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| Borough of Worthing | |
|---|---|
| Geography | |
| Status: | Borough |
| Region: | South East England |
| Admin. County: | West Sussex |
| Area: - Total | Ranked 335th 32.48 km² |
| Admin. HQ: | Worthing |
| ONS code: | 45UH |
| Demographics | |
| Population: - Total () - Density | Ranked / km² |
| Ethnicity: Aged 75 and over: | 97.2% White 13.5% |
| Politics | |
| Worthing Borough Council http://www.worthing.gov.uk/ | |
| Leadership: | Leader & Cabinet |
| Executive: | |
| MPs: | Peter Bottomley, Tim Loughton |
Worthing is the largest town and a local government district in West Sussex, England.
Town
It has a population of almost 100,000 and is situated between the coast and the South Downs. While it is often considered a retirement town (its crematorium was once the third busiest in Europe) it has had an active underground culture for many of years, early examples being the 19th century Bonfire Boys and Skeleton Army, although the area was well known for smugglers right back to the 18th century.
In more modern times it has been home to The Worthing Workshop, a late-1960s meeting place for musicians, actors and poets whose famous patrons include The Damned’s Brian James, Leo Sayer, Billy Idol, Martin Quittenton (who wrote Rod Stewart's Maggie May) and Track Record's supremo, Ian Grant. It has also been home to Jamie Hewlett Tank Girl), and more recently the Revolutionary Arts Groop *.
It has two MPs—Tim Loughton (Conservative) for East Worthing and Shoreham, and Peter Bottomley (Conservative) for Worthing West.
Worthing is twinned with Le Pays des Olonnes (France) and the Elztal region (Germany).
Historically, the inhabitants of Worthing were nicknamed "pork bolters", dating from the town's days as a fishing village with its many superstitious fishermen and their notoriously extreme avoidance of pigs.
History of Worthing
- There is evidence of habitation in the area since the Stone Age, when Cissbury Ring appears to have been one of the most important flint mining centres in the country. Artefacts including Bronze Age tools and metal and coins and pottery from the Iron Age have been found.
- Worthing is first mentioned in the Domesday Book when it had a population of just 22.
- Roman coins, tiles and pottery have been discovered in several parts of the town.
- The Saxons settled nearby Goring and Sompting and by the 13th Century the settlement, then known as Wortinge, was populated primarily by farmers and mackerel fishermen. The hamlet of Worthing was originally part of the larger parish of Broadwater. Other nearby villages to later become part of Worthing include Tarring, Salvington, Goring, Heene and Durrington, as well as small parts of the parishes of Findon and Sompting.
- The name of Worthing is derived from a natural annual phenomenon. Seaweed beds off nearby Bognor Regis are ripped up by summer storms and prevailing Atlantic currents deposit it on the beach. A rich source of nitrates, it makes good fertilizer. The decaying weed was sought by farmers from the surrounding area. Thus the town became known as Wort (weed) inge (people).
- In the late 18th Century that Worthing began to attract visitors. With a warm climate and calm seas, it benefited from the Edwardian fashion for sea cures.
- Royal visits from Princess Amelia in 1798, Princess Charlotte in 1807 and Princess Augusta in 1829 did much to make the town popular.
- In 1803 Worthing's population was approximately 2,500 and the hamlet was given town status.
- In 1890 the town received its Royal Charter and became the Borough of Worthing.
Landmarks, buildings & places of interest
- Worthing Pier, opened April 1862.
- The Dome, built in 1909 and converted into the Dome Cinema which opened in 1922.
- High Salvington windmill.
- Cissbury Ring, an ancient hill fort located on the South Downs.
Cannabis Culture
Since cannabis was reclassified from a Class B substance to a Class C substance under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, its use has been seen from a much less biased point of view. This new view of cannabis lead to many 'cannabis cafès' being created in the UK.
Worthing, home of Chris Baldwin (a Legalise Cannabis Alliance activist), was one of the few towns in the UK to experience Cannabis Cafès for the first time. Chris first opened a cafè in a back room of his shop, "Bongchuffa". The cafe was named "The Quantum Leaf".
The cafè was so successful that he opened his second, the other side of Worthing. He named his second creation "Buddies", and simultaneously set up "The Herb Connection" - a source of cannabis for those in urgent medical need.
Both cafès were subject to continuous police raids. However, as far as the eye of the law was concerned, the police never managed to shut the cafès down.
The first cafè eventually came to a close when the landlord withdrew the lease for the property - shortly followed by "Buddies" closing due to heavy-handed police, who were "harassing" customers on their way out of the property.
This was not the end for the cannabis culture in Worthing. A cannabis cafè was fast opened near Worthing Bingo Hall - seemingly unknown to the police. This cafè, however, wasn't opened by any single out-right cannabis campaigner, but by a group the local police labeled as "organised criminals". This was true by definition, but paints an incorrect image of the group who ran the cafè.
The un-named cafè soon moved to Victoria Road, where it gained its nickname "The Vic Cafè". Here the cafè operated within 200 metres from Worthing Central train station, and gained much public attention.
The cafè was run behind two 6-inch thick fortified doors, which were only opened to members of the public who appeared to be 18 years of age or older. Anyone who appeared to be under 21 was requested for identification to ensure their age - and if any drug, including alcohol, was found on their person, they were to be barred for life.
The Vic Cafè operated successfully for around 18 months, being subject to two raids. The first raid was dubbed as successful by the local media after the police smashed through two high-security doors, but the cafè remained as defiant as ever and re-opened within the same week with even higher security.
On the 12th August, 2005, the Café was raided for the final time. Police, this time unable to break the doors open, used the help of a locksmith to open the doors. The inside of the café was completely destroyed, and the landlord sold the lease to allow for development on the land. The building where the café used to reside has now been knocked down.
Currently, there are no cannabis cafés which operate in the open in Worthing - although there are thought to be numerous 'open residences' for cannabis users.
Throughout the whole time cannabis cafés operated in Worthing, no related anti-social behaviour was recorded or noticed by residents who lived locally to the cafés. The only un-wanted physical contact during the operations was provided by police searching or arresting cannabis users.
The only complaints about the cafés recieved by the police and local council were related to other businesses seeing the café as 'unfair' as they operated tax and lisence free - despite the prohibition of cannabis making this unavavoidable - and residents complaining about the increased traffic in the streets around the cafés.
Transport
Rail
Worthing is served by five railway stations on the West Coastway Line:Road
Worthing is served by the following main roads:Housing
In 1999 Worthing Council sold all its housing stock to Worthing Homes Ltd
Literary and artistic connections
- Percy Bysshe Shelley's first two works were printed in a Warwick Street building in 1810 and 1811.
- Oscar Wilde wrote The Importance of Being Earnest in Worthing in 1884, and used the name as his character Jack's surname.
- Alma Cogan, 1950s recording artist, lived with her parents above their shop in Warwick Street, then moved to a large house on the corner of Lansdowne Road and Downview Road.
- Richard Vobes podcasts to the world from his studios in Worthing. His 30 minute daily show features a mix of entertainment, comedy and news.
- Keyboard virtuoso and rockstar Keith Emerson grew up in Worthing.
- Birthplace of actress Paddy Croft.
- Nicollette Sheridan, American television actress, was born in the town in 1963.
- Venue for Phun City Festival in 1970
- Harold Pinter wrote the script for the film The Pumpkin Eater and the play The Homecoming while living in Ambrose Place in 1963.
- David Leland's 1987 film Wish You Were Here was filmed along Worthing's seafront and in and around the town's historic Dome cinema.
- In the 1830s, Edward William Lane translated The Thousand and One Nights (Arabian Nights) from Arabic, whilst living at 4 Union Place in the town.
- Ska band The Ordinary Boys were formed in the town in 2003.
- Jamie Hewlett, a British comic book artist and designer, attended Northbrook College. He is best known for being the co-creator of the comic strip Tank Girl and co-creator of the band Gorillaz.
- Worthing is home to children's television legend Dave Benson-Phillips
Sport
Nicknamed the Rebels, Worthing F.C. is the town's main football club, playing in the Isthmian League Premier Division.
Worthing Thunder play basketball in the English Basketball League.
External links
Local government in West Sussex | Shire districts | Towns in West Sussex
"Worthing"