary special school, two independent schools, one sixth form college and one college of [[higher education|higher]] and [[further education]].
Founded by 1890 as the Worthing School of Art and Science,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/sussex/vol6/pt1/pp125-128|title=Worthing: Education|accessdate=15 April 2024}}</ref> [[Northbrook College]]'s main campus is located on the outskirts of Worthing at West Durrington, where its creative arts degrees are validated by the [[University of the Arts London]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.northbrook.ac.uk/study-with-us/university-level/art-design-media/|title=University Level, Art Design and Media|publisher=Northbrook College|accessdate=16 April 2024}}</ref> Northbrook's Broadwater campus is set to close in 2025 and courses are to be consolidated at West Durrington and at the Broadwater campus of the town's [[sixth form college]], [[Worthing College]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/news/major-college-campus-in-worthing-put-up-for-sale-4488043|title=Major College Campus in Worthing Put Up For Sale|first=Cliff|last=Moore|publisher=Sussex Express|date=22 January 2024|accessdate=16 April 2024}}</ref> Northbrook and Worthing Colleges share a [[principal (academia)|principal]] and are both part of the [[Chichester College Group]].
[[West Sussex County Council]] provides six state secondary schools: [[Bohunt School Worthing]] in Broadwater is a [[Mixed-sex education|coeducational]] [[academy (English school)|academy]] school, [[Durrington High School]] and [[St Andrew's High School (Worthing)|St Andrews High School]] and [[Worthing High School (England)|Worthing High School]] are all [[Mixed-sex education|coeducational]], with St Andrew's taking in girls from 2021. [[Davison High School]] in East Worthing is a girls' school. [[St Oscar Romero Catholic School]] in Goring is a Catholic School. [[Our Lady of Sion School]] in the town centre is a [[Private schools in the United Kingdom|private]] school for children aged 3–18.
==Economy and regeneration==
{|class="infobox"
!  style="background:#ccf; text-align:center;" colspan="3"|Labour Profile<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/reports/lmp/la/2038431839/report.aspx#tabjobs |title=Labour Market Profile: Worthing |access-date=28 July 2011 |work=Nomis official labour market statistics |publisher=[[Office for National Statistics]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120323210911/https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/reports/lmp/la/2038431839/report.aspx#tabjobs |archive-date=23 March 2012}} Data is taken from the ONS annual business inquiry employee analysis and refers to 2008</ref>
|-
||Total employee jobs||43,800
|-
||Full-time||28,000||63.9%
|-
||Part-time||15,800||36.1%
|-
||Manufacturing||3,300||7.5%
|-
||Construction||1,100||2.4%
|-
||Services||38,900||88.7%
|-
|style="left-padding: 20pt"|Distribution, hotels & restaurants||9,600||22.0%
|-
|style="left-padding: 20pt"|Transport & communications||1,400||3.3%
|-
|style="left-padding: 20pt"|Finance, IT, other business activities||9,600||22.0%
|-
|style="left-padding: 20pt"|Public admin, education & health||16,200||36.9%
|-
|style="left-padding: 20pt"|Other services||2,000||4.6%
|-
|style="left-padding: 20pt"|Tourism-related||3,000||7.0%
|}
Worthing's economy is dominated by the service industry, particularly financial services. Major employers include [[GSK plc|GSK]], [[LEMO|LEMO electronics]], Rayner Lenses, [[HM Revenue & Customs]], the [[Environment Agency]] and [[Southern Water]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.adur-worthing.gov.uk/media/Media,147639,smxx.pdf |title=Economic Profile of Worthing 2019 |publisher=Adur and Worthing Councils |access-date=4 August 2022}}</ref>
In October 2009, GlaxoSmithKline confirmed that 250 employees in Worthing would lose their jobs at the factory, which makes the antibiotics [[Co-amoxiclav|co-amoxiclav (Augmentin)]] and [[Amoxicillin|amoxicillin (Amoxin)]] and hundreds of other products.<ref name="GSK-Worthing">{{cite web |url=http://www.gsk.com/careers/uk-gms-worthing.htm |title=Worthing |date=10 June 2008 |publisher=[[GlaxoSmithKline|GlaxoSmithKline plc]] |access-date=23 November 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090831131626/http://www.gsk.com/careers/uk-gms-worthing.htm |archive-date=31 August 2009}}</ref><ref name="Argus-07102009">{{cite web |url=http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/4666875.Sussex_drugs_giant_still_plans_job_cuts___despite_new_orders/ |title=Sussex drugs giant still plans job cuts – despite new orders |last=Thomson |first=Sam |date=7 October 2009 |work=[[The Argus (Brighton)|The Argus]] |publisher=[[Newsquest|Newsquest Media Group]] |access-date=23 November 2009 |archive-date=18 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118204047/http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/4666875.Sussex_drugs_giant_still_plans_job_cuts___despite_new_orders/ |url-status=live}}</ref>  {{As of|2009}}, there were approximately 43,000 jobs in the borough.<ref name="ASHE2009">{{cite web |url=http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_labour/ASHE-2009/tab8_1a.xls |title=Weekly pay: Gross |format=XLS |year=2009 |work=2009 Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) |publisher=[[Office for National Statistics]] |access-date=20 December 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629153854/http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_labour/ASHE-2009/tab8_1a.xls |archive-date=29 June 2011}}</ref>
Although Worthing was voted the most profitable town in Britain for three consecutive years at the end of the 1990s,<ref name="VW-About">{{cite web |url=http://www.visitworthing.co.uk/AboutWorthing/ |title=About Worthing |year=2008 |work=Visit Worthing website |publisher=Worthing Borough Council |access-date=20 December 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130505133449/http://www.visitworthing.co.uk/AboutWorthing/ |archive-date=5 May 2013}}</ref><ref name="Indy-01091998">{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/britains-tiger-economy-is-worthing-1195239.html |title=Britain's tiger economy is Worthing |last=Buncombe |first=Andrew |date=1 September 1998 |work=[[The Independent|The Independent on Sunday]] |publisher=[[Independent News & Media|Independent News and Media plc]] |access-date=20 December 2009 |location=London |archive-date=19 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110919122508/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/britains-tiger-economy-is-worthing-1195239.html |url-status=live}}</ref> the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2009 found that Worthing residents' mean pre-tax pay is only £452 per week, compared to £487 for West Sussex and £535 for South East England as a whole.<ref name="ASHE2009"/>
In 2008, Worthing was in the top 10 urban areas in England for jobs in each of three key sectors, thought to have a significant impact on economic performance: creative, high-tech industries and knowledge-intensive business services.<ref name=CLGEvidenceBase>{{cite web |url=http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/regeneration/updatingevidencecities |title=Updating the evidence base on English cities – final report |date=31 January 2011 |publisher=[[Communities and Local Government]] |access-date=28 July 2011 |archive-date=14 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110614144549/http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/regeneration/updatingevidencecities |url-status=live}}</ref>  The 2012 UK Town and City Index from [[Santander UK]] ranked Worthing as the second highest town or city in the UK for connectivity<ref name="UKTCI">{{cite web |url=http://businessinsight.santandercb.co.uk/map-feature/Final-Town-and-Cities-Index.pdf |type=PDF |title=The Santander UK Town and City Index |publisher=Santander UK |year=2012 |access-date=27 November 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131126091849/http://businessinsight.santandercb.co.uk/map-feature/Final-Town-and-Cities-Index.pdf |archive-date=26 November 2013}}</ref> and ranked fifth in the UK overall out of 74 towns and cities.<ref name="UKTCI"/>
{{Update|date=September 2017}}
===Regeneration===
In June 2006, Worthing Borough Council agreed a masterplan for the town's regeneration,<ref name="WBC-Masterplan">{{cite web |url=http://www.worthing.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/newsarchive2006/june/title,34171,en.html |title=Worthing Masterplan offers a vision of the future |date=6 December 2006 |publisher=Worthing Borough Council |access-date=23 November 2009 |archive-date=1 September 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090901083047/http://www.worthing.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/newsarchive2006/june/title,34171,en.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="WorthingRegen">{{cite web |url=http://www.worthingregeneration.com/regeneration/ |title=Worthing Regeneration |year=2007 |work=Worthing Regeneration website |publisher=Worthing Borough Council |access-date=23 November 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090830055143/http://www.worthingregeneration.com/regeneration/ |archive-date=30 August 2009}}</ref> focused on improving the town centre and seafront. A new £150&nbsp;million development is proposed for [[Teville Gate]], between Worthing railway station and the A24 at the northern approach to the town centre. It is expected to include two residential towers, a [[multiplex cinema]], hotel and conference and exhibition centre.<ref name="WGateway">{{cite web |url=http://www.worthinggateway.co.uk/ |title=Worthing Gateway: a great new place to meet, to live and to work |year=2010 |work=Worthing Gateway website |publisher=Hanson Capital Management |access-date=26 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101110023613/http://www.worthinggateway.co.uk/ |archive-date=10 November 2010}}</ref>  The developers are expected to apply for [[planning permission]] in the summer of 2010.<ref name="WBC-WorthingGateway">{{cite web |url=http://www.worthing.gov.uk/news/features/tevillegate-worthinggateway/pdffile,73656,en.pdf |title=Teville Gate – Worthing Gateway |date=23 July 2010 |publisher=Worthing Borough Council |access-date=26 July 2010 |archive-date=16 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716143603/http://www.worthing.gov.uk/news/features/tevillegate-worthinggateway/pdffile,73656,en.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> Redevelopment is planned for the Grafton Street car park area;<ref name="BBC-17072007">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/sussex/6902138.stm |title=Town eyesore could be demolished |date=17 July 2007 |publisher=BBC |access-date=24 November 2009 |archive-date=2 September 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070902093636/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/sussex/6902138.stm |url-status=live}}</ref> and the town's major undercover shopping centre, the Guildbourne Centre, may be rebuilt entirely and extended to Union Place, covering the site of the town's former [[police station]].
