Bibliography - Worthing, West Sussex
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Smith's actual survey of the roads from London to Brighthelmstone … also from London to Worthing, by Charles Smith, published 1800 (27 leaves of plates, London) accessible at: British Library

Picture of Worthing; to which is added an Account of Arundel and Shoreham, with other parts of the surrounding country, by John Evans, published 1805 (London) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

A Sketch of Worthing and its environs: to which is added a selection of ludicrous poetical effusions, etc., by J. Mackcoull, published 1811 (published by the author) accessible at: British Library & West Sussex Libraries

Picture of Worthing; to which is added an account of the adjacent villages, and of the rides and excursions in its vicinity, by John Evans, published 1814 (2 volumes , Worthing: William Phillips) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 3260]

Sketch of Worthing as it was and now is and the Places Adjacent, Containing Useful and Necessary Observations on Men and Things, etc , by J. Mackcoull, published 1817 (published by the author) accessible at: British Library & West Sussex Libraries

Rambles in the Vicinity of Brighton, to Lewes, Eastbourne, Worthing, Bramber, Devil's Dyke, Arundel, etc., with an itinery of the roads, by Charles Wright, published 1818 (112 pp., published by the author) accessible at: East Sussex Libraries

A Week at Worthing, published 1823 (79 pp., London: T. W. Smales) accessible at: British Library

A topographical description of Worthing, with brief notices of the places of interest in the vicinity … To which is prefixed a concise essay on cold and warm bathing., by John Shearsmith, published 1824 (115 pp., Worthing: G. Verrall) accessible at: British Library & West Sussex Libraries

Topographical Description of Worthing, With brief Notices of the Places of Interest in the Vicinity Usually Visited by Strangers, by John Shearsmith, published 1832 (new edition, Worthing: A. Carter) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

Excursions in the County of Sussex: Comprehending Historical and Topographical Delineations of the Principal Towns and Villages, together with descriptions of the Residences of the Nobility and Gentry, Remains of Antiquity, and the Most Modern Improvements; Forming a Complete Guide to Brighton, Hastings, Worthing, &c. &c. , edited by Edmund Bellchambers, published 1835 (72 pp., London: Alan Bell & Co.) accessible at: British Library & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

Hamlet of Worthing, by Thomas Walker Horsfield, published 1835 in The History, Antiquities and Topography of the County of Sussex (vol. II, rape of Bramber, pp.196-199) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2397][Lib 3212] & The Keep [LIB/507380][Lib/500088] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

Kidd's Picturesque Pocket Companion to Brighton, Worthing, Bognor etc, published 1838 (William Kidd) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 10652]

Mogg's Brighton Railway, and Brighton, Lewes, Shoreham and Worthing Guide, by Edward Mogg, published 1841 (London) accessible at: British Library

Worthing as it is: describing its market, libraries, … with the walks and rides in its vicinity., published 1843 (48 pp., London: E. Wallis) accessible at: British Library

Successful System of Drainage at Worthing, by Henry Collet, published 11 July 1857 in British Medical Journal (vol. 2, no. 28, article, pp.585-586)   Download PDF

Worthing, on the Sussex coast, its merits as a winter residence for invalids briefly considered, by William Beattie, M.D., published 1858 (32 pp., Worthing: M. S. Rickerby) accessible at: British Library & West Sussex Libraries

On the Climate of Worthing: Its Remedial Influence in Disease, Especially of the Lungs, by Walter Goodyer Barker, M.B. Lond., published 1860 (72 pp. + XIV, London: Churchill) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 5984] & West Sussex Libraries   View Online

Pastimes with Neptune. A design for improving sea bathing at Worthing, with which is incorporated other novelties, by Joseph Longland, published 1867 (London: Hamilton Adams & Co.) accessible at: British Library & West Sussex Libraries

Worthing, by Mark Antony Lower, M.A., published 1870 in A Compendious History of Sussex, Topographical, Archaeological & Anecdotal (vol. II, pp.276-277, Lewes: George P. Bacon) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8946][Lib 3315] & The Keep [LIB/500158]   View Online

Visitor's Complete Guide to Worthing (The Madeira of England) and its Neighbourhood , by Mark Antony Lower, published 1874 (W. J. Smith) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

Henry James Collet, M.D., Worthing, published 3 January 1874 in British Medical Journal (vol. 1, no. 679, article, pp.34-34)

Obituary of doctor.

Typhoid fever at Worthng from infected milk, published 11 December 1880 in British Medical Journal (vol. 2, no. 1041, article, pp.933-934)

Discovery of Roman Pottery at Worthing, by Unknown Author(s), published 1882 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 32, notes & queries, pp.233-235) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2117] & The Keep [LIB/500250] & S.A.S. library   View Online

Roman Potter found at Worthing, by A. J. Fenton, published 1884 in The Archaeological Journal (vol. 41, article, pp.171-172)   View Online

An Account of the Discovery of Roman remains on the East Chesswood estate, Worthing, 1881, by James Alexander Fenton, published 1886 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 34, article, pp.215-220) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2119] & The Keep [LIB/500252] & S.A.S. library   View Online

An Address on Worthing: Its Climatic and Sanitary Conditions , by William J. Harris, published 10 July 1886 in British Medical Journal (vol. 2, no. 1332, article, pp.59-61)   Download PDF

The Battle off Worthing; why the invaders never got to Dorking. A prophecy by a Captain of the Royal Navy, published 1887 (96 pp., London: London Literary Society) accessible at: British Library

Worthing 200 Years Ago, by James Alexander Fenton, published 1887 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 35, article, pp.93-100) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2120] & The Keep [LIB/500253] & S.A.S. library   View Online

Worthing v Tarring in 1789, by The Editor, published 1892 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 38, notes & queries, pp.223-224, , report in Ladies Magazine for 1789) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2123] & The Keep [LIB/500256] & S.A.S. library   View Online

The fever at Worthing, published 19 August 1893 in British Medical Journal (vol. 2, no. 1703, article, pp.433-434)

Worthing water, published 7 October 1893 in British Medical Journal (vol. 2, no. 710, article, pp.801-802)

Concerns testing the water for bacteria.

Report on the Epidemic of Enteric Fever in 1893 in the Borough of Worthing, in Broadwater, and in West Tarring, by C. Kelly. [With plans], by Charles Kelly, M.D., F.R.C.P., published 1894 (59 pp., Brighton: Southern Publishing Co.) accessible at: British Library & West Sussex Libraries

Dr. Theodore Thomson's Report on an Epidemic of Enteric Fever (Typhoid) in Worthing 1893, by Theodore Thomson, published 1894 (H.M.S.O./Eyre and Spottiswoode) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

Report to the Local Government Board on an Epidemic of Enteric Fever in the Borough of Worthing and in the Village of Broadwater and West Tarring

Waterborne Typhoid at Worthing in 1893, published 21 July 1894 in British Medical Journal (vol. 2, article, pp.152-)   Download PDF

Durrington Chapel, by W. D. Springett, D.D., published 1898 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 41, article, pp.73-78) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2126] & The Keep [LIB/500259] & S.A.S. library   View Online

Transcripts from Inscriptions on Brasses, Tablets, Tombs, Tombstones and Windows in the Church and Churchyard, by Edward Sayers, published 1900 (Christchurch Parish Curch, Worthing) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

Transcripts Of, and Extracts From, Records of the Past: From Inscriptions on Brasses, Tablets, Tombs, Tombstones and Windows in the Churches and Churchyards of West Tarring, Broadwater and Christ Church, Worthing, edited by Edward Sayers, published 1903 (W. J. C. Long) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

A Roman Inscription from Worthing, by F. Haverfield, M.A., F.S.A., published 1903 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 46, article, pp.155-162) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2131] & The Keep [LIB/500264] & S.A.S. library   View Online

Chanctonbury, Washington and Worthing, by E. V. Lucas with illustrations by Frederick L. Griggs, published 1904 in Highways and Byways in Sussex (Chapter XVI, London: Macmillan & Co.) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 41][Lib 12792][Lib 15825] & The Keep [LIB/500142]   View Online

