Timeline of Worthing facts for kids

The following is a timeline of the history of Worthing, a town in West Sussex, England. A timeline helps us see important events in order, like a historical calendar for the town.

The Early Years (13th to 15th Century)

• 1218 - The area known as Ordinges started to be called Wurddingg.
• Around 1245 - Saint Richard of Chichester, a very important saint for Sussex, lived in Tarring.
• 1291 - Worthing's old chapel, a small church, is mentioned for the first time.
• 1300 - Worthing's harbour, a place where boats can dock, is first written about.
• 1324 - The harbour was part of Shoreham Port, a bigger port nearby.
• 1410 - Records show that Worthing's chapel was used for church services.

Changes and New Discoveries (16th to 17th Century)

• 1539 - Worthing became the property of Anthony Browne, 1st Viscount Montagu.
• 1575 - The Worthing chapel was owned by a private person, not the church.
• 1584 - John Selden, a famous lawyer and scholar, was born in Salvington.
• 1643 - St Symphorian's Church, Durrington was partly destroyed by people who supported Parliament during the English Civil War.
• 1644 - A Spanish warship called the Santiago got stuck on the beach at Heene.
• 1682 - William Penn, who founded Pennsylvania in America, sailed from England. His ship, the Welcome, stopped in Worthing to pick up people from Sussex.
• 1684 - William Penn visited Worthing again on his way home from Pennsylvania.

Growing as a Town (18th Century)

• 1750 - High Salvington Windmill, a mill that uses wind to grind grain, was built.
• 1759 - John Luther built a large house for visitors at the end of High Street.
• 1773 - People said there was a "great fishery" in Worthing, meaning lots of fishing happened there.
• 1789 - George Greville, 4th Earl of Warwick bought Luther's house and called it Warwick House.
• 1797 - Castle Goring, a large house designed like a castle, was built.
• 1798 - Princess Amelia, a member of the royal family, visited Worthing.

A Busy 19th Century

• 1801 - Worthing's population was 2,151 people.
• 1802
  • A new toll road was built from Worthing to West Grinstead. People had to pay to use it.
  • Thomas Trotter opened a theatre in High Street.
• 1803
  • Worthing officially became a town.
  • The population grew to about 2,500 people.
• 1805 - The famous writer Jane Austen visited Worthing.
• 1807
  • Princess Charlotte also visited Worthing.
  • A new theatre, later called the Theatre Royal, opened.
• 1810 - Charles and William Phillips published Percy Bysshe Shelley's first book of poems.
• 1811 - They also published Shelley's book The Necessity of Atheism.
• 1812 - St Paul's chapel opened.
• 1814
  • Thomas Young made important discoveries about the Rosetta Stone, which helped understand Egyptian hieroglyphs.
  • Queen Caroline visited Worthing.
• 1815 - Two schools for young children opened.
• 1817 - Jane Austen started writing Sanditon, a novel partly based on her time in Worthing.
• 1820 - Beach House, a large building, was constructed.
• 1823
  • The tollgate at Teville Gate was removed after people protested.
  • A large oyster bed was found near Worthing, providing lots of oysters for fishermen.
• 1829 - Princess Augusta visited Worthing.
• 1830 - People protested in Broadwater and Worthing about taxes and unfair conditions.
• 1832 - Officers shot and killed a smuggler named William Cowerson during a chase.
• 1833 - Park Crescent, a curved row of houses, was finished.
• 1834 - Christ Church opened.
• 1835 - Worthing's first Town Hall opened.
• 1838 - The Worthing Institution opened to offer books and information about science and art.
• 1845 - The railway line was extended to Worthing.
• 1849 - The first boat race (Regatta) in Worthing was recorded.
• 1850 - Eleven local fishermen drowned trying to save a ship's crew.
• 1855 - Worthing Cricket Club was started.
• 1856 - The Worthing Intelligencer newspaper was first published.
• 1861
  • Queen Marie Amelie of France stayed in Worthing while in exile.
  • The Sussex Coast Mercury newspaper was first published.
• 1862
  • Worthing Pier, a long structure built into the sea, opened.
  • C.A. Elliott used glass from the Great Exhibition to build greenhouses for growing grapes.
• 1863 - The Worthing Express newspaper was first published.
• 1864 - St Mary of the Angels, Worthing opened as Worthing's first Catholic church since the Reformation.
• 1867 - Augustus Lane-Fox dug up parts of Cissbury Ring, an ancient hill fort.
• 1881 - Worthing Hospital opened as Worthing Infirmary.
• 1884 - There were riots by the Skeleton Army, a group against the Salvation Army.
• 1886
  • The church of St Andrew the Apostle opened.
  • Worthing F.C., a football club, was formed.
• 1890
  • Worthing was given a royal charter and became a borough, a self-governing town.
  • Alfred Cortis became Worthing's first mayor.
  • The Worthing School of Art and Science was founded.
• 1892 - A permanent place to get free soup, coal, and bread was set up.
• 1893 - An outbreak of typhoid fever caused 200 deaths.
• 1894 - The writer Oscar Wilde stayed in Worthing and wrote The Importance of Being Earnest.
• 1896 - The first moving picture show was shown at Worthing Pier.
• 1898 - William Kennedy Dickson filmed a water polo game in Worthing, one of the first sports films.
• 1899 - Worthing was called a "town of hothouses" because of all the greenhouses for growing plants to sell.