[[File:Worthing Victorian Promenade Shelter at Dusk, July 2018.jpg|thumb|left| Worthing Victorian promenade shelter at dusk, July 2018]]
In the longer term, the area around Worthing's [[Worthing Museum and Art Gallery|museum, art gallery]], library and town hall—collectively described as the "Worthing Cultural and Civic Hub"—is to be revamped to provide extra facilities and new housing.<ref name="DTZ-Report">{{cite web |url=http://www.worthingregeneration.com/regeneration/media/Media,45320,en.pdf |title=Worthing Cultural and Civic Hub – Development Options Review (Final Report) |date=December 2007 |publisher=[[DTZ]] |access-date=20 December 2009}}{{dead link|date=September 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>  In 2009, Worthing Borough Council applied for a £5&nbsp;million grant from the [[Heritage Lottery Fund]] to redevelop and enlarge the museum.<ref name="HLF">{{cite web |url=http://www.hlf.org.uk/aboutus/decisionmakers/Documents/South%20East/SE_summaryreportJune1.pdf |title=Heritage Lottery Fund Committee for South East England Meeting on 10&nbsp;June 2009 |date=10 June 2009 |publisher=[[Heritage Lottery Fund]] |access-date=20 December 2009}}{{dead link|date=September 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>  A new £16&nbsp;million municipal swimming pool, Splash Point Leisure Centre, has been designed by [[Stirling Prize]]-winning architects [[Wilkinson Eyre]];<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wilkinsoneyre.com/projects/worthing-pool.aspx?category=sport-and-leisure |title=Splashpoint Leisure Centre &#124; Projects &#124; WilkinsonEyre.Architects |publisher=Wilkinsoneyre.com |access-date=19 May 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201172143/http://www.wilkinsoneyre.com/projects/worthing-pool.aspx?category=sport-and-leisure |archive-date=1 February 2014}}</ref> it was opened by Paralympian [[Ellie Simmonds]] in June 2013.  It has been proposed that Montague Place is pedestrianised to improve the link between the town centre and the seafront.<ref name="Masterplan-AppendixIII">{{cite web |url=http://www.worthingregeneration.com/regeneration/media/Media,41148,en.pdf |title=Appendix iii: Site Information |year=2007 |work=Worthing Regeneration masterplan |publisher=Worthing Borough Council |access-date=20 December 2009}}{{dead link|date=September 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
Completed regeneration projects include the reopening of the [[Dome Cinema]] in 2007 after major investment from the [[National Lottery (United Kingdom)|Heritage Lottery Fund]], and a £5.5&nbsp;million [[mixed-use development]] on the site of a former hotel near Teville Gate.<ref name="Herald-21012009">{{cite web |url=http://www.worthingherald.co.uk/worthing/Teville-Gate39s-39little-brother39-takes.4899965.jp |title=Teville Gate's "little brother" takes shape |date=21 January 2009 |work=Worthing Herald |publisher=[[Johnston Press|Johnston Press Digital Publishing]] |access-date=24 November 2009}}</ref>
==Transport==
[[File:Worthing Station 03.JPG|thumb|right|A [[Southern (train operating company)|Southern]] train arrives at [[Worthing railway station]].]]
{{Main|Transport in Worthing}}
A [[Turnpike trust|turnpike]] was opened in 1803 to connect Worthing with London,<ref name="WAPH85">{{Harvnb|Elleray|1977|loc=§85.}}</ref><ref name="MEWH119">{{Harvnb|Elleray|1998|p=119.}}</ref> and similar toll roads were built later in the 19th century to connect nearby villages.<ref name="MEWH119"/><ref name="MEWH120">{{Harvnb|Elleray|1998|p=120.}}</ref> [[Stagecoach]] traffic grew rapidly until 1845, when the opening of a [[West Coastway Line|railway line]] from Brighton brought about an immediate decline.<ref name="MEWH61">{{Harvnb|Elleray|1998|p=61.}}</ref>  The former turnpike is now the [[A24 road (England)|A24]], a [[primary route]] which runs northwards to London via [[Horsham]] and connects Worthing with the [[M25 motorway]]. Two east–west routes run through the borough: the [[A27 road|A27]] [[trunk road]] runs to [[Brighton]] in the east, and to [[Chichester]], [[Portsmouth]] and the [[M27 motorway]] in the west. The [[A259 road|A259]] follows a coastal route between [[Hampshire]] and [[Kent]].<ref name="WBC-Travel">{{cite web |url=http://www.visitworthing.co.uk/travelandtransport/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090408215741/http://www.visitworthing.co.uk/travelandtransport/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=8 April 2009 |title=Travel and Transport – How to get to Worthing |year=2008 |publisher=Worthing Borough Council |access-date=9 November 2009}}</ref>
Most local and long-distance buses are operated by [[Stagecoach South]] which has its origins in [[Southdown Motor Services]]—founded in 1915 with one route to [[Pulborough]].<ref name="MEWH44">{{Harvnb|Elleray|1998|p=44.}}</ref>  Stagecoach in the South Downs operates several routes around the town and to [[Midhurst]], Brighton and Portsmouth.<ref name="StagecoachMap">{{cite web |url=http://www.stagecoachbus.com/uploads/WorthingNetworkMapweb%5B1%5D.pdf |title=Main Bus Routes in Worthing |date=12 July 2007 |publisher=[[Stagecoach Group]] |access-date=9 November 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090710215547/http://www.stagecoachbus.com/uploads/WorthingNetworkMapweb%5B1%5D.pdf |archive-date=10 July 2009}}</ref>  The most frequent service, between [[Lancing, West Sussex|Lancing]] and [[Durrington, West Sussex|Durrington]], was branded ''PULSE'' in 2006.<ref name="Pulse">{{cite web |title=Get with the beat&nbsp;... The Pulse&nbsp;... NEW to Worthing |url=https://www.stagecoachbus.com/ |date=3 September 2006 |publisher=[[Stagecoach Group]] |access-date=10 November 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091002094320/https://www.stagecoachbus.com/ |archive-date=2 October 2009}}</ref>  Worthing-based Compass Travel have routes to [[Angmering]], Chichester, [[Henfield]] and Lancing;<ref name="Compass">{{cite web |url=http://www.compass-travel.co.uk/places_we_serve.html |title=Compass Bus Timetables |date=1 September 2009 |publisher=Compass Travel |access-date=9 November 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091208070024/http://www.compass-travel.co.uk/places_we_serve.html |archive-date=8 December 2009}}</ref> and other companies serve Horsham, [[Crawley]],<ref name="Metrobus">{{cite web |url=http://www.metrobus.co.uk/timetable.php?route_id=11&type=week |title=Timetables, Route 23/24 |year=2009 |publisher=Metrobus Ltd |access-date=9 November 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081218174232/http://www.metrobus.co.uk/timetable.php?route_id=11&type=week |archive-date=18 December 2008}}</ref> Brighton<ref name="B&H">{{cite web |url=http://history.buses.co.uk/bustimes/tt2-270909.pdf |title=Timetable 2/2A |date=27 September 2009 |publisher=[[Brighton & Hove (bus company)|Brighton & Hove]] |access-date=9 November 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091122185821/http://history.buses.co.uk/bustimes/tt2-270909.pdf |archive-date=22 November 2009}}</ref> and intermediate destinations. [[National Express Coaches|National Express coaches]] run between London's [[Victoria Coach Station]] and Marine Parade.<ref name="NEX025">{{cite web |url=http://www.nationalexpress.com/destinations/timetables/025.pdf |title=National Express Coach Timetable 025 |year=2009 |publisher=[[National Express Coaches|National Express]] |access-date=10 November 2009 |archive-date=18 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018120838/http://www.nationalexpress.com/destinations/timetables/025.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>  During the 1920s and 1930s, a fleet of up to 15 converted [[Shelvoke & Drewry]] [[Garbage truck|dustbin lorries]]—the [[Worthing Tramocars]]—operated local bus services alongside more conventional vehicles.<ref name="WAPH-95">{{Harvnb|Elleray|1977|loc=§. 95.}}</ref>{{sfn|Southdown Enthusiasts Club|2002|page=10}}
The borough has five railway stations: [[East Worthing railway station|East Worthing]], [[Worthing railway station|Worthing]], [[West Worthing railway station|West Worthing]], [[Durrington-on-Sea railway station|Durrington-on-Sea]] and [[Goring-by-Sea railway station|Goring-by-Sea]]. All are on the [[West Coastway Line]] and are managed and operated by [[Govia Thameslink Railway]].<ref name="SN-Map">{{cite web |url=http://www.southernrailway.com/uploads/network_map/largeNetworkOffPDF.pdf |title=Network Map |year=2009 |work=Southern Railway network map |publisher=[[Govia]] |access-date=9 November 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101128221821/http://southernrailway.com/uploads/network_map/largeNetworkOffPDF.pdf |archive-date=28 November 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Worthing opened on 24 November 1845 as a temporary terminus of the line from Brighton, which was extended to Chichester the following year and electrified in the 1930s.<ref name="SCR-BW-iv">{{Harvnb|Mitchell|Smith|1983|p=iv.}}</ref>  Regular services run to destinations such as London, [[Gatwick Airport railway station|Gatwick Airport]], [[Brighton railway station|Brighton]], [[Littlehampton railway station|Littlehampton]] and [[Portsmouth Harbour railway station|Portsmouth]].<ref name="SN-Timetable3">{{cite web |url=http://www.southernrailway.com/download/2293.2/book-3-west-coastway-and-arun-valley-services.pdf |title=Southern Train Times 3: West Coastway and Arun Valley services |year=2009 |work=Southern timetable book 3 |publisher=[[Govia]] |access-date=9 November 2009}} {{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref>
[[Shoreham Airport]] is about {{convert|5|mi|km|sigfig=1}} east of Worthing. The nearest [[international airport]] is [[Gatwick Airport|Gatwick]], about {{convert|28|mi|km}} to the northeast.<ref name="WBC-Travel"/>
==Public services==
{{Main|Public services in Worthing}}
[[File:Centenary House, Durrington (Geograph Image 019179 b9627b87).jpg|thumb|right|Centenary House is the headquarters of the West Downs division of [[Sussex Police]].]]