Comparative study of the Lincoln, Maidstone and Worthing Epidemics of Typhoid Fever, published 2 December 1905 in British Medical Journal (vol. 2, no. 2344, article, pp.1463-1464)   Download PDF

Copy of an Abstract of a Conveyance of the Manor and Mansion House of Offington, Sussex, by Edward Sayers, published 1906 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 49, notes & queries, pp.172-173) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2134] & The Keep [LIB/500267] & S.A.S. library   View Online

Muntham Court, the seat of Lady Ulrica Thynne, by Country Life contributor(s), published 2 February 1907 in Country Life (article)

Worthing and its health repute, published 16 November 1907 in British Medical Journal (vol. 2, no. 2246, article, pp.1455-1456)

In the neighbourhood of Worthing. An outline of local history, with illustrations, published 1911 (16 pp. & 8 leaves of plates, Worthing: Worthing Gazette Co.) accessible at: British Library

Derivation and Devolution of the Manor of Worthing, by Edward Sayers, published 1911 (published by the author) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

The Worthing & District Local Charity: The "GMF" Blue Book, published 1920 (Worthing & District) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 6038]

Guide to the Worthing Museum and Art Gallery, by Marion Frost, published 1920 (third edition, 16 pp., Worthing: Worthing Gazette Co.) accessible at: British Library

Worthing with its Surroundings, by J. Lee Osborn, published c.1921 accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2826]

Near Worthing, by R. Thurston Hopkins, published 1921 in Kipling's Sussex (Chapter XI, pp.185-199, London: Simkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent & Co.) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 16008][Lib 17091] & The Keep [LIB/504753] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries   View Online

Beach House at Worthing, by Country Life contributor(s), published 29 January 1921 in Country Life (article)

Report of Local Secretary. Worthing, by M. Frost, published 1922 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 63, notes & queries, p.245) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2148] & The Keep [LIB/500281] & S.A.S. library   View Online

Report of Local Secretary. Worthing, by Marion Frost, published 1923 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 64, notes & queries, p.204) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2149] & The Keep [LIB/500282] & S.A.S. library   View Online

The Chalk of the Worthing District Sussex, by Christopher T. A. Gaster, F.G.S., published 1924 in The Proceedings of the Geologists' Association London (no. 35 issue 2, article, pp.89-110)   View Online

For some years past I have been working on the Chalk of Sussex, chiefly in the neighbourhood of Worthing, and my results are outlined in this paper. The chalk pits collected from are situated on the south side of the Downs between the rivers Adur and Arun, a distance east and west of about 10 miles. The zones range from the Uintacrinus band of the Marsupites zone to the zone of Actinocamax quadratus as defined by Mr. Brydone (I9I2a, pp, 10, II). As the majority of the pits are in the A. quadratus zone, opportunities were afforded for paying particular attention to this Chalk, the recorded details of which will now be entered into as briefly as possible.
Since the publication of Rowe and Sherborn's valuable papers on the White Chalk of the English Coast (1900-1908) various adjustments have been made in the zonal divisions of the Upper Chalk.

Report of Local Secretary. Worthing, by Marion Frost, published 1924 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 65, notes & queries, pp.263-264) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2150] & The Keep [LIB/500283] & S.A.S. library

Some Notes on Anglo-Saxon Antiquities from High Down, near Worthing, by A. F. Griffith, M.A., published 1925 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 66, article, pp.219-224) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2151] & The Keep [LIB/500284] & S.A.S. library

Report of Local Secretary. Worthing, by Marion Frost, published 1925 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 66, notes & queries, pp.243-244) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2151] & The Keep [LIB/500284] & S.A.S. library

Worthing: Twixt Sea and Downs, published c.1926 (booklet, Worthing Borough) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8853]

Brief Outline of the History of the Public Library, Museum and art Gallery, Worthing, by Ethel Gerard, published 1927 accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

Beaker Found at Worthing, by Hugh R. P. Wyatt, published 1927 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 68, notes & queries, p.277) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2153] & The Keep [LIB/500286] & S.A.S. library

The Old Flint Mines of Sussex, by E. Cecil Curwen, published 1927 in Sussex County Magazine (vol. I no. 4, article, pp.160-163) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2303][Lib 8326] & The Keep [LIB/500137]

An African Explorer in Sussex: A Chat with Mr F W H Migeod, by M. S. Russell-Goggs, published 1927 in Sussex County Magazine (vol. I no. 13, article, pp.558-560) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2303][Lib 8326] & The Keep [LIB/500137]

Report of Local Secretary. Worthing, by Marion Frost, published 1928 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 69, notes & queries, p.236) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2154] & The Keep [LIB/500287] & S.A.S. library

Littlehampton, Arundel, Worthing, published 1929 (Ward Lock & Co) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15218]

Famous South Coast Pleasure Resorts Past & Present, their historical associations, their rise to fame and a forecast of their future development, by Harold Clunn, published 1929 (T. Whittingham) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

The Early History of Worthing. Being an Account of the Chief Events from Pre-historic Times to a Century Ago, by Marion Frost, F.L.A., published 1929 (Hove: Combridges)

Report of Local Secretary. Worthing, by Marion Frost, published 1929 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 70, notes & queries, p.222) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2155] & The Keep [LIB/500359] & S.A.S. library

Report of Local Secretary. Worthing, by Marion Frost, published 1930 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 71, notes & queries, p.267) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2156] & The Keep [LIB/500358] & S.A.S. library

Sussex Industries: Craftsmanship, by C. A. Kelley, published 1930 in Sussex County Magazine (vol. IV no. 3, article, p.259) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2308][Lib 2309] & The Keep [LIB/500172]

Fields of Yesterday, by Desmond Lionel Morse Boycott, published 1932 (287 pp., London: Skeffington & Son) accessible at: British Library & West Sussex Libraries

Memoirs of life in Worthing

Chalk zones in the foreshore between Worthing and Felpham, Sussex, by E. C. Martin, B.Sc., A.I.C., published 1932 in The Proceedings of the Geologists' Association London (no. 43 issue 3, article, pp.201-211)   View Online

This paper deals with a stretch of about 14 miles of the Sussex coast, betwe en East Worthing and Felpham. A modern shingle bank, backed in places by a low cliff of brickearth, extends along the whole length of this coast and slopes down to a foreshore varying in width, at low-water spring tides, from about 300 yards to nearly half a mile. The upper part of the foreshore consists generally of sand, but in the lower part beds of broken Chalk are seen at frequent intervals and, in places, extend almost up to the shingle bank.
Nearly a century ago Sir Woodbine Parish recorded that "in front of the village of Felpham, chalk is exposed for a considerable distance cropping out of the sands between high and low water mark, and at low water it may be traced for upwards of a mile in the direction of Middleton. It abounds in its characteristic fossils." (Some of these he recorded, but the list unfortunately was not published.) Parish also noted that "chalk marl has long been dug out of the beach near Middleton at low tides for manuring the neighbouring beds."
Later geologists appear to have given little attention to these foreshore exposures, and no attempt to zone them seems to ha ve been made. They are briefly referred to by Dixon, H. B. Woodward, and by Clement Reid, who wrote "it is difficult to say to what zones this Chalk belongs, or whether zones older than the Upper Chalk may not be exposed on the foreshore towards Worthing." Mr. R. M. Brydone, however, in one of his papers on the zone of Offaster pilula, suggested that this zone "is probably exposed on the coast in West Sussex in the foreshore near Bognar."