The 20th Century in Worthing

• 1902 - Worthing's area grew to include parts of Broadwater and West Tarring.
• 1908
  • Worthing Museum and Art Gallery opened.
  • King Edward VII stayed at Beach House.
  • Worthing's first fire station was built.
• 1909 - Sir Frederick Stern bought land on Highdown Hill which became Highdown Gardens.
• 1910 - Ellen Chapman was elected to Worthing Council, one of the first women councillors in the UK.
• 1911 - The Dome Cinema opened.
• 1914 - The Connaught Theatre opened, first as a cinema.
• 1920 - The Worthing Herald newspaper was first published.
• 1924 - The first Worthing Tramocars (small trams) ran along the seafront.
• 1926 - The Worthing Symphony Orchestra was founded.
• 1929
  • Worthing's area grew again to include Goring-by-Sea and Durrington.
  • People started to suggest creating national parks, including in the South Downs near Worthing.
• 1930 - Charles Bentinck Budd was elected to the town council.
• 1931 - Population: 45,905.
• 1933
  • Worthing's area expanded again to include parts of Sompting and Findon.
  • Worthing Rural District was created for the areas around Worthing.
  • Worthing Council started buying 1000 acres of open land, now the Worthing Downland Estate.
  • Worthing's New Town Hall opened.
• 1934 - The Battle of South Street took place between Fascists and anti-Fascists.
• 1936
  • Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia and his family stayed in Worthing after Italy invaded his country.
  • Brighton City Airport, near Worthing, officially opened.
• 1939 - Population: 55,584.
• 1942 - Canadian soldiers based in Worthing took part in the Dieppe Raid during World War II.
• 1944 - The British Army's 4th Armoured Brigade set up its headquarters in the Eardley Hotel.
• 1945 - Sir Otho Prior-Palmer became Worthing's first Member of Parliament.
• 1948 - New houses were built using labour from Prisoners of War.
• 1951 - Population: 67,305.
• 1960 - A Beecham factory (now GSK) opened in Broadwater.
• 1961 - Population: 77,155.
• 1964
  • Sir Terence Higgins became Worthing's second Member of Parliament.
  • The writer Harold Pinter wrote his play The Homecoming in Worthing.
• 1966
  • Worthing's Old Town Hall was taken down.
  • The Sussex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty was named.
• 1969
  • Worthing hosted the start of the Milk Race cycling event.
  • Hill Barn Golf Club hosted the Penfold Tournament, a golf competition.
• 1970 - The Phun City music festival was held outside Worthing.
• 1971 - Population: 88,467.
• 1972 - Worthing hosted its first World Bowls Championship.
• 1974
  • Worthing Council was changed and became Worthing Borough Council.
  • Worthing College was formed as a Sixth Form College.
• 1976 - The Worthing Borough Council was led by the Conservative Party for the first time.
• 1981
  • Population: 90,686.
  • The West Worthing Tennis Club hosted a tennis tournament.
• 1987 - Gary Bevans started creating a copy of the Sistine Chapel ceiling in a local church.
• 1988 - Alan Martin and Jamie Hewlett created the character Tank Girl while at college in Worthing.
• 1990 - Sterns Nightclub opened.
• 1991 - Population: 98,066.
• 1992 - Turning Tides, a charity to help homeless people, was formed.
• 1993 - Worthing Bears, a basketball team, won the British Basketball League.
• 1994
  • Worthing Borough Council was led by the Liberal Democrats for the first time.
  • Worthing's first mosque, the Masjid Assalam, was created.
• 1997 - Two new areas for Parliament were created: East Worthing and Shoreham, and Worthing West.
• 1999
  • The Conservative Party took control of Worthing Borough Council again.
  • Worthing Thunder Basketball Club was formed.

Worthing in the 21st Century

• 2001 - Population: 97,540.
• 2002 - The Liberal Democrats took control of Worthing Borough Council again.
• 2004 - The Conservative Party took control of Worthing Borough Council again.
• 2008 - The first Worthing International Birdman event, where people try to fly off the pier, was held.
• 2010
  • The South Downs National Park was formed, including parts of Worthing.
  • The Sussex International Piano Competition was founded in Worthing.
• 2011 - Population: 104,640.
• 2013
  • Kingmere Marine Conservation Zone, a protected area for sea life, was created off Worthing's coast.
  • Splashpoint Leisure Centre, a new sports centre, opened.
• 2014 - Worthing became a partner in the Greater Brighton City Region, working with nearby cities.
• 2018
  • The first Worthing Pride event, celebrating LGBTQ+ people, took place.
  • The Rampion Wind Farm, which generates electricity from wind, started working off the coast.
• 2019
  • Bayside Vista became Worthing's tallest building at 172 feet.
  • Worthing Borough Council declared a climate emergency, aiming to be carbon-neutral by 2030.
• 2022 - Worthing Borough Council was led by the Labour Party for the first time.