[[Home Office]] policing in Worthing is provided by the Worthing district of the West Sussex division of [[Sussex Police]].<ref name="SussexPolice-Map">{{cite web |url=http://www.sussex.police.uk/npt/district_map.asp |title=Policing your Neighbourhood – Local Policing |year=2009 |publisher=[[Sussex Police]] |access-date=20 December 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091211232856/http://www.sussex.police.uk/npt/district_map.asp |archive-date=11 December 2009}}</ref>  The district is divided into two neighbourhood policing teams—North and South—for operational purposes. The police station is in Chatsworth Road.<ref name="SussexPolice-WorthingDistrict">{{cite web |url=http://www.sussex.police.uk/neighbourhood_policing/district.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170710025531/https://sussex.police.uk/neighbourhood_policing/district.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-date=10 July 2017 |title=Worthing District |year=2009 |publisher=[[Sussex Police]] |access-date=20 December 2009}}</ref>  The West Downs division's headquarters is at Centenary House in Durrington.<ref name="SussexPolice-WDHQ">{{cite web |url=http://www.sussex.police.uk/foi/docview.asp?id=927 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081108002244/http://www.sussex.police.uk/foi/docview.asp?id=927 |url-status=dead |archive-date=8 November 2008 |title=Freedom of Information Request: Police stations opened or closed since 1997 (Reference: FOI 619/07) |date=December 2007 |publisher=[[Sussex Police]] |access-date=20 December 2009}}</ref>  Worthing's fire station has been in Broadwater since 1962. The borough had been in charge of fire protection since 1891, after several decades in which volunteers provided the service. A fire station was built on Worthing High Street in 1908; it was demolished after the move to Broadwater.<ref name="VCH18228">{{cite web |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/Sussex/vol6/pt1/pp114-119 |title=A History of the County of Sussex: Volume 6 Part 1: Bramber Rape (Southern Part). Worthing: Local Government and Public Services |editor-last=Salzman |editor-first=L. F. |year=1980 |work=[[Victoria County History]] of Sussex |publisher=British History Online |pages=114–119 |access-date=20 December 2009 |archive-date=7 January 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150107234839/https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/Sussex/vol6/pt1/pp114-119 |url-status=live}}</ref>  The Worthing and Adur District Team, part of the West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service,<ref name="WSCC-W&AFire">{{cite web |url=http://www.westsussex.gov.uk/ccm/content/emergency-services/west-sussex-fire-and-rescue-service/how-we-work/your-district-teams.en |title=Your District Teams: Worthing & Adur |date=4 June 2009 |publisher=West Sussex County Council |access-date=20 December 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100313164952/http://www.westsussex.gov.uk/ccm/content/emergency-services/west-sussex-fire-and-rescue-service/how-we-work/your-district-teams.en |archive-date=13 March 2010}}</ref> employs 60 full-time and 18 [[retained firefighter]]s.<ref name="WSCC-WorthingFS">{{cite web |url=http://www.westsussex.gov.uk/ccm/content/emergency-services/west-sussex-fire-and-rescue-service/how-we-work/fire-stations.en?page=29 |title=Fire Stations: Worthing |date=29 June 2009 |publisher=West Sussex County Council |access-date=20 December 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100330073218/http://www.westsussex.gov.uk/ccm/content/emergency-services/west-sussex-fire-and-rescue-service/how-we-work/fire-stations.en?page=29 |archive-date=30 March 2010}}</ref>
[[Worthing Hospital]] is administered by the [[University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust]]. The 500-bed facility on Lyndhurst Road was founded in 1881 as an 18-bed infirmary.<ref name="VCH18228"/><ref name="MEWH83">{{Harvnb|Elleray|1998|p=83.}}</ref>  It replaced older hospitals on Ann Street and Chapel Road.<ref name="MEWH83"/>  Other medical care facilities include two mental health units (Greenacres and Meadowfield Hospital)<ref name="Meadowfield">{{cite web |url=http://www.nhs.uk/servicedirectories/pages/Hospital.aspx?id=RX277 |title=Meadowfield General Information |year=2009 |work=NHS Choices website |publisher=[[National Health Service]] |access-date=20 December 2009 |archive-date=10 July 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090710075857/http://www.nhs.uk/ServiceDirectories/Pages/Hospital.aspx?id=RX277 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Greenacres">{{cite web |url=http://www.nhs.uk/ServiceDirectories/pages/Hospital.aspx?id=RX2A8 |title=Greenacres General Information |year=2009 |work=NHS Choices website |publisher=[[National Health Service]] |access-date=20 December 2009}} {{Dead link|date=November 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> and a 38-bed private hospital in the [[Listed building|Grade II-listed]] Goring Hall.
Gas was manufactured in Worthing for nearly 100 years until 1931,<ref name="VCH18228"/><ref name="MEWH77">{{Harvnb|Elleray|1998|p=77.}}</ref> but [[Scotia Gas Networks]] now supply the town through their Southern Gas Networks division.<ref name="SGN">{{cite web |url=http://www.sgn.co.uk/ScotiaGas/uploadedFiles/About/Southern%20Gas%20Networks.pdf |title=About Southern Gas Networks |year=2005 |publisher=[[Scotia Gas Networks]] |access-date=20 December 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111008222415/http://www.sgn.co.uk/ScotiaGas/uploadedFiles/About/Southern%20Gas%20Networks.pdf |archive-date=8 October 2011}}</ref>  Electricity generation took place locally between 1901 and 1961;<ref name="VCH18228"/><ref name="MEWH77"/> [[EDF Energy]] now supply the town.<ref name="EDF">{{cite web |url=http://www.edfenergy.com/products-services/networks/about-networks/where-we-work.shtml |title=EDF Energy Networks: Where we work |year=2009 |publisher=[[EDF Energy]] |access-date=20 December 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091203070708/http://www.edfenergy.com/products-services/networks/about-networks/where-we-work.shtml |archive-date=3 December 2009}}</ref> [[Southern Water]], who have been based in Durrington since 1989, have controlled Worthing's water supply, drainage and sewerage since 1974. The town's first waterworks was built in 1852.<ref name="MEWH140">{{Harvnb|Elleray|1998|p=140.}}</ref>  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.<ref name="VCH18228"/><ref name="MEWH136">{{Harvnb|Elleray|1998|p=136.}}</ref>
==Voluntary and community groups==
There are a number of voluntary and community groups active in the town ranging from small volunteer-led groups to large well established charities. There is a Council for Voluntary Service and a Volunteer Centre funded by the local authority to support voluntary action. In 2003-4 registered charities in Worthing indicated a combined income of £56&nbsp;million in the submitted accounts to the Charity Commission. The Place Survey conducted in all local authority districts by central government in 2009 found that up to 24,000 people in Worthing described themselves as giving volunteer time in the community.
==Culture==
===Literature===
[[File:Harold Pinter's home, Worthing.jpg|thumb|right|Harold Pinter's former house in Ambrose Place]]
Salvington in Worthing was the birthplace of philosopher and scholar [[John Selden]] in 1584.<ref name="MEWH28"/> [[Jane Austen]]'s unfinished final novel ''[[Sanditon]]'' is thought to have been significantly based on experiences from her stay in Worthing in 1805.<ref>{{harvnb|Edmonds|2013}}</ref><ref>Halperin, John, "Jane Austen's Anti-Romantic Fragment: Some Notes on Sanditon", 1983, University of Tulsa</ref> Two of [[Percy Bysshe Shelley]]'s earliest works were printed in Worthing, including ''[[The Necessity of Atheism]]'' in 1811, which resulted in Shelley's expulsion from Oxford University and falling out with his father.  Shelley's [[Bysshe Shelley|grandfather]] built [[Castle Goring]] and his [[Timothy Shelley|father]] was the first chairman of what became [[Worthing Borough Council|Worthing Council]].<ref>{{harvnb|Hare|1991|p=1}}</ref> [[Oscar Wilde]] wrote ''[[The Importance of Being Earnest]]'' while staying in the town in the summer of 1894; its main character Jack/Ernest Worthing is named after it.<ref name="MEWH28a">{{Harvnb|Elleray|1998}}</ref>  In the 1960s, playwright [[Harold Pinter]] lived wrote ''[[The Homecoming]]'' at his home in Ambrose Place.<ref name="LahrPinter">{{cite web |url=http://www.johnlahr.com/pinter.html |title=Harold Pinter, Demolition Man, from the New Yorker, December 2007 |last=Lahr |first=John |author-link=John Lahr |access-date=27 February 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100112044316/http://www.johnlahr.com/pinter.html |archive-date=12 January 2010}}</ref>  Other literary figures to have lived in the town include [[W.E. Henley]],<ref name="MEWH28"/> [[William Henry Hudson|W.H. Hudson]],<ref name="MEWH28"/> [[Stephen Spender]],<ref name="SpenderBiog">{{Cite book |last=Sutherland |first=John |author-link=John Sutherland (author) |title=Stephen Spender: a Literary Life |publisher=[[Penguin Books]] |location=London |year=2004 |isbn=0-19-517816-5 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/stephenspenderli00suth}}</ref> [[Dorothy Richardson]],<ref name="SxWomen">{{Citation |first=Helena |last=Wojtczak |title=Notable Sussex Women |publisher=Hastings Press |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-904109-15-0}}</ref> [[Edward Knoblock]],<ref name="VisitWorthing">{{citation |url=http://www.visitworthing.co.uk/aboutworthing/blueplaques/ |title=Blue Plaques in Worthing |access-date=27 February 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130505085653/http://www.visitworthing.co.uk/aboutworthing/blueplaques/ |archive-date=5 May 2013}}</ref> [[Beatrice Hastings]],<ref name="Spartacus">{{citation |url=http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/CRIMEhastings.htm |title=Emily Alice Haigh (Beatrice Hastings) |access-date=27 February 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110204212917/http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/CRIMEhastings.htm |archive-date=4 February 2011}}</ref> [[Maureen Duffy]],<ref name="MaureenDuffy">{{citation |url=http://www.maureenduffy.co.uk/ |title=Maureen Duffy Author Poet Playwright |access-date=7 February 2010 |archive-date=30 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100130014012/http://www.maureenduffy.co.uk/ |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Vivien Alcock]],<ref name="IndependentObituary">{{citation |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/vivien-alcock-548956.html |title=Vivien Alcock, Children's writer and wife of Leon Garfield |access-date=27 February 2010 |work=The Independent |location=London |date=22 October 2003 |archive-date=19 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110919160327/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/vivien-alcock-548956.html |url-status=dead}}</ref> [[William Arthur Dunkerley|John Oxenham]]<ref name="MEWH28"/> and his daughter [[Elsie J. Oxenham]].<ref name="MEWH28"/>
===Film and television===
[[File:Dome Cinema on Marine Parade, Worthing, West Sussex.jpg|thumb|Facing the seafront, the Dome Cinema first opened in 1911 and is one of the UK's oldest working cinemas.]]
The history of film in Worthing dates back to exhibitions on [[Worthing Pier]] in 1896, and two years later [[William Kennedy Dickson]]—inventor of the [[Kinetoscope]], a pioneering motion picture device—visited the town to film daily life. In the early 20th century, several cinemas were established, although most were short-lived.<ref name="MEWH57">{{Harvnb|Elleray|1998|p=57.}}</ref><ref name="MEWH58">{{Harvnb|Elleray|1998|p=58.}}</ref>  Other former cinemas include the Rivoli (1924–1960), the 2,000-capacity Plaza (1933–1968) and the 1,600-capacity Odeon (1934–1986).<ref name="MEWH58"/>  The Kursaal was built in 1910 as a combined skating rink and theatre by [[Switzerland|Swiss]] impresario [[Carl Adolf Seebold]]. It was renamed the Dome in 1915 in response to anti-German sentiment during [[World War I]]. Seebold opened the 950-capacity [[Dome Cinema, Worthing|Dome Cinema]] in place of the skating rink in 1922;<ref name="MEWH57"/> it is still open, and is one of Britain's oldest operational cinemas.<ref name="Times-16062006">{{cite news |url=http://property.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/property/buying_and_selling/article1083573.ece |title=Wild about Worthing |last=Miller |first=Norman |date=16 June 2006 |work=The Times |location=UK |publisher=Times Newspapers Ltd |access-date=15 December 2009 |archive-date=28 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928041039/http://property.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/property/buying_and_selling/article1083573.ece |url-status=dead}}</ref>  The Connaught Screen 2 cinema (formerly the Ritz, and before that Connaught Hall) was established in 1995.<ref name="MEWH58"/><ref name="WT-Ritz">{{cite web |url=http://www.worthingtheatres.co.uk/AbouttheTheatres/Screen2/ |title=Screen 2 |year=2003–2008 |work=Worthing Theatres website |publisher=Worthing Borough Council |access-date=15 December 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090428034546/http://www.worthingtheatres.co.uk/AbouttheTheatres/Screen2/ |archive-date=28 April 2009}}</ref>
Many films and television programmes have been filmed using Worthing as the backdrop including: [[Pinter]]'s ''[[The Birthday Party (1968 film)|The Birthday Party]]'' (1968),<ref name="IMDB TBP">{{citation |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062732/locations |title=IMDB The Birthday Party (1968) |access-date=27 February 2010 |archive-date=23 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123002556/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062732/locations |url-status=live}}</ref> directed by [[William Friedkin]] (best known for directing ''[[The French Connection (film)|The French Connection]]'' in 1971 and ''[[The Exorcist (film)|The Exorcist]]'' in 1973), ''[[Black Mirror]]'' (2023), ''[[Dance with a Stranger]]'' (1985),<ref name="AWVW"/> ''[[Wish You Were Here (1987 film)|Wish You Were Here]]'' (1987),<ref name="AWVW">{{cite web |url=http://www.visitworthing.co.uk/AboutWorthing/ |title=Visit Worthing – A History of Worthing |access-date=27 February 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130505133449/http://www.visitworthing.co.uk/AboutWorthing/ |archive-date=5 May 2013}}</ref> ''[[Stan & Ollie]]'' (2018),<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sussexfilmoffice.co.uk/how-worthing-lido-landed-a-place-on-the-silver-screen/ |title=How Worthing Lido Landed a Place on the Silver Screen |publisher=Sussex Film Office |access-date=22 December 2019 |archive-date=23 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123002709/https://www.sussexfilmoffice.co.uk/ |url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[My Policeman (film)|My Policeman]]'' (2022),<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/19282650.harry-styles-every-policeman-filming-location-sussex/ |title=Harry Styles: Every My Policeman filming location in Sussex |first=Olivia |last=Marshall |publisher=The Argus |date=6 May 2021 |access-date=17 May 2021}}</ref> ''[[Vindication Swim]]'' (2024)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/arts-and-culture/film-and-tv/film-crews-spotted-lewes-why-2900528 |title=Film crews spotted in Lewes – this is why |first=Jennifer |last=Logan |publisher=Sussex Express |date=1 July 2020 |access-date=24 February 2021}}</ref> and ''[[Wicked Little Letters]]'' (2024) <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/news/people/wicked-little-letters-timothy-spall-pictured-on-film-set-on-worthing-seafront-3869290 |title=Wicked Little Letters: Timothy Spall pictured on film set on Worthing seafront |date=6 October 2022 |access-date=12 April 2023 |first=Connor |last=Gormley |publisher=Sussex Express}}</ref> as well as the television drama series ''[[Cuffs (TV series)|Cuffs]]'' (2015).<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.shorehamherald.co.uk/news/crew-film-in-worthing-for-bbc-drama-cuffs-1-6715277 |title=Crew film in Worthing for BBC drama Cuffs |date=29 April 2015 |access-date=22 December 2019 |archive-date=22 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191222213125/https://www.shorehamherald.co.uk/news/crew-film-in-worthing-for-bbc-drama-cuffs-1-6715277 |url-status=live}}</ref>
===Music===
Artists from Worthing include [[Alma Cogan]],<ref>{{cite book |first1=James |last1=Henry |first2=Colin |last2=Walton |title=Secret Worthing |publisher=Amberley Publishing |year=2016 |isbn=9781445651415}}</ref> [[Royal Blood (band)|Royal Blood]] and [[The Ordinary Boys]].  Worthing was home in the late 1960s to the [[Worthing Workshop]], a group of artists and musicians who included [[Leo Sayer]],<ref name="LSay">{{cite web |url=http://www.leosayer.com/biography/leos-story-so-far |title=1948-2010 The Story So Far |publisher=Leo Sayer |access-date=3 February 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150310161951/http://www.leosayer.com/biography/leos-story-so-far |archive-date=10 March 2015}}</ref> [[Brian James (guitarist)|Brian James]] of [[The Damned (band)|The Damned]], [[Billy Idol]] and [[Steamhammer (band)|Steamhammer]], whose guitarist, [[Martin Quittenton]], went on to co-write [[Rod Stewart]]'s UK number one hits "[[You Wear It Well]]"<ref>{{cite web |url=http://freakytrigger.co.uk/ft/2007/05/rod-stewart-you-wear-it-well/ |title=ROD STEWART – "You Wear It Well" |publisher=FreakyTrigger |date=2 September 1972 |access-date=8 January 2012 |archive-date=20 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320014753/http://freakytrigger.co.uk/ft/2007/05/rod-stewart-you-wear-it-well/ |url-status=live}}</ref> and "[[Maggie May]]".<ref name="RStone">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/rod-stewart/biography |title=Rolling Stone Artists - Rod Stewart |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |access-date=3 February 2012 |archive-date=18 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318224208/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/rod-stewart/biography |url-status=live}}</ref> For three days in 1970 a field on the outskirts of Worthing was the site of the [[Phun City]] music festival, the UK's first large-scale free music festival and organised by two former Worthing residents, [[UK underground]] musician and author [[Mick Farren]] and Gez Cox.<ref name="UK rock Phun City">{{cite web |url=http://www.ukrockfestivals.com/phun-city-menu.html |title=Phun City Free Festival 1970 |year=2007 |publisher=The Archive: UK Rock Festivals |access-date=27 February 2010 |archive-date=28 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100128032913/http://www.ukrockfestivals.com/phun-city-menu.html |url-status=live}}</ref> In the late 1980s and early 1990s [[Sterns Nightclub]] was a major centre for [[rave]] culture in the UK<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-49126916 |title=Sterns nightclub: The raves in the house on the hill |first=Tanya |last=Gupta |publisher=BBC |date=24 August 2019 |access-date=12 November 2019 |archive-date=9 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191009100053/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-49126916 |url-status=live}}</ref> and Worthing continues to have a notable electronic music scene.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://mixmag.net/feature/worthing-is-an-unlikely-hot-bed-of-electronic-music |title=Worthing Is An Unlikely Hotbed of Electronic Music |magazine=[[Mixmag]] |first=Al |last=Hubbard |date=16 July 2018 |access-date=7 June 2021}}</ref>
Music venues include the Assembly Hall, the [[Worthing Pier|Pavilion Theatre]], [[St Paul's Church, Worthing|The Venue]], the Factory Live,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thefactorylive.co.uk/about |title=About the Factory Live |access-date=12 November 2019 |publisher=The Factory Live |archive-date=12 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191112192418/https://www.thefactorylive.co.uk/about |url-status=live}}</ref> Jungle<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/18459241.show-must-go-worthings-budding-music-scene/ |title=Show must go on for Worthing's budding music scene |first=Samuel |last=Brooke |publisher=The Argus |date=19 May 2020 |access-date=7 June 2021}}</ref> and the Cellar Arts Club.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://cellarartsclub.com/ |title=Cellar Arts Club |publisher=Cellar Arts Club |access-date=28 July 2022}}</ref> The Assembly Hall is home to the [[Worthing Symphony Orchestra]], the Worthing Philharmonic Orchestra<ref name="MEWH104"/> and the [[Sussex International Piano Competition]].<ref name="TL">{{cite web |url=http://thelatest.co.uk/brighton/2013/04/09/worthing-plays-host-to-the-second-sussex-international-piano-competition/ |title=Worthing plays host to the second Sussex International Piano Competition |publisher=The Latest |first=Richard |last=Amey |date=9 April 2013 |access-date=9 April 2013 |archive-date=3 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130603233844/http://thelatest.co.uk/brighton/2013/04/09/worthing-plays-host-to-the-second-sussex-international-piano-competition/ |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Howarth of London]], the UK's largest manufacturer of professional standard oboes are based in Worthing.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.howarth.uk.com/aboutus.aspx |title=About us |website=www.howarth.uk.com |access-date=6 June 2017 |archive-date=6 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170606010633/http://howarth.uk.com/aboutus.aspx |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.yell.com/biz/howarth-of-london-ltd-worthing-776998/ |title=Howarth of London Ltd, Worthing {{!}} Musical Instrument & Sheet Music Shops - Yell |website=www.yell.com |language=en-GB |access-date=6 June 2017 |archive-date=23 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123002652/https://www.yell.com/biz/howarth-of-london-ltd-worthing-776998/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
===Theatre===
As of 2019 Worthing has three council-owned theatres: the [[Art Deco]] [[Connaught Theatre]] (formerly called Picturdrome),<ref name="cinematreasures.org">{{Cite web |url=http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/23914 |title=Connaught Theatre in Worthing, GB - Cinema Treasures |website=cinematreasures.org |access-date=6 June 2017 |archive-date=21 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180121022141/http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/23914 |url-status=live}}</ref> the [[Baroque architecture|Baroque]] Pavilion Theatre<ref name="MEWH133"/> and the [[Modernist architecture|Modernist]], Grade II-listed Assembly Hall, which is mostly used for musical performances (including since 1950 an annual music festival).<ref name="cinematreasures.org"/><ref name="MEWH36">{{Harvnb|Elleray|1998|p=36.}}</ref><ref name="MEWH104">{{Harvnb|Elleray|1998|p=104.}}</ref>  Theatre has been performed in Worthing since 1796. Thomas Trotter, the early promoter and manager at the town's temporary venues,<ref name="MEWH28">{{Harvnb|Elleray|1998|p=28.}}</ref> was asked to open a permanent theatre in 1807; his Theatre Royal opened on 7 July of that year and operated until 1855. The building survived until 1870. The 1,000-capacity New Theatre Royal in Bath Place, run by Carl Adolf Seebold for several years, lasted from 1897 until 1929.<ref name="MEWH133"/>
===Museums and galleries===
[[Worthing Museum and Art Gallery]] hosts one of the most significant costume collections in the UK.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://worthingmuseum.co.uk/about/our-vision/ |publisher=Worthing Museum and Art Gallery |title=Our Vision |access-date=12 November 2019 |archive-date=12 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191112084245/https://worthingmuseum.co.uk/about/our-vision/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Built in 1908 as the town's museum and library, it is expected to undergo a major redevelopment in 2020.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://worthingmuseum.co.uk/news/worthing-museum-and-art-gallery-aims-for-stunning-redevelopment-to-let-the-light-in/ |title=Worthing Museum and Art Gallery Aims for Stunning Redevelopment to "Let the Light In". |access-date=12 November 2019 |archive-date=12 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191112084820/https://worthingmuseum.co.uk/news/worthing-museum-and-art-gallery-aims-for-stunning-redevelopment-to-let-the-light-in/ |url-status=live}}</ref>  Alfred Cortis, the first mayor of Worthing, and the international philanthropist [[Andrew Carnegie]] funded the construction.<ref name="MEWH103">{{Harvnb|Elleray|1998|p=103.}}</ref>
In the visual arts, painter [[Copley Fielding]] lived at 5 Park Crescent in the mid-18th century.<ref name="MEWH28"/> and more recently [[Jamie Hewlett]] and [[Alan Martin (writer)|Alan Martin]] created cult comic figure ''[[Tank Girl]]'' while at college in the town in the 1980s.<ref name="grovel">{{cite web |url=http://www.grovel.org.uk/tank-girl-one |title=Tank Girl One |date=17 July 2009 |access-date=24 February 2010 |archive-date=11 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100311235841/http://www.grovel.org.uk/tank-girl-one/ |url-status=live}}/</ref>  The town has a famous work by sculptor [[Elisabeth Frink]]. Uniquely in England, Desert Quartet (1990), Frink's penultimate sculpture, was given Grade II* listing in 2007, less than 30 years from its creation. It may be seen on the building opposite Liverpool Gardens.  Hand-painted by Gary Bevans over more than five years, [[English Martyrs' Catholic Church, Goring-by-Sea|English Martyrs' Catholic Church]] in Goring has the world's only known reproduction of [[Michelangelo]]'s [[Sistine Chapel ceiling]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://english-martyrs.co.uk/our-church/visiting-us/sistine-chapel-ceiling/ |title=Welcome to The Sistine Chapel Reproduction United Kingdom |date=18 July 2016 |publisher=Sistine Chapel UK |access-date=25 February 2020 |archive-date=25 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200225084132/https://english-martyrs.co.uk/our-church/visiting-us/sistine-chapel-ceiling/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2020/jan/14/sistine-chapel-sussex-english-martyrs-church-michelangelo-goring-by-sea |title=The Sistine Chapel in Sussex – painted by the Michelangelo of Goring-by-Sea |work=[[The Guardian]] |first=Jonathan |last=Jones |date=14 January 2020 |access-date=25 February 2020 |archive-date=25 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200225024651/https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2020/jan/14/sistine-chapel-sussex-english-martyrs-church-michelangelo-goring-by-sea |url-status=live}}</ref>
===Buildings and architecture===
{{See also|Listed buildings in Worthing}}
[[File:Worthing Pier, An Art Deco Masterpiece, 2018.jpg|thumb|left|[[Worthing Pier]], an [[Art Deco]] masterpiece, 2018]]
[[File:Regency Townhouses in Ambrose Place, Worthing, 2018.jpg|thumb|left|Regency Townouses in Ambrose Place, Worthing]]
[[File:Beach House rear.jpg|thumb|right|[[Beach House, Worthing|Beach House]] was built by [[John Rebecca]] in the 1820s.]]
[[File:Boat Porch (Characteristic Architectural Feature of Worthing).JPG|thumb|right|Boat porches are found only in Worthing.]]
Few structures in central Worthing predate the 19th century, these being a few buildings on [[High Street, Worthing|Worthing High Street]] that are survivals from the early fishing hamlet of Worthing.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.worthingheritagealliance.org.uk/WHA_Trail1_TT1.pdf |title=Worthing Heritage Trails - Town Trail 1 |type=PDF |publisher=Worthing Heritage Alliance |access-date=26 November 2019 |archive-date=5 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160805141352/http://www.worthingheritagealliance.org.uk/WHA_Trail1_TT1.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>  There are some older buildings in the former villages outside the town centre.  For example, parts of [[St. Mary's Church, Broadwater|St Mary's Church]] in Broadwater date to the Saxon period and West Tarring has several buildings from the medieval and Tudor periods, including St Andrew's Church and the Archbishop's Palace, which date from the 13th century.
There are 213 [[listed building]]s in the borough of Worthing. Three of these—[[Castle Goring]], [[St. Mary's Church, Broadwater|St Mary's Church]] at Broadwater and the Archbishop's Palace at West Tarring—are classified at Grade I, which is used for buildings "of exceptional interest, sometimes considered to be internationally important".<ref name="EH2">{{cite web |url=http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/caring/listing/listed-buildings/ |title=Listed Buildings |year=2010 |publisher=[[English Heritage]] |access-date=26 August 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130126151823/http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/caring/listing/listed-buildings |archive-date=26 January 2013}}</ref> [[Worthing Pier]], [[Park Crescent, Worthing|Park Crescent]], [[Beach House]] and several churches are also listed.<ref name="WBC-Listed">{{cite web |url=http://www.worthing.gov.uk/worthings-services/planningandbuildingcontrol/planningpolicy/conservationareasandlistedbuildingregister/listedbuildingregister/ |title=Listed Building Register |date=19 August 2008 |publisher=Worthing Borough Council |access-date=15 December 2009 |archive-date=4 October 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101004005927/http://www.worthing.gov.uk/worthings-services/planningandbuildingcontrol/planningpolicy/conservationareasandlistedbuildingregister/listedbuildingregister/ |url-status=dead}}</ref>
[[File:The Warnes, Marine Parade, Worthing, 2018.jpg|thumb|left|The dramatic Art Deco-inspired Warnes building on Marine Parade, Worthing]]
Since 1896, when Warwick House was demolished, many historic buildings have been lost and others altered.<ref name="MEWH139">{{Harvnb|Elleray|1998|p=139.}}</ref>  The town's first and most distinguished theatre, the Theatre Royal, and the adjacent Omega Cottage (the home of the theatre's first manager) were lost in 1970 when the Guildbourne Centre was built;<ref name="MEWH133">{{Harvnb|Elleray|1998|p=133.}}</ref><ref name="WAOCIntro">{{Harvnb|Elleray|1985|loc=Introduction.}}</ref> Warne's Hotel and the Royal Sea House burnt down;<ref name="MEWH89">{{Harvnb|Elleray|1998|p=89.}}</ref><ref name="MEWH91">{{Harvnb|Elleray|1998|p=91.}}</ref> the early [[Public bathing#Britain|bath-houses]] which were vital to Worthing's success as a fashionable resort were all demolished in the 20th century;<ref name="MEWH38">{{Harvnb|Elleray|1998|p=38.}}</ref> Broadwater's ancient [[rectory]] rotted away after it fell out of use in 1924;<ref name="MEWH44"/> and several old streets in the town centre had all their buildings demolished for postwar redevelopment.<ref name="WAOCIntro"/>
Pale yellow bricks have been made locally since about 1780, and are commonly encountered as a building material.<ref name="MEWH41">{{Harvnb|Elleray|1998|p=41.}}</ref> [[Flint]] is the other predominant structural material: its local abundance has ensured its frequent use. The combination of flint and red brick is characteristic of Worthing. In particular, walls built alongside streets or to mark out boundaries were almost always built of flint with brick dressings, especially in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.<ref name="MEWH76">{{Harvnb|Elleray|1998|p=76.}}</ref>
Boat porches are a unique architectural feature of Worthing. These structures surround the entrance doors of some early 19th-century houses, and take the form of a [[stucco]]ed porch with an [[ogee]]-headed roof which resembles the bottom of a boat. Historians have speculated that the cottages, examples of which are in Albert Place, Warwick Place and elsewhere, may have been built by local fishermen who used their boats as a basis for the design.<ref name="Crafter">{{Cite web |last=Crafter |first=Cate |date=2021-07-14 |title=9 things you probably didn't know about Worthing |url=https://www.greatbritishlife.co.uk/travel/places-to-visit/9-interesting-facts-about-worthing-west-sussex-8143218 |access-date=2021-07-20 |website=Great British Life |language=en-UK}}</ref><ref name="MEWH40">{{Harvnb|Elleray|1998|p=40.}}</ref>
The town has a small number of residential [[high-rise building]]s including Manor Lea at {{convert|43|m|ft|0}}, built in 1967<ref>{{Cite web |title=Manor Lea |url=http://www.skyscrapernews.com/buildings.php?id=5873 |access-date=15 March 2013 |archive-date=28 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130828213741/http://skyscrapernews.com/buildings.php?id=5873 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Worthing Local Interest Study |url=http://www.adur-worthing.gov.uk/media/media,99455,en.pdf |type=PDF |publisher=Worthing Borough Council |access-date=8 May 2013 |archive-date=10 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130910165849/http://adur-worthing.gov.uk/media/media,99455,en.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Bayside, Worthing|Bayside Vista]] at {{convert|172|ft|0||order=flip}},<ref>{{Cite tweet |user=BaysideWorthing |author=Bayside Apartments |number=1034048368979394565 |date=27 August 2018 |title=Bayside Fact #3 |url=https://twitter.com/BaysideWorthing/status/1034048368979394565}}</ref> under development and expected to be completed in 2021.  The [[Splashpoint Leisure Centre]] won a [[World Architecture Festival]] award in 2013.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.archdaily.com/434763/winners-of-the-world-architecture-festival-2013 |title=Winners of the World Architecture Festival 2013 |date=3 October 2013 |publisher=Arch Daily |access-date=18 November 2019 |archive-date=1 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200201211950/https://www.archdaily.com/434763/winners-of-the-world-architecture-festival-2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>  A {{convert|46|m|ft|0|adj=on}} tall ferris wheel was opened in 2019.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/17768771.worthing-39-s-big-wheel-now-open-business/ |title=Worthing's Big Wheel is Now Open for Business |publisher=The Argus newspaper |first=Joe |last=Riddle |date=13 July 2019 |access-date=18 November 2019 |archive-date=14 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190714153704/https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/17768771.worthing-39-s-big-wheel-now-open-business/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
===Folklore===
The Midsummer Tree, an [[oak]], stands near Broadwater Green and is said to be around 300 years old. Until the 19th century, it was believed that on [[Midsummer|Midsummer's Eve]] skeletons would rise from the tree and dance around it until dawn, when they would sink back into the ground.<ref name="Argus-28032006">{{cite news |url=http://archive.theargus.co.uk/2006/3/28/209322.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130421104537/http://archive.theargus.co.uk/2006/3/28/209322.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=21 April 2013 |title=Time running out for the Midsummer Tree |date=28 March 2006 |work=[[The Argus (Brighton)|The Argus]] |publisher=[[Newsquest|Newsquest Media Group]] |access-date=23 November 2009}}</ref>  The legend was first recorded by folklorist Charlotte Latham in 1868.<ref name="Latham">{{cite journal |last=Latham |first=Charlotte |year=1878 |title=Some West Sussex Superstitions Lingering in 1868 |journal=The Folk-Lore Record |volume=1 |publisher=The Folk-Lore Society |location=London}}</ref> Since 2006, when the oak was saved from development, meetings have been held on Midsummers Eve there.<ref name="Beachcombing">{{cite web |url=http://www.strangehistory.net/2011/07/08/the-midsummer-oak-and-its-skeletons/ |title=The Midsummer Oak and its Skeletons |date=8 July 2011 |access-date=8 July 2011 |archive-date=12 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110712161645/http://www.strangehistory.net/2011/07/08/the-midsummer-oak-and-its-skeletons/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
It was once believed that monsters known as [[knucker]]s lived in bottomless ponds called [[knuckerhole]]s. There were several knuckerholes in Sussex, including one in Worthing by Ham Bridge (on the present Ham Road), close to [[East Worthing railway station]] and [[Teville Stream]].<ref name="Hare3–4">{{Harvnb|Hare|1991|pp=3–4.}}</ref>
According to legend, a tunnel several miles long led from the now-demolished medieval [[Offington|Offington Hall]] to the Neolithic flint mines and Iron Age hill fort at Cissbury. It was said to be sealed, and there was treasure at the far end; 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".<ref name="Latham"/><ref name="SimpsonXX">{{Harvnb|Simpson|2002}}</ref>
===Open spaces===
[[File:Brooklandsboatinglake.jpg|thumb|Lake at Brooklands Park.]]
[[File:Beach House Park, Worthing (Looking Southwest towards War Pigeon Memorial).JPG|thumb|right|alt=sunlit park in winter|[[Beach House Park, Worthing|Beach House Park]].]]
The town has five miles of beach and large areas of open space on the South Downs including the [[Worthing Downland Estate]], [[Cissbury Ring]] and [[Highdown Hill]].  The town also contains a number of parks and gardens, many laid out in the [[Victorian era|Victorian]] and [[Edwardian era]]s.
* Beach House Green
* [[Beach House Park, Worthing|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 pigeon]]s that served in the [[Second World War]].
* Broadwater Green – Broadwater's 'village green'.
* Brooklands Park
* Denton Gardens – at the southern end of Denton Gardens is an 18-hole Crazy Golf course.
* Field Place – tennis courts, lawn bowls, putting and conference facilities. Can be found north of [[Worthing Leisure Centre]].
* Goring Green
* [[Highdown Gardens]] – a garden at the foot of the South Downs containing the National Plant Collection of the plant collection of Sir Frederick Stern<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.highdowngardens.co.uk/ |title=Welcome to Highdown Gardens - a Hidden Gem |publisher=Highdown Gardens |access-date=13 November 2019 |archive-date=13 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191113082804/http://www.highdowngardens.co.uk/ |url-status=live}}</ref> containing rare plants collected from east Asia.
* Homefield Park – formerly known as the 'People's Park' it was once home to [[Worthing F.C.]] also includes a concrete skatepark and tennis courts.
* Liverpool Gardens – overlooking the graceful [[Georgian period in British history|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'', sculpted by [[Elisabeth Frink|Dame Elisabeth Frink]].
* Marine Gardens
* Tarring Park
* 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 (mythology)|Triton]], by sculptor [[William Bloye]].
* Victoria Park – was donated by the Heene Estate to the poor of Worthing in commemoration of the death of [[Queen Victoria]]. (Taken from title deeds to property owned in St. Matthews Road.) The land was previously used for [[market garden]]ing and once sported a paddling pool which was closed due to foot infections in the children. Victoria Park is used by clubs and casual footballers.{{citation needed|date=March 2019}}
* West Park – has a running track and basketball court and lies next to Worthing Leisure Centre.
===Annual events===
The Worthing Festival is a multi-arts festival that is scheduled to take place in venues across Worthing in June 2023; it is intended this will take place annually.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://timeforworthing.uk/worthingfestival2023/ |title=Worthing Festival 2023 |access-date=12 April 2023 |publisher=Time For Worthing}}</ref> Worthing Artists' Open Houses is an annual festival of arts and crafts.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.worthingartistsopenhouses.com/?page_id=5261 |title=Worthing Artists' Open Houses - News |access-date=17 May 2021}}</ref> In the last two weeks each July, open-air concerts take place in the town centre with a fairground along the town's promenade.  Also taking place in July, [[Worthing Pride]] has been celebrated in the town since 2018. From 2008 to 2015, Worthing was the home to the [[International Birdman]] competition.
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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.worthing.gov.uk/Leisure/EventsinandaroundWorthing/EventsArchieve/Title,42822,en.html |title=Events Archive<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=5 February 2008 |archive-date=25 March 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080325173059/http://www.worthing.gov.uk/Leisure/EventsinandaroundWorthing/EventsArchieve/Title,42822,en.html |url-status=live}}</ref>  The apple trees are toasted with [[wassail]], [[cider|apple cider]] and [[apple cake]], followed by fireworks.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://s-v-m.moonfruit.com/ |title=Silk Pillows and Design |website=s-v-m.moonfruit.com |access-date=5 February 2008 |archive-date=11 May 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080511155515/http://s-v-m.moonfruit.com/ |url-status=live}}</ref> On May Day, a procession and dancing takes place in Worthing town centre, culminating in the crowning of the [[May Queen]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.worthing.gov.uk/Leisure/EventsinandaroundWorthing/EventsbyMonth/May2008/Title,42837,en.html |title=May 2008<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=5 February 2008 |archive-date=25 March 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080325173104/http://www.worthing.gov.uk/Leisure/EventsinandaroundWorthing/EventsbyMonth/May2008/Title,42837,en.html |url-status=live}}</ref>
==Media==
[[File:Worthing Herald and Worthing Advertiser Offices, Chatsworth Road, Worthing.jpg|thumb|right|The offices of the ''Worthing Herald'' and ''Worthing Advertiser'' opened in 1991.]]
In the early 19th century, Worthing was served by newspapers with a wider geographical circulation, such as the ''Brighton Gazette'', ''[[Brighton Herald]]'', ''Sussex Daily News'', ''Sussex Weekly Advertiser'' and ''West Sussex Gazette''.<ref name="MEWH105">{{Harvnb|Elleray|1998|p=105.}}</ref>  Weekly or monthly publications such as the ''Worthing Visitors' List and Advertising Sheet'' (notorious for its condemnation of people who had displeased its owner, Owen Breads),<ref name="MEWH107">{{Harvnb|Elleray|1998|p=107.}}</ref> the ''Worthing Monthly Record & District Chronicle'' and the ''Worthing Intelligencer''<ref name="MEWH106">{{Harvnb|Elleray|1998|p=106.}}</ref> provided some local coverage from the middle of the century onwards; but the town's first regular local newspaper was the ''Worthing Gazette'', introduced in 1883.<ref name="MEWH106"/>  It favoured the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] at first, and supported the [[Skeleton Army]]'s anti-Salvation Army riots later that decade.<ref name="Hare1988-223">{{cite journal |last=Hare |first=Chris |year=1988 |title=The Skeleton Army and the Bonfire Boys, Worthing, 1884 |journal=Folklore |publisher=The Folklore Society |location=London |volume=99 |issue=ii |page=223 |issn=0015-587X |doi=10.1080/0015587x.1988.9716444}}</ref>
In 1921 its scope was extended to include Littlehampton, and it was renamed accordingly.<ref name="MEWH106"/> The ''Worthing Herald'' was founded in 1920; it acquired the ''Gazette'' in 1963, but continued to publish the newspapers separately until 1981. Since then, a single newspaper has been published weekly under the ''Herald'' name, but it is officially known as the ''Worthing Herald incorporating the Worthing Gazette''.<ref name="MEWH106"/>  It is now owned by [[Johnston Press]], and has been based at Cannon House in Chatsworth Road since 1991.<ref name="MEWH106"/>  The Brighton-based daily ''[[The Argus (Brighton)|The Argus]]'', owned by [[Newsquest]], also serves Worthing. An anarchic local newsletter called ''The Porkbolter'', focusing on environmental issues, has been published monthly since 1997.<ref name="Pork">{{cite web |url=http://www.eco-action.org/porkbolter/tenyears.html |title=Revolting Worthing – ten years of action and protest |year=2007 |publisher=The Pork-Bolter |access-date=10 November 2009 |archive-date=3 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090503132132/http://eco-action.org/porkbolter/tenyears.html |url-status=live}}</ref>
Worthing is served by the [[BBC South]] television studios based in Southampton,<ref name="BBCSussex">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/sussex/hi/ |title=BBC – Sussex |year=2009 |publisher=BBC |access-date=10 November 2009 |archive-date=2 December 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091202205517/http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/sussex/hi/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="BBCSouthToday">{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/southtoday/ |title=BBC South Today |year=2009 |publisher=BBC |access-date=10 November 2009 |archive-date=24 April 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090424032454/http://www.bbc.co.uk/southtoday/ |url-status=live}}</ref> [[BBC South East]] from Tunbridge Wells, and by the [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] franchise [[Meridian Broadcasting]], also with studios in Southampton.<ref name="ITVMeridian">{{cite web |url=http://www.itv.com/meridian-west/ |title=ITV Meridian Tonight |year=2009 |publisher=[[ITV plc]] |access-date=10 November 2009 |archive-date=2 November 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091102025247/http://www.itv.com/meridian-west/ |url-status=live}}</ref>  Television signals come from the [[Rowridge transmitting station|Rowridge]] or [[Whitehawk Hill transmitting station|Whitehawk Hill]] [[transmitter]]s.<ref name="BBC-Analogue">{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/reception/transmitters/tv/region_south.shtml |title=South of England: analogue TV transmitters for BBC, ITV and Channel 4 |year=2009 |publisher=BBC |access-date=10 November 2009 |archive-date=2 April 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090402013203/http://www.bbc.co.uk/reception/transmitters/tv/region_south.shtml |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="DUK-Whitehawk">{{cite web |url=http://www.digitaluk.co.uk/postcodechecker/main/display/basic/BN113PX/NA/0/3950a8cffa00c09ee7560aff1e633fa3 |title=Postcode checker results: Switchover and re-tune dates for BN11 3PX |year=2008 |publisher=[[Digital UK|Digital UK Ltd]] |access-date=10 November 2009 |archive-date=17 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717011649/http://www.digitaluk.co.uk/postcodechecker/main/display/basic/BN113PX/NA/0/3950a8cffa00c09ee7560aff1e633fa3 |url-status=live}}</ref>
[[More Radio Worthing]] is Worthing's local [[commercial radio]] station. Launched in 2003 it broadcasts from the Guildbourne Centre on 107.7[[FM broadcast band|FM]].<ref name="Splash-Main">{{cite web |url=http://www.splashfm.com/ |title=Local Radio for Worthing and West Sussex – Splash FM |year=2009 |publisher=Splash FM Ltd |access-date=10 November 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110210065534/http://splashfm.com/ |archive-date=10 February 2011}}</ref> [[Heart South]], a [[Global Radio]]-owned commercial station, also covers Worthing.{{cn|date=November 2024}} [[BBC Local Radio]] coverage is provided by [[BBC Sussex|BBC Radio Sussex]].{{cn|date=November 2024}}
==Sport==
{{Main|Sport in Worthing}}
Worthing's {{convert|5|mi|km|0}} of coastline provide for watersport, especially [[catamaran]] racing, [[windsurfing]] and [[kitesurfing]]. The town has held a [[regatta]] for [[rowing (sport)|rowing]] since at least 1859.
The South Downs is commonly used for hiking and [[mountain-biking]], with around 22 trail-heads within the borough. Both of Worthing's golf clubs, including [[Worthing Golf Club]] are on the Downs. The [[Three Forts Marathon]] is a {{convert|27|mi|km|0|adj=on}} [[ultramarathon]] from Broadwater to the three Iron Age hill forts of Cissbury Ring, Chanctonbury Ring and [[Devil's Dyke, Sussex|Devil's Dyke]].
[[Worthing F.C.]], nicknamed ''"The Rebels"'' or ''"The Mackerel Men"'', formed in 1886 is the town's main football club.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.worthingfootballclub.co.uk/club/History |title=History &#124; Worthingfc |publisher=Worthingfootballclub.co.uk |access-date=19 May 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140705085358/http://www.worthingfootballclub.co.uk/club/History |archive-date=5 July 2014}}</ref> The men's team play in the [[National League South]], having won the [[2021–22 Isthmian League|2021—22]] [[Isthmian League Premier Division]] and the [[Worthing F.C. Women|women's team]] play in the [[FA Women's National League|FA Women's National League South East]]. [[Worthing United F.C.]] nicknamed 'the ''"Mavericks"'' were playing in the [[Sussex County Football League Division One|Division One of the Sussex County League]] in 2013.<ref>{{cite web |last=Roberts |first=Jon |url=http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/worthingunitedfc/ |title=Worthing United Fc |publisher=Pitchero.com |date=24 August 2013 |access-date=19 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130403050949/http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/worthingunitedfc |archive-date=3 April 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Nicknamed ''Worthing Raiders'', [[Worthing Rugby Football Club]] play in [[National League 2 East]] and since 1977 have been based in the nearby village of [[Angmering]]. Formed in 1999 [[Worthing Thunder]] play in the [[National Basketball League (England)|National Basketball League]]. The [[Worthing Bears]] (now defunct) won the [[British Basketball League]] in [[1992–93 British Basketball League season|1992—93]]. Worthing Hockey Club was formed in 1896 and has a number of teams. The home pitches are at Manor Sports Ground.<ref>[http://www.worthinghockey.co.uk/content/about.html] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130620015453/http://www.worthinghockey.co.uk/content/about.html|date=20 June 2013}}</ref>
The promenade is the route used by the Worthing [[parkrun]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=home {{!}} Worthing parkrun {{!}} Worthing parkrun |url=https://www.parkrun.org.uk/worthing/ |access-date=2020-09-11 |website=www.parkrun.org.uk |language=en-US |archive-date=22 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922204959/https://www.parkrun.org.uk/worthing/ |url-status=live}}</ref> which has been taking place since June 2016. The free, weekly timed 5&nbsp;km run had 420 people attending the first event.
Alongside [[Johannesburg]] and [[Adelaide]], Worthing is one of only three locations in the world to have hosted the men's [[World Bowls Championship]] twice. The events were held in [[1972 World Outdoor Bowls Championship|1972]] and [[1992 World Outdoor Bowls Championship|1992]], both at [[Beach House Park, Worthing|Beach House Park]], which is sometimes known as the spiritual home of bowls, and is also the venue for the annual National Championships each August. Beach House Park also hosted the Women's World Bowls Championship in [[1977 World Outdoor Bowls Championship|1977]].
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|+<!-- initially sorted by date established -->
|-
! scope="col" | Club
! scope="col" | Nickname
! scope="col" | Sport
! scope="col" | League
! scope="col" | Venue
! scope="col" | Established
|-
| [[Worthing Cricket Club]]
|
| [[Cricket]]
| [[Sussex Cricket League|Sussex Premier League]]
| [[Manor Sports Ground]]
| 1855
|-
| [[Worthing F.C.|Worthing Football Club]]
| The Rebels
| [[Association football|Football]]
| [[National League South]]
| [[Woodside Road]]
| 1886
|-
| [[Worthing Rugby Football Club]]
| Raiders
| [[Rugby union]]
| [[National League 2 East]]
| Roundstone Lane, [[Angmering]]
| 1920
|-
| [[Worthing United F.C.|Worthing United Football Club]]
| The Mavericks
| [[Association football|Football]]
| [[Southern Combination Football League]]
| Robert Albon Memorial Ground
| 1988
|-
| [[Worthing Thunder]]
| Thunder
| Basketball
| [[English Basketball League]]
| [[Worthing Leisure Centre]]
| 1999
|-
| [[Worthing F.C. Women]]
| The Rebels or the Reds
| Football
| [[FA Women's National League|FA Women's National League South East]]
| Woodside Road
|
|}
==Notable people==
{{Main|List of Worthing inhabitants}}
Notable inhabitants include:
* [[Luke Nelson (basketball)|Luke Nelson]], basketball player, born and raised in Worthing and first played basketball for the [[Worthing Thunder]] youth teams.
* [[Jane Austen]], the author, lived at Stanford Cottage, Worthing, during the autumn of 1805. Her unfinished novel ''[[Sanditon]]'' (1817)  is set in the early days of the development of Worthing as a resort.
* [[Mary Shelley]], author of ''[[Frankenstein]]'', inherited [[Castle Goring]] in 1845.
* [[Oscar Wilde]], author, wrote ''[[The Importance of Being Earnest]]'' while staying in Worthing during the summer of 1894 and even named its protagonist, Jack Worthing, in its honour.
* [[Liz Smith (actress)|Liz Smith]], actress, '[[The Vicar of Dibley]]', '[[The Royle Family]]'.
* [[David Remfry]], painter and curator
* [[James Henty|Henty brothers]], Australian pioneer farmers including [[Edward Henty]], born in [[Tarring, West Sussex|West Tarring]] in 1810<ref name="henty">{{cite ODNB |url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/12996 |title=Henty, Edward (1810–1878) |year=2004 |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/12996 |access-date=18 April 2009 |archive-date=23 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123002636/https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-12996;jsessionid=6C0684AD349108F928B44B81543AB5B1 |url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[James Bateman (horticulturist)|James Bateman]], horticulturalist<ref name="batemanDNB">{{cite ODNB |url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/1667 |title=Bateman, James (1812–1897) |last=Carlyle |first=E.I. |year=2004 |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/1667 |access-date=18 April 2009 |archive-date=23 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123002640/https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-1667;jsessionid=239E66478E7E8492642D3E9C188FC547 |url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Thomas Shaw Brandreth]], mathematician and inventor<ref name="brandrethDNB">{{cite ODNB |url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/3272 |title=Brandreth, Thomas Shaw (1788–1873) |last=Lane-Poole |first=Stanley |author2=R.C. Cox |year=2004 |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/3272 |access-date=18 April 2009 |archive-date=23 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123002650/https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-3272;jsessionid=430DBDACDEEB10D563651B810EEEE648 |url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Copley Fielding]], artist<ref name="fieldingDNB">{{cite ODNB |url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/9399 |title=Fielding, (Anthony Vandyke) Copley (1787–1855) |last=Mallalieu |first=Huon |year=2004 |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/9399 |access-date=18 April 2009 |archive-date=5 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305182415/http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/9399 |url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Octav Botnar]], founder of Datsun UK, ran his automobile import business from the town
* [[Gwendoline Christie]], actress, model.
* [[Nicollette Sheridan]], actress, ''[[Desperate Housewives]]'', birthplace
* [[DJ Fresh]], musician, birthplace
* [[Christopher Hewett]], actor, ''[[Mr. Belvedere]]''.
* [[William Henry Hudson]], writer and naturalist born in Argentina.
* [[Billy Idol]], musician, Birthplace
* [[Royal Blood (band)|Mike Kerr]], singer and bassist of British rock duo [[Royal Blood (band)|Royal Blood]], grew up in the town.
* [[Keith Emerson]], musician, lived and attended school in the town
* [[Peter Bonetti]], England goalkeeper
* [[Byron Dafoe]], National Hockey League goaltender
* [[Patrick Hadley]], English Composer. Went to [[Saint Ronan's School]] West Worthing.
* [[Kenny Tutt]], English chef and winner of the [[MasterChef (UK TV series)|MasterChef 2018]] UK TV show competition
* [[Laurence Olivier]], actor, born at Wathen Road, Dorking, Surrey in 1908.
* [[Anthony A. Barrett]], Classical scholar and author
In the 20th century, these writers chose to live in the town:
* [[Beatrice Hastings]], poet<ref>{{cite ODNB |url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/62223 |title=Haigh, Emily Alice (1879–1943) |last=Zilboorg |first=Caroline |year=2004 |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/62223 |access-date=18 April 2009 |archive-date=23 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123002640/https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-62223;jsessionid=156B740F118F70F9F4BEA43CB9F3FCCC |url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Harold Pinter]]<ref name="pinter">{{cite web |url=http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/4005504.Harold_Pinter_could_be_honoured_in_Sussex/ |title=Harold Pinter could be honoured in Sussex |last=Holden |first=Paul |date=28 December 2008 |work=The Argus |publisher=Newsquest Media Group |access-date=18 April 2009 |archive-date=23 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110823141209/http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/4005504.Harold_Pinter_could_be_honoured_in_Sussex/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
==Twin towns==
Worthing is [[sister city|twinned]] with two rural districts; four small towns in the Eltztal region of Germany — [[Waldkirch]], [[Elzach]], [[Gutach im Breisgau]] and [[Simonswald]], since 1997
<ref name="WTA">{{cite web|url=https://worthingtwinningassociation.org/index.php/services/|title=Worthing Twinning Association|accessdate=13 April 2024}}</ref> and the Pays des Olonnes in France that includes the seaside town of [[Les Sables-d'Olonne]], since 1998.<ref name="WTA"/>
{{Geographic location
|title     = '''Nearest Settlements'''
|Centre    = Worthing
|North     = [[Buncton]]
|Northeast = [[Steyning]]
|East      = [[Shoreham by Sea]]
|Southeast = [[Picardy]]
|South     = [[Normandy]]
|Southwest = [[Normandy]]
|West      = [[Littlehampton]]
|Northwest = [[Clapham, West Sussex|Clapham]]<br/>[[Patching]]
}}
==Notes==
{{notelist}}
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{reflist|group=nb}}
===Bibliography===
{{Refbegin}}
* {{Cite book |last=Body |first=Geoffrey |title=Railways of the Southern Region |publisher=Patrick Stephens Ltd |location=Cambridge |year=1984 |series=PSL Field Guides |isbn=0-85059-664-5}}
* {{Cite book |last=Brandon |first=Peter |title=The South Downs |publisher=Phillimore & Co |location=Chichester |year=1998 |isbn=1-86077-069-X}}
* {{Cite book |last=Brandon |first=Peter |title=Sussex |publisher=Hale |location=London |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-7090-6998-0}}
* {{Cite book |last=Edmonds |first=Antony |title=Jane Austen's Worthing: The Real Sanditon |publisher=Amberley Publishing Limited |location=Amberley |year=2013 |isbn=9781445619835}}
* {{Cite book |last=Elleray |first=D. Robert |title=Worthing: a Pictorial History |publisher=Phillimore & Co |location=Chichester |year=1977 |isbn=0-85033-263-X}}
* {{Cite book |last=Elleray |first=D. Robert |title=Worthing: Aspects of Change |publisher=Phillimore & Co. |location=Chichester |year=1985 |isbn=0-85033-551-5}}
* {{Cite book |last=Elleray |first=D. Robert |title=A Millennium Encyclopaedia of Worthing History |publisher=Optimus Books |location=Worthing |year=1998 |isbn=0-9533132-0-4}}
* {{Cite book |last=Elleray |first=D. Robert |title=St Paul's Church, Worthing: a History and Description |year=1999 |publisher=Optimus Books |location=Worthing |isbn=0-9533132-1-2}}
* {{Cite book |last=Hare |first=Chris |title=Historic Worthing: The Untold Story |publisher=The Windrush Press |location=Adlestrop |year=1991 |isbn=0-900075-91-0}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Kerridge |first1=Ronald |last2=Standing |first2=Michael |title=Worthing: From Saxon Settlement to Seaside Town |publisher=Optimus Books |location=Worthing |year=2000 |isbn=0-9533132-4-7}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Kerridge |first1=Ronald |last2=Standing |first2=Michael |title=Worthing |publisher=The Francis Frith Collection |location=Teffont |year=2005 |isbn=978-1-85937-995-0}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Mawer |first1=A. |last2=Stenson |first2=F.M. |title=The Place-names of Sussex |publisher=English Place-name Society |location=Nottingham |year=1929–1930 |edition=2001 reprint |series=The Survey of English Place-names |volume=VI/VII}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Mitchell |first1=Vic |last2=Smith |first2=Keith |title=South Coast Railways – Brighton to Worthing |publisher=Middleton Press |location=Midhurst |year=1983 |isbn=0-906520-03-7}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Nairn |first1=Ian |author-link1=Ian Nairn |last2=Pevsner |first2=Nikolaus |author-link2=Nikolaus Pevsner |title=The Buildings of England: Sussex |publisher=[[Penguin Books]] |location=Harmondsworth |year=1965 |isbn=0-14-071028-0}}
* {{cite web |author=ONS |year=2021 |title=ONS Datasets |publisher=Office for National Statistics |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/datasets/TS031/editions/2021/versions/1 |access-date=1 December 2022}}
* {{Cite book |last=Russell |first=Miles |title=Prehistoric Sussex |year=2002 |publisher=Tempus Publishing |location=Stroud |isbn=0-7524-1964-1}}
* {{Cite book |author=Southdown Enthusiasts Club |title=An Anthology of the Worthing Tramocars |year=2002 |publisher=Southdown Enthusiasts Club |location=Crowborough |oclc=52829712}}
* {{Cite book |last=Simpson |first=Jacqueline |title=Folklore of Sussex |publisher=Tempus Publishing |location=Stroud |year=2002 |isbn=0-7524-2469-6}}
* {{Cite web |author=TTW |title=Transition Town Worthing |url=http://www.ttworthing.org/ |publisher=Transition Town Worthing |access-date=8 July 2022 |year=2022}}
* {{Cite book |last=White |first=Sally |title=Worthing Past |publisher=Phillimore & Co |location=Chichester |year=2000 |isbn=1-86077-146-7}}
{{Refend}}
==External links==
{{Commons category|Worthing}}
* [http://www.adur-worthing.gov.uk/ Worthing Borough Council]
* {{OpenDomesday|TQ1402|worthing|Worthing}}
* {{Wikivoyage-inline|Worthing|Worthing}}
{{Worthing}}
{{West Sussex}}
{{SE England}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Worthing| ]]
[[Category:Towns in West Sussex]]
[[Category:Populated coastal places in West Sussex]]
[[Category:Seaside resorts in England]]
[[Category:Non-metropolitan districts of West Sussex]]
[[Category:Beaches of West Sussex]]
[[Category:1803 establishments in England]]
[[Category:Unparished areas in West Sussex]]
[[Category:Boroughs in England]]
[[Category:Former civil parishes in West Sussex]]