Report of Local Secretary. Worthing, by Marion Frost, published 1932 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 73, notes & queries, pp.209-210) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2158] & The Keep [LIB/500356] & S.A.S. library

Camps round Vetus Pons. V - Chanctonbury, VI - Cissbury & VII - High Down, by F. Edwin Hodder, M.A., published 1932 in Sussex County Magazine (vol. VI no. 9, article, pp.568-571) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 9325] & The Keep [LIB/500175]

The Town Hall [Worthing] opened by HRH the Prince George, published 1933 (booklet) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 5141]

The Church of St. Mary, Broadwater, by Frederick Harrison, F.S.A. and O. H. Leeney, F.R.S.A., published 1933 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 74, article, pp.99-130) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2159] & The Keep [LIB/500355] & S.A.S. library

Report of Local Secretary. Worthing, by Marion Frost, published 1933 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 74, notes & queries, p.252) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2159] & The Keep [LIB/500355] & S.A.S. library

A flint-miner?s dwelling and a Bronze Age farm in Sussex, by E.C. Curwen, published June 1934 in Antiquity (vol. 8, no. 30, article, pp.215-216)

On New Barn Down, a spur of Harrow Hill, near Worthing

Some Literary Associations of Worthing, by A. J. Waterfield, published 1935 in Sussex County Magazine (vol. IX no. 2, article, pp.96-98) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 9330] & The Keep [LIB/500179]

The Stone Age Villages of Downland. II - High Salvington, by J. H. Pull, published 1935 in Sussex County Magazine (vol. IX no. 8, article, pp.498-500) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 9330] & The Keep [LIB/500180]

Ambrosiana: Letters and Belongings of Certain Ladies of Ambrose Place, Worthing; Family history names Dawson, Venner, Crawford, Sidebottom , by Theodore Grant Brown, published 1936 (191 pp., Liverpool: Lee & Nightingale) accessible at: British Library & West Sussex Libraries

Guide to the Worthing Museum and Art Gallery, by Ethel Gerard, published 1936 (16 pp., Worthing: "Worthing Herald" Press) accessible at: British Library & West Sussex Libraries

A section in Woolwich and Reading Beds, and in the '15-foot' raised beach at Worthing, Sussex, by E. C. Martin, B.Sc., A.I.C., F.G.S., published 1937 in The Proceedings of the Geologists' Association London (no. 48 issue 1, article, pp.48-51)   View Online

The Woolwich and Reading Beds of the Worthing district are about 100 feet thick and occupy a narrow belt extending along the Chichester Syncline between the Littlehampton Chalk Inlier and the main Chalk outcrop of the South Downs. They form an easterly extension of the Eocene Beds of the Hampshire Basin, and reach the sea at South Lancing. Farther east, outliers occur at Portslade, Brighton, Newhaven and Seaford.

The Story of St Andrew's, Worthing, 1888-1938, published c.1938 (pamphlet) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 5350]

Palace Court Hotel, Worthing, published c.1938 (pamphlet) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 4731]

Worthing: A Survey of Times Past and Present, by F. W. H. Migeod, published 1938 (Southern Publishing) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 10426] & West Sussex Libraries

The Old Theatre, Worthing: The Theatre Royal, 1807-1855, by Mary Theresa Odell, published 1938 (Worthing Art Development Scheme, Aylesbury: George W. Jones) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2848] & West Sussex Libraries

Who's who in Worthing and district, 1938-1940, edited by Dudley Wightwick, published 1938 (159 pp., London: Ludovic Grant & Co.) accessible at: British Library & West Sussex Libraries

A Great Sussex Geologist: Dr Frederic Dixon, F.G.S., of Worthing, by Emily Harris, published 1938 in Sussex County Magazine (vol. XII no. 7, article, pp.426-429) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2317] & The Keep [LIB/500183]

Gifford House: The House of Brave Men, by Lady Kate, published 1938 in Sussex County Magazine (vol. XII no. 8, article, pp.508-510) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2317] & The Keep [LIB/500183]

Dr Frederick Dixon: His Researches in Sussex Geology, by Edmond M. Venable, F.G.S., published 1938 in Sussex County Magazine (vol. XII no. 11, article, pp.725-728) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2317] & The Keep [LIB/500183]

The Worthing Road and its Coaches, by Henfrey Smail, published 1943 (Worthing: Aldridge Bros.) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 11756] & West Sussex Libraries

Homes of tomorrow: a report on the post-war housing needs of the low income group in Worthing and a plea for the development of community life , by Worthing Council of Social Service. Housing Sub-Committee, published 1944 (62 pp. & 1 plan, Worthing) accessible at: R.I.B.A. Library

The Life Story of Mrs. Annie Nayler of Worthing. [With portraits], by John Nayler, J.P., published 1944 (15 pp., published by the author) accessible at: British Library

Mr. Trotter of Worthing and the Brighton Theatre. (The Theatre Royal, 1814-1819.) [With illustrations], by Mary Theresa Odell, published 1944 (Worthing Art Development Scheme, 102 pp., Worthing: Aldridge Bros.) accessible at: British Library & West Sussex Libraries

More about the Old Theatre, Worthing, Its Plays, Players & Playbills, Its Proprietor & His Playhouses, by Mary T. Odell, published 1945 (Worthing Art Development Scheme, Worthing: Aldridge Bros.) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

Worthing Pageant: Glimpses of Old Worthing, by Edward Snewin and Henfrey Smail, published 1945 (Worthing: Aldridge Bros.) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 11225] & West Sussex Libraries

Notable Houses of Worthing no.1: Beach House, published 1947 (pamphlet, Worthing Art Development Scheme) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 5140]

Coaching Times and After: Including Some Old Coaching Celebrities, the Coaching Revival, Etc, by Henfrey Smail, published 1948 (231 pp., Worthing: Aldridge Bros.) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 12523] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

Old Cottages at Tarring, Worthing, Sussex , by F. W. H. Migeod, published 1949 accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

The Worthing Map Story, by Henfrey Smail, published 1949 (Worthing: Aldridge Bros.) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 6036] & West Sussex Libraries

This is a most interesting Book tracing the history of the area now comprised in the Borough of Worthing by successive Maps (most of which form full-page reproductions) and many photographs of roads and buildings now gone or altered beyond recognition. The reproductions at p. 16 of Yeakell & Gardner's Map of 1780 and at p. 154 of Smith's Map (about 1880) are unfortunately indistinct (perhaps unavoidably so) but the letter press is well-informed and very readable and the Book is admirably edited (not a single misprint was noticed). The evolution of Worthing from either a small Manor or a collection of fishermen's cottages in the parish of Broadwater by stages to a Municipal Borough comprising not only the Mother Parish but also several adjoining parishes renders it impossible to attach any fixed meaning to the name. The History revealed by this Book is not that of the development of a Unit, but that of the word "Worthing" changing its meaning; and to identify the Borough with the fishing hamlet or with the small "Town" formed in 1803, of with the original area of the Borough formed in 1890, or with the present extended Borough (which has encroached on the Rape of Arundel) is not true History. The Book gives the impression of a truculent youngster swallowing not only its mother (Broadwater) but also its neighbours. The parishes of Heene (whose original Church is under the Sea) West Tarring and Durrington are names to be honoured and the true view of the present Worthing is that of a happy combination of areas which have selected as their collective name that formerly born by one of the most insignificant of them.

Notable Houses of Worthing: Offington, Broadwater Manor, Charmandean, volume 2, by Henfrey Smail, published 1950 (Worthing: Aldridge Bros.) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

It is satisfactory to find a town so essentially modern as Worthing taking a keen interest in the history and fabric of its older houses. The story of these three estates is traced in detail and copiously illustrated. The great Tudor house of the Warrs, Lords de la Warr, at Offington has vanished, being replaced about 1770 by the present building; at Broadwater Manor some traces of medieval masonry are incorporated in the mainly eighteenth-century building; and at Charmandean a Regency house blossomed out in Victorian times into pleasant frivolities of verandahs and balconies.

Worthing Parade No 1, published 1951 (Worthing Parade) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2833]

ABC of Littlehampton with Bognor Regis and Worthing, by George King, published 1951 (Brighton) accessible at: British Library & West Sussex Libraries

The Story of St John the Divine, West Worthing, by Irene Maitland, published 1951 (St. John the Divine Church) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 4301] & West Sussex Libraries

Polished Axhead from Worthing, by Geoffrey D. Lewis, published November 1951 in Sussex Notes & Queries (vol. XIII no. 8, note, p.186) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8231] & The Keep [LIB/500215] & S.A.S. library

Notable Houses of Worthing: Warwick House, volume 5, by Henfrey Smail, published 1952 (Worthing: Aldridge Bros.) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

Notable Houses of Worthing: Courtlands, volume 6, by Henfrey Smail, published 1952 (Worthing: Aldridge Bros.) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

Worthing: a study of a modern coastal town, by H.C. Brookfield, published July 1952 in Town Planning Review (vol. 23, no. 2, article, pp.145-162)

The Capital By-the-Sea: A survey of Brighton, Hove and Worthing Including the Adjacent Towns of Portslade, Southwick, Shoreham, Lancing and Surrounding Countryside, by Harold P. Clunn, published 1953 (206 pp., Southern Publishing Ltd.) accessible at: & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

Some Playbills of the Old Theatre, Worthing (Theatre Royal 1807-1855) , by Mary Theresa Odell, published 1953 (Worthing Art Development Scheme, Worthing: Aldridge Bros.) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

Worthing Parade No 2, published 1954 (Worthing Parade) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2834]

Worthing Congregational Church, Triple Jubilee 1804-1954, published 1954 (pamphlet) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 16575]

Railway Development at Worthing, by H. C. P. Smail, published July 1954 in Railway Magazine (article, pp.494-500)   Download PDF

Worthing, by L. M. Bickerton, published 1955 (Worthing Museum Publications)

This is written by the Curator for the intelligent visitor, dealing with the growth and history of the various parts of the present Borough from Neolithic times and includes some interesting reproductions of old views and of Philip's plan of 1814. It is a very attractive little publication, well put together and presented, and ought to be much in demand. Perhaps in future editions a map of the present Borough could be included showing the various parishes and districts which it has absorbed? There is some confusion as to the Rapes (p. 11) and at p. 14 Heene is stated to have been a Chapelry of Tarring, but it was always civilly independent (are there not traditions of its former Church being overwhelmed by the sea?), though latterly held ecclesiastically with Tarring until separated under the Act of 1865 - which states definitely that Heene was a parish, though it had no church.

Worthing Museum: an illustrated guide to the collections, by L. M. Bickerton and K. J. Evans, published c.1955 (pamphlet) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 4193] & West Sussex Libraries

A New Prehistoric Site at Bost Hill, Findon Valley, Worthing, by J. P. H. Clark, published May 1955 in Sussex Notes & Queries (vol. XIV nos. 5 & 6, article, pp.98-99) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8232][Lib 2213] & The Keep [LIB/500216] & S.A.S. library

Refuse disposal at Worthing, by J. Wilkinson, published 1 October 1955 in Journal, Royal Society of Health (vol. 75, no. 10, article, pp.745-756)

Worthing: a brief account of the history of the town from Neolithic times to the present day, by L. M. Bickerton, published 1958 (2nd edition, Worthing Museum Publications) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

Clifton Road [Worthing] Survey, 1790-1959, published 1959 (pamphlet, St Andrew's School) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 5372]

Alexandra Terrace, Introducing a Church, A Parish, A Terrace and some Wanderings, by A. Longley, published 1960 (Worthing: E. G. Stead) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 11224] & West Sussex Libraries

Church of St Paul, Chapel Road, Worthing - Past Present & Future, by H. A. L. Jefferson, published 1962 (published by the author)

Heene Parish church, Worthing 1873-1963, published 1963 (pamphlet, St Botolph, Worthing) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 4865]

Worthing: a brief account of the history of the town from Neolithic times to the present day, by L. M. Bickerton, published 1963 (3rd revised edition, Worthing Museum Publications) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

Worthing Museum Archaeological Notes for 1961, by K. J. Barton, published 1963 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 101, article, pp.20-34) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2186] & The Keep [LIB/500328] & S.A.S. library

Records of wells in the area of new series one-inch (geological) Bognor (332) Worthing (333) and Eastbourne (334) sheets, published 1964 (Well Catalogue Series)

A hoard of barbarous radiates from Mill Road, Worthing, by Geoffrey D. Lewis and Harold B. Mattingly, published 1964 in Numismatic Chronicle and Journal of the Royal Numismatic Society (7th Series, vol. 4, article, pp.189-199)   View Online

Worthing Museum Archaeological Report for 1962, by K. J. Barton, published 1964 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 102, article, pp.28-32) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2187] & The Keep [LIB/500327] & S.A.S. library

Worthing Museum costume collection, by Daphne Bullard, published 1965 in Costume (1(2), article, pp.10-13)

Worthing Museum Archaeological Notes for 1963, by K. J. Barton, published 1965 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 103, article, pp.83-93) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2188] & The Keep [LIB/500326] & S.A.S. library

Worthing Museum Archaeological Notes for 1964, by K. Jane Evans, published 1966 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 104, article, pp.103-108) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2189] & The Keep [LIB/500325] & S.A.S. library

The Last Worthing-London Coaches, by M. Douglas, published November 1967 in Sussex Notes & Queries (vol. XVI no. 10, article, pp.325-327) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8234] & The Keep [LIB/500218] & S.A.S. library

Worthing Museum Archaeological Notes for 1965 and 1966, by K. Jane Evans, published 1968 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 106, article, pp.133-144) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2191] & The Keep [LIB/500323] & S.A.S. library

Dolls in Worthing Museum, by K. J. Evans and L. M. Bickerton, published 1969 (Worthing Museum Publications) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

Parking control and pedestrian precincts in Worthing, by E.W. East, published 1971 in Journal of Institution of Municipal Engineers (vol. 98, no. 12, article)

Sports hall and games centre, Worthing, Sussex; Architect: F. Morris, published January 1972 in Building Specification (article, pp.21-25) accessible at: R.I.B.A. Library

Includes plans, sections, elevations, photos, cost analysis

A study in the factors influencing educational provision in Worthing, 1870-1918, by J. A. C. Turner, 1973 at University of London (M.A. thesis)

A Late Bronze Age Socketed Axe-Mould from Worthing, by Miranda J. Green, published 1973 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 111, article, pp.87-92) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2196] & The Keep [LIB/500318] & S.A.S. library

List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest: Worthing Borough, published c.1975 (Department of Environment) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 7576]

Worthing, Lancing and Shoreham Sketches, by Rosemary Dray, published c.1975 (published by the author) accessible at: East Sussex Libraries

The Artist's Worthing, Sussex - Sketches of Various Scenes of Local Interest, by Rosemary Dray, published c.1975 (24 pp., published by the author) accessible at: East Sussex Libraries

A Picture of Worthing, by H. R. H. Harmer and D. R. Elleray, published 1975 (pamphlet, 32 pp., Chichester: West Sussex County Council, ISBN-10: 905139003 & ISBN-13: 9780905139005) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 14330] & West Sussex Libraries

Salvington Mill, by Worthing Museum and others, published 1976 (9 pp., Worthing Museum Publications) accessible at: R.I.B.A. Library

A History of Worthing, published c.1976 (pamphlet, Worthing Teachers' Centre) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 6143]

Highdown and its Saxon Cemetery, by Martin G Welch, published 1976 (pamphlet, Worthing Museum and Art Gallery) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 7202] & West Sussex Libraries

Central library, Worthing, Sussex; Architects: Worthing District Council, Department of Development & Amenities, F. C. M. Morris, L. M. Bather, W. P. Haworth, by Anthony Williams & Burles, published 9 April 1976 in Building (vol. 230, no. 6929(15), article, pp.83-90) accessible at: R.I.B.A. Library

Includes plans, sections, elevations, photos, maps, cost analysis

Worthing's new library: Worthing Central Library; Architects: Worthing District Council, Department of Development & Amenities, Frank Morris, published Spring 1976 in Concrete Quarterly (no. 108, article, pp.27-29) accessible at: R.I.B.A. Library

St. Andrew's Church, Worthing: a history and description, by D. Robert Elleray, published 1977 (pamphlet, 42 pp., published by the author) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 6609] & R.I.B.A. Library & West Sussex Libraries

Worthing. A Pictorial History, by D. Robert Elleray, published 1 January 1977 (128 pp., Chichester: Phillimore & Co. Ltd., ISBN-10: 085033263X & ISBN-13: 9780850332636) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

Splendours on the south coast: Worthing Central Library and the Portsmouth Central Library, by George Berriman, published January 1977 in Library Association Record (vol. 79, no. 1, article, pp.26-29) accessible at: R.I.B.A. Library

Park Crescent [Worthing] Conservation Area, published 1978 (Worthing Borough Council) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8657]

Christ Church, Worthing, A History and Description, by D. Robert Elleray, published 1978 (pamphlet, published by the author) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15656] & West Sussex Libraries

Worthing Baptist Church, Christchurch Road: centenary 1878-1978, by S. J. McAuslane, published 1978 (15 pp., Worthing Baptist Church) accessible at: R.I.B.A. Library & West Sussex Libraries

Worthing's Victorian Churches, by D. R. Elleray, published September 1978 in West Sussex History, the Journal of West Sussex Archives Society (no. 11, article, p.2) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 16404/11] & The Keep [LIB/500479]

Warwick Street (South) [Worthing] Informal Plan, published 1979 (Worthing Borough Council) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8655]

Heene House Academy, Worthing, by Merle Tidey, published December 1979 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 4 no. 2, article, pp.45-46) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8672] & The Keep [LIB/501256] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

A description of the author's research into the life of John Tidey (1773-1849), founder of Heene House Academy. Article covers the years 1773 - 1849 in the parish of Worthing.

Worthing, Sompting and Lancing, published 1980 (pamphlet, The Victorian Society) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 7447]

Worthing and associated parishes, by A. P. Baggs, C. R. J. Currie, C. R. Elrington, S. M. Keeling, A. M. Rowland and edited by T. P. Huson, published 1 January 1980 in A History of the County of Sussex (vol. 6, part 1: Southern part of the Rape of Bramber, p.65, London: Victoria County History, ISBN-10: 0197227538 & ISBN-13: 9780197227534) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 7542][Lib 7543] & The Keep [LIB/500085] & R.I.B.A. Library & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries   View Online

The Town of Worthing, by A. P. Baggs, C. R. J. Currie, C. R. Elrington, S. M. Keeling, A. M. Rowland and edited by T. P. Huson, published 1 January 1980 in A History of the County of Sussex (vol. 6, part 1: Southern part of the Rape of Bramber, pp.92-129, London: Victoria County History, ISBN-10: 0197227538 & ISBN-13: 9780197227534) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 7542][Lib 7543] & The Keep [LIB/500085] & R.I.B.A. Library & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries   View Online

Picture of Worthing No. 2 - photographs from the Lantern Slide Collection: 2, by Robert Elleray, published August 1980 (44 pp., West Sussex County Library Service, ISBN-10: 0905139062 & ISBN-13: 9780905139067) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 10218] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

Skeletons and Salvationists: The Riots in Worthing, by Roger Homan, published 1981 (pamphlet, Chichester Diocesan Fund and Board of Finance) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 7797] & West Sussex Libraries

History of Broadwater Manor House and School, Golden Jubilee 1930-1980, by Henfrey Smail, published 1981 (Broadwater Manor School) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

Worthing Electricity Supply, 1893-1901, by Mrs M. L. Morris, published 1981 in Sussex Industrial History (No. 11, article, pp.25-34) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/506525]   Download PDF

In 1891 Worthing was made a Borough and one of the first tasks of the new Borough Council was to consider the possibility of an Electricity Supply for the town. Although street lighting was usually the chief application for early electricity supply systems, in Worthing the first suggested application happened to be for something totally different.

Holy Trinity Worthing, 1882-1982, by D Robert Elleray, published 1982 (pamphlet, Haird & Havercroft) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8521] & West Sussex Libraries

Old Worthing As I Remember It 1906-1920, by Jack Watts, published 1982 (published by the author) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

A Preliminary Study of some recent heavy rainfalls in the Worthing area of Sussex, by A. S. Potts, published August 1982 in Weather (vol. 37, issue 8, article, pp.220-227)   View Online

Pretty and Proud: High Salvington Mill, by Peter Casebow, published 1983 (article) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8753]

A History of Worthing, by A. M. Rowland and T. P. Hudson, published 1983 (84 pp., reprinted from The Victoria History of the County of Sussex vol. vi, part 1, Chichester: West Sussex County Council, ISBN-10: 0862600499 & ISBN-13: 9780862600495) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8718] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

Worthing by Gaslight 1835-1901, by Marjorie L. Morris, published 1983 in Sussex Industrial History (No. 13, article, pp.26-32) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/506525]   Download PDF

The Royal signature on Worthing's Town Charter was barely two years dry, when in 1805 the first public demonstration of gas street lighting took place in Pall Mall, London, to mark the King's birthday. Developed by a Cornishman, William Murdock of Redruth, it was an immediate success and a company was formed at once to provide gas lighting on a commercial scale. By 1809 gas street lighting was an accepted way of life, providing illumination and safety in the streets after dark such had never been known before in the history of Western Europe. Towns and Companies competed with one another to cash in on the social and entrepreneurial advantages of the new illuminant.
But not Worthing . . . or, at least not at once!
The first Town Commissioners, whom the Charter had vested responsibility for providing street lighting, were not able so early in the growth of the Town, to get together a sum of money large enough to install street lighting as a major priority. Even after 14 years they could do no better than agree that the Town should have street lamps but the only way they could see to provide them would be to open a subscription fund. With the small amount of money donated a start was made on providing the Town with oil lamps, and for the next 12 years Worthing folk depended for the illumination of their night-time activities on an uneasy compromise between the full moon and the smokey glimmer of seal-oil lamps on the tops of wooden posts.
During the autumn of 1829, the Commissioners began to think about up-dating the street lighting and invited proposals for lighting the Town with gas. George White, a Worthing tinsmith came up with an acceptable proposal and the Commissioners gave him the job of preparing a specification for building a gas works and providing suitable street lamps.

South Coast Railways: Brighton to Worthing, by Vic Mitchell and Keith Smith, published 18 March 1983 (96 pp., Midhurst: Middleton Press, ISBN-10: 0906520037 & ISBN-13: 9780906520031) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8631] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

South Coast Railways: Worthing to Chichester, by Vic Mitchell and Keith Smith, published 1 December 1983 (96 pp., Midhurst: Middleton Press, ISBN-10: 0906520061 & ISBN-13: 9780906520062) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8842] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

Tarring Road Methodist Church Centenary 1884-1984, published 1984 (pamphlet, Tarring Road Methodist Church) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 9470]

Worthing: Aspects of Change, by D. Robert Elleray, published 28 September 1984 (128 pp., Chichester: Phillimore & Co. Ltd., ISBN-10: 0850335515 & ISBN-13: 9780850335514) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 9263] & West Sussex Libraries

No Discouragement: the Development of West Worthing Baptist Church, 1885-1988, by Gladys Dunning, published 1985 (pamphlet) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 10063] & West Sussex Libraries

Worthing Theatres, 1790-1984, by D. Robert Elleray, published 1985 (Worthing Society)

Worthing, Hove and Lancing, by T P Hudson, published 1986 (pamphlet) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 9633]

Dream Palaces of Worthing, by Fred T. P. Windsor, published 1986 (booklet, 28 pp., Mercia Cinema Society, ISBN-10: 0946406200 & ISBN-13: 9780946406203) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 9710] & West Sussex Libraries

Scouting handbook [annual report, Apr 1986-Mar 1987], published 1987 (booklet, Worthing and District Scouts) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15780]

The Roman Catholics in Worthing, A Brief Account, by D. Robert Elleray, published 1987 (pamphlet, Worthing Society) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 9847]

The Henty Family of Worthing, by Marjorie Morris, published May 1987 in West Sussex History, the Journal of West Sussex Archives Society (no. 37, article, p.18) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 16404/37] & The Keep [LIB/500482]

Geology of the Country Around Brighton and Worthing: Memoir for 1:50,000 Geological Sheets 318 and 333, by B. Young, published 1988 (116 pp., British Geological Survey, ISBN-10: 0118844075 & ISBN-13: 9780118844079) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

The skeleton army and the Bonfire Boys, Worthing, 1884, by Chris Hare, published June 1988 in The Folklore Society (vol. 99, issue 2, article, pp.221-231, Taylor & Francis) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries   View Online

Wartime Voices: Memories of the Home Front in Worthing, by Keith Andreeti, published 1989 (pamphlet) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 10528] & West Sussex Libraries

Records of the Past [Worthing], by Charles Walker, published 1989 (published by the author) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 10440] & West Sussex Libraries

Archaeology Around Worthing, by Sally White, published 1989 (Worthing Museum Publications no. 17, booklet, Worthing Museum & Art Gallery, ISBN-10: 0906834066 & ISBN-13: 9780906834060) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 10527] & West Sussex Libraries

Coade Stone at Worthing and Lewes, by Alison Kelly, published 1989 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 127, historical note, pp.260-262) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 10604] & The Keep [LIB/500302] & S.A.S. library

St Andrew's glorious glass, by John D. Maunder, published 18 May 1989 in Country Life (vol. 183 no 20, article, p.274)

Worthing At War: the story of how a seaside town faced up to the horror of Hitler's bombers, by Colin Clark and Rupert Taylor, published 1 September 1989 (96 pp., Beckett Features, ISBN-10: 187198601X & ISBN-13: 9781871986013) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

Centenary: One Hundred Years of the Borough of Worthing, by Rupert Taylor, published 1990 (booklet, Beckett Newspapers Ltd, ISBN-10: 1871986028 & ISBN-13: 9781871986020) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 10781] & West Sussex Libraries

Dolls at Worthing Museum, by Sally White, published 1990 (Worthing Museum Publications no. 19, Worthing Museum & Art Gallery, ISBN-10: 0906834082 & ISBN-13: 9780906834084) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

The Tramways of Worthing, by N. A. Kellett, published 1990 in Tramway Review (No. 143, article, pp.232-237) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 10712][Lib 12982]

Religious Survey 1851 - Worthing district, edited by John A. Vickers, published August 1990 in The Religious Census of Sussex 1851 (Sussex Record Society, vol. 75, pp.135-146, ISBN-10: 085445036X & ISBN-13: 9780854450367) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 10578][Lib 13824] & The Keep [LIB/500452][LIB/507827] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

Worthing district incl. Broadwater, Lancing, Littlehampton, Clapham, Patching, Goring, Ferring, East Preston, Angmering, Poling, Rustington, Climping, Ford, Arundel, Tortington, South Stoke, Burpham, North Stoke, Houghton, Amberley & Wiggonholt

Edwardian Worthing: Eventful Era in a Lifeboat Town, by Rob Blann, published 1991 (200 pp., published by the author, ISBN-10: 0951627716 & ISBN-13: 9780951627716) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 12179] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

Edwardian Worthing covers the period between 1901 and 1914. These Edwardian times often proved to be exciting for both residents and holiday-makers alike in this premier seaside resort. Whenever the Lifeboat was launched, hundreds, sometimes thousands passionately flocked to witness the men of valour. Life in this class-conscious society is carefully illustrated throughout this exclusive review. More than 200 Edwardian photographs have been improved electronically to produce images which enhance the quality of the pictures within this book.

Brave Lads of Sunny Worthing. The Story of a Town and Its Residents During the Great War, by Paul Holden, published 1991 (64 pp., Wothing: Beckett Features, ISBN-10: 1871986036 & ISBN-13: 9781871986037) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

Historic Worthing: The Untold Story, by Chris Hare, published 11 July 1991 (240 pp., Cassell Reference, ISBN-10: 0900075910 & ISBN-13: 9780900075919) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

Around Worthing in Old Photographs, by Sally White, published 18 November 1991 (160 pp., Stroud: Sutton Publishing Ltd., ISBN-10: 0862999715 & ISBN-13: 9780862999711) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

Inside Worthing Museum, by John Norwood, published 1992 (pamphlet) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 12104]

The Muntham Court Estate and Worthing Crematorium, by Donald Stanley, published 1992 (pamphlet, published by the author, ISBN-10: 0952030101 & ISBN-13: 9780952030102) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 11878] & West Sussex Libraries

The Tideys of Worthing and Washington, by Mrs. Merle Rafferty, published March 1994 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 11 no. 1, article, pp.10-11) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 14878] & The Keep [LIB/501263] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

London, Brighton and south coast religion? : Tractarianism and ritualism in Brighton, Hove and Worthing, by Ruth Cowl, 1996 at University of Keele (Ph.D. thesis)

John Luther of Worthing, Sussex and Mykes, Essex, by Robert Drake, published April 1996 in West Sussex History, the Journal of West Sussex Archives Society (no. 57, article, p.7) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 16404/57] & The Keep [LIB/500484]

The Farncombe Place Estate, Worthing, by Malcolm Linfield, published April 1996 in West Sussex History, the Journal of West Sussex Archives Society (no. 57, article, p.19) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 16404/57] & The Keep [LIB/500484]

Worthing Pier: A History, by Dr. Sally White, published July 1996 (10 pp., Worthing Museum & Art Gallery, ISBN-10: 0906834112 & ISBN-13: 9780906834114) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

Photographs and Memories of St Andrew's CE High School, Worthing, by Danny Banting, published 1997 accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 13576]

The Queen Alexandra Hospital Home, by David S Farrant, published 1997 (144 pp., Chichester: Phillimore & Co. Ltd., ISBN-10: 186077055X & ISBN-13: 9781860770555) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 14983] & West Sussex Libraries

The Queen Alexandra Hospital Home is a remarkable institution with an inspiring history. Casualties in the First World War reached appalling numbers and the Home cared for those who were permanently disabled. The vision of Gladys, Marchioness of Ripon, the Home was founded in 1919 in Roehampton through the generosity of the Charrington family. An outstanding story of voluntary effort, as people from all walks of life rallied round, including the royal family, and, in particular, Mrs. Verena Hay, who devoted over 30 years to bringing her friend Lady Ripon's vision to reality.

The Archive Photographs of Worthing, by Chris Hare, published 1997 (NPI Media Group, ISBN-10: 0752410431 & ISBN-13: 9780752410432) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

Seventy Years On: St Columbo's United Reformed Church, Worthing, by Maud D. Reed, published 1997 (pamphlet, Littlehampton Printers) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 14331] & West Sussex Libraries

West Sussex Walks: Arundel, Steyning and Worthing Area, by Sandy Hernu, published April 1997 (80 pp., Seaford: S. B. Publications, ISBN-10: 1857701259 & ISBN-13: 9781857701258) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

St Barnabas' Hospice, Worthing: A History, by David Farrant, published 1998 (72 pp., Chichester: Phillimore & Co. Ltd., ISBN-10: 0850339715 & ISBN-13: 9780850339710) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 14984] & West Sussex Libraries

The hospice was a new concept when it opened in 1973. The inspiration of Dr. Francis Gusterson, it was one of the first three to be built in Britain. Persevering in the face of difficulties that would have daunted most, Dr. Gusterson's strong Christian faith shone through all that he did and the people of Worthing rallied to his cause with hard work and generosity.

Dressmakers in Worthing, 1920-1950, by A. Wise, published 1998 in Costume: the journal of the Costume Society (vol. 32, article, pp.82-86) accessible at: British Library

The Miller of Highdown, by Sally White, published October 1998 in Midhurst Magazine (Volume 11 Number 1, article, pp.11-13, Autumn 1998) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15969]

The strange tale of John Oliver (1709-1793) of Highdown near Worthing: miller, poet, inventor - and maker of eccentric arrangements for his own funeral!

A Millennium Encyclopaedia of Worthing History, by D. Robert Elleray, published November 1998 (184 pp., Worrthing: Optimus Books Ltd., ISBN-10: 0953313204 & ISBN-13: 9780953313204) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 13867] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

St Paul's Church, Worthing: a history and description, by D. Robert Elleray, published 1999 (booklet, 18 pp., Worrthing: Optimus Books Ltd., ISBN-10: 0953313212 & ISBN-13: 9780953313211) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 6609] & West Sussex Libraries

The Worthing Connection: Marian Frost, Pioneer Woman Librarian, and the Two Committees of Women Librarians 1913-15, by C. Baggs and others, published May 1999 in Gendering library history (article, pp.40-56) accessible at: British Library

The May Family of Worthing, by M. A. Webley, published 2000 (pamphlet) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 14111]

Worthing, by Caroline Adams, Martin Hayes, Robin Knibb, Timothy McCann, Sue Millard, published June 2000 (Local History Mini-Guide to Sources, No. 11, pamphlet, Chichester: West Sussex County Council, ISBN-10: 0862604656 & ISBN-13: 9780862604653) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 14169][Lib 14170][Lib 14171] & West Sussex Libraries

Worthing Past, by Sally White, published 6 October 2000 (144 pp., Chichester: Phillimore & Co. Ltd., ISBN-10: 1860771467 & ISBN-13: 9781860771460) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 14324] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

A town of surprises, Worthing is often written off as 'God's Waiting Room' because of its popularity with the retired, but it is lively and has a long and more varied history. Dr. White brings more than sixteen years of research to this very full and vivid account of the town's development since it was the site of a large-scale flint factory in the Stone Age. She draws on unusual, amusing and intriguing episodes plus tales of local 'characters' to enliven the solid, factual narrative. This is the first modern, comprehensive account of Worthing's past and will be welcomed by all.

Worthing: From Saxon Settlement to Seaside Town, by Ronald Kerridge and Michael Standing, published 9 November 2000 (144 pp., Optimus Books, ISBN-10: 0953313247 & ISBN-13: 9780953313242) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

One Hundred Years at Woodside: a pictorial history of Worthing Football Club, by Ron Kerridge, Paul Damper and Wilf Hugill, published 2001 (Laceys Printers) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15270] & West Sussex Libraries

The Sussex seaside town of Worthing has embarked on a pioneering urban renewal project based on self-contained 'urban villages', by M. Walter, published 2001 in Surveyor (Issue 5618, article, pp.16-19)

Excavations on a medieval site at Little High Street, Worthing, West Sussex, 1997, by Julie Lovell, published 2001 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 139, article, pp.133-145) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 14916] & The Keep [LIB/500292] & S.A.S. library   View Online

A rare opportunity to undertake excavations within the town revealed two grain-dryers, pits and a sequence of boundary and enclosure ditches spanning possibly the 10th to early 15th centuries. These are likely to have lain behind buildings on the High Street frontage and reflect Worthing's development as a nucleated village settlement from c. 1200. The finds include a locally-important assemblage of medieval pottery.

An anthology of the Worthing tramocars, by Southdown Enthusiasts' Club, published 2002 (92 pp.) accessible at: British Library

The Worthing Wingfields, by Gina Wilmshurst, published 2002 (pamphlet, published by the author) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 14792] & West Sussex Libraries

Worthing, Richebourg and the League of Help for the Devastated Areas of France: the rediscovery of an adoption, by Sally White, published 2002 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 140, article, pp.125-138) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15109] & The Keep [LIB/500299] & S.A.S. library   View Online

In the aftermath of the First World War the League of Help for the Devastated Areas of France was formed. Its aim was to encourage the adoption of French communities by British towns. The purpose of these adoptions was to provide clothes, tools and other aid to the parts of France that had been battlefields during the war. The founders of the League believed that not only did the British owe a debt of gratitude to the French, but also that such links were the best way to avoid future wars. Worthing was among the many towns that took up the challenge. Led by its formidable Mayor, Mrs Ellen Chapman, it adopted the community of Richebourg l'Avoué in the Pas de Calais which had been virtually destroyed during the war. Links between the two towns persisted for a few years and were then forgotten.

Worthing: Then and Now, by Tony Wales, published 30 September 2003 (96 pp., Seaford: S. B. Publications, ISBN-10: 1857702816 & ISBN-13: 9781857702811) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

Worthing appears on the face of it, a nice quiet unassuming seaside resort, ideal for families and retirement. However this was not the case in earlier years when the town provided plenty of excitement with smuggling, bonfire boys and riots. Most of this disreputable behaviour has now disappeared and the town has adapted to modern times. The town hall has gone along with the steamers at the end of the pier, the fishermen's net shops and the early theatre. So look back and compare Worthing how it used to be, to how it is today and for some of the older residents, relive some of those memories.
Tony Wales, the author, lived in Worthing for many years. He is now retired and lives in his hometown of Horsham.

Broadwater Manor School 1930-2005, 75th Anniversary Booklet, by Henfrey Smail, published 2005 (Gadds) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

Worthing, by Ronald Kerridge and Michael Standing, published 17 November 2005 (96 pp., Frith Book Co. Ltd., ISBN-10: 1859379958 & ISBN-13: 9781859379950) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

Turnpike Roads to Arundel, Worthing and Littlehampton, by Brian Austen, published 2006 in Sussex Industrial History (issue no. 36, article, pp.12-23, ISSN: 0263-5151) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/506534]   Download PDF

The first article in the survey of Turnpike Roads covered, in the main, the Rape of Chichester; this section extends eastwards and includes the southern part of the Rape of Arundel and the south-western part of the Rape of Bramber.

Churchill in Petticoats: Gertrude Ashworth and the Warren School, Worthing, by David A. Cross, published 1 August 2006 (booklet, 60 pp., Fell Foot Press, ISBN-10: 0955320801 & ISBN-13: 9780955320804) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15713] & West Sussex Libraries

Typhoid in Worthing in 'Fever Year', 1893, by J. Virgoe, published August 2006 in The Local Historian (vol. 36, no. 3, article, pp.163-174) accessible at: British Library   View Online

This article is a case-study of a public health crisis which affected an ostensibly 'safe' and-according to its own publicity-notably healthy seaside resort in the late Victorian period. John Virgoe describes the outbreak, progress and impact of the epidemic of typhoid during the summer of 1893, and then goes on to consider its consequences for a town which depended so heavily on the visitor trade (its motto is 'Ex Terra Copiam E Mari Salutem': 'from the land, plenty, from the sea, health'). A substantial section of the discussion focuses on arguments about the responsibility for the outbreak, including the hotly-debated issue of polluted water supply. This was a particularly severe outbreak, with 186 deaths, and some 7.5 per cent of the population being affected, and yet despite two official and contradictory reports a definitive explanation of the origins of the epidemic was never provided. Virgoe demonstrates how vested interests played a part in 'shaping' the news coverage of the outbreak-the town council was desperate to play down the scale of the problem-and also shows the process (a combination of logical reasoning and guesswork) by which the medical investigations were carried out. He includes an assessment of the costs of the epidemic, financial and social, and concludes with consideration of the relative significance of this outbreak compared with other better-known events elsewhere.

A German Bomber on Worthing Soil, by Graham Lelliott, published 1 September 2006 (82 pp., published by the author, ISBN-10: 0955389305 & ISBN-13: 9780955389306) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

Pocket Images: Worthing, by Chris Hare, published 1 December 2006 (128 pp., Nonsuch Publishing, ISBN-10: 1845883403 & ISBN-13: 9781845883409)

A pictorial history of Worthing, presented through a series of photographs and images. It also includes historical captions.

The Field Place Mystery - Secret WW2 tunnels & bunker believed to exist at this site, Worthing., by Graham Lelliott, published 22 October 2007 (31 pp., published by the author, ISBN-10: 0955389313 & ISBN-13: 9780955389313) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

The Queen Alexandra Hospital Home: A History, by David Farrant, published 1 February 2008 (160 pp., Chichester: Phillimore & Co. Ltd., ISBN-10: 1860775187 & ISBN-13: 9781860775185) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

The Queen Alexandra Hospital Home is a remarkable institution with an inspiring history. Casualties in the First World War reached appalling numbers and the Book tells how the home cared for those who were permanently disabled. The vision of Gladys Marchioness of Ripon, the Home was founded in 1919 in Roehampton through the generosity of the Charrington family. In an outstanding story of voluntary effort, people from all walks of life rallied round to help, including the royal family and, in particular, Mrs Verena Hay, who devoted over thirty years of her life to bringing her friend Lady Ripon's vision to reality. The Home pioneered medical and social care procedures which are taken for granted today. The first steps in physiotherapy and occupational therapy were followed by helping the patients to retrain and to find employment. There are wonderful stories of the courage and cheerfulness of individual patients, whose lives were restored and enriched by the devotion of many volunteers. The move to Worthing in 1933 was achieved in spite of bureaucratic obstacles and some local opposition, though the residents soon took 'the Boys' to their hearts. Vital support came from the British Red Cross Society, the Order of St John and the 8th Duke of Richmond as well as military and other charities. Operating with a deficit nearly every year of its existence led to energetic financial planning and the support of benefactors always made the difference between success and failure. This powerful story will appeal to many readers who have barely heard of 'Gifford House', as it is more usually called these days; while for all who knew the institution or whose relatives were cared for in the Home the story will be fascinating.

Worthing: A History, by Chris Hare, published 1 October 2008 (212 pp., Chichester: Phillimore & Co. Ltd., ISBN-10: 1860775047 & ISBN-13: 9781860775048) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

Worthing officially became a town with the passing of the Worthing Town Improvement Act in 1803, though the population then was no more than 1,000. The town developed very quickly, and fashionable society moved in after the visit in 1798 of George III's youngest daughter, Princess Amelia. Conflict emerged very early on between the new residents and the local population, and attempts to reform the character of the town were often strongly resisted, with annual confrontations between angry mobs and the local police. The town's reputation for scandals and demonstrations continued into the Victorian times, as the riots against the Salvation Army, which led to the reading of the Riot Act in 1884, ensured the town gained national attention for all the wrong reasons. The same is also true of the typhoid epidemic of 1893 and the visit of Oscar Wilde in 1895 - just prior to his disgrace and downfall. In the 20th century, the trauma of the First World War allowed a new Worthing to emerge, this time with conflicts between generations rather than classes, as the retired folk coming into Worthing had very different priorities to those seeking to modernise the town. The book concludes by considering how a council that sought to ban rock'n'roll in the 1950s and was still censoring films in the 1980s was able to embrace change and a new direction for Worthing.

I approached this book eagerly, aware that Chris Hare has a gift for searching out information that other writers have overlooked and presenting it appealingly. The subtitle: 'Riot and Respectability in a Seaside Town' should appear on the cover, as this is Chris Hare's real theme. He has pulled together (with great relish) detailed information about various elements of unrest, such as that caused by the Bonfire Boys and smugglers. This is fascinating. Sadly he misses some important elements of the story, such as the scandal over the use of informers, which led to a group of smugglers presenting one of the Hentys with a marble urn.
At times it seems as though even the author is not clear about what he is trying to achieve, and the structure of the book is confused. For example, there is a section on hospitals in Chapter 3, while Chapter 4 is about the health of the town. The book is well illustrated and includes a number of pictures which have not been widely published in the past. Perhaps they come from the recently acquired Terry Childs Collection at Worthing Library.
One of the real problems is the lack of an alphabetical bibliography. The references are presented in very small typeface and are riddled with errors, which can create a sense of frustration in the reader. Some of the references are out of order. In Chapter 2 there are 97 references but the Notes and References at the end of the book has only 90. Chapter 3 has a different title in the text than in the Notes and References section. Such carelessness in an experienced author leaves a lingering anxiety about how accurate some of the information in the text may be.
Undoubtedly this book provides a valuable contribution to making the history of Worthing better known, and belongs in the library of anyone interested in the town. The author is a gifted researcher but the book has serious problems in structure and proofreading. If there is a second edition these need to be corrected.

St. Mary's Church Broadwater, Worthing, West Sussex, published 2009 in Church Building (Issue 119, article)

As part of the re-ordering of this Medieval Grade I listed Church, Canterbury-based architects, Lee Evans Partnership, in collaboration with JUPITER Heating Systems Ltd, has developed a pioneering dry flooring system which could revolutionise the approach to flooring installation in historic and listed buildings

A Roman cremation cemetery at 11-15 Offington Lane, Worthing, West Sussex, by Alice Thorne, published 2009 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 147, article, pp.37-49) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 17254] & The Keep [LIB/500365] & S.A.S. library   View Online

Five cremation groups were discovered during archaeological work at 11-15 Offington Lane, Worthing in May 2006. The remains comprise a small Roman cemetery, dating from the mid-second to the earlier third century AD. The results of this evaluation and excavation contribute towards knowledge of the Roman landscape of Worthing and in particular towards the understanding of rural funerary practice in the area.

Through the Hard Times and the Good: An Oral and Social History of Worthing , by Chris Hare, published 6 October 2009 (160 pp., Guild Care, ISBN-10: 0956317103 & ISBN-13: 9780956317100) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

This beautifully produced book is the culmination of a two year project, 'Time For History' which set out to research and record the history of the Guild Care organisation and situate it within the broader context of Worthing's social history . A team of volunteers conducted research in the Guild Care archive, and over eighty oral history interviews with sixty three residents. The author and manager of the project ably brings the two together in this impressive book which is well illustrated with photographs.
Guild Care is a pioneering organisation founded in 1933 as the Worthing Council of Social Service. It was a local welfare state providing numerous services for the town, and has continued to evolve to meet the needs of Worthing's residents.
The book is arranged in broad themes, and covers The Great Depression, Wartime, Older People, Youth, and Health, Homes and Community. I was repeatedly struck by how relevant several of these themes are in today's Britain, and the author provides many illuminating insights into the social history of the period. During the Great Depression, for example, refugees came to Worthing from Wales, Gateshead and even the Basque region of Spain fleeing the civil war and the oral histories are used to show the complexity of the attitudes towards them.
Throughout the book there is a focus on individuals, both within the organisation and the oral histories. This brings the history to life very effectively and also honours people like Effie Methold, who never courted any publicity for her tireless efforts to help the people of Worthing. The interviews will also be a wonderful resource for future researchers.
The book is enhanced by a DVD which provides a short introduction to Guild Care and allows us to meet some of the engaging individuals who were interviewed.

Worthing, Historic Character Assessment Report, compiled by Roland B. Harris, published December 2009 (Sussex Extensive Urban Survey (EUS), 59 pp. + appendices, E.S.C.C., W.S.C.C. & Brighton and Hove City, funded by English Heritage) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries   Download PDF

Worthing Through Time, by Sally White, published 17 December 2009 (96 pp., Stroud: Amberley Publishing, ISBN-10: 1848681240 & ISBN-13: 9781848681248) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

Worthing Through Time contains 180 photographs of Worthing, of which 90 are old photographs. Some printed in a sepia tone and some printed in full colour. These photographs are printed alongside a contemporary full colour photograph which illustrates the same scene. The contrasting illustrations show how the area has changed and developed during the last 100 years. The photographs illustrate shops, schools, garages, churches, houses and street scenes, each photograph is captioned and the book has an introduction which gives a brief overview of the history of the town. As you browse through the photographs, you will notice the increase in the number of vehicles on the road, shops that once sold new goods are now estate agents or charity shops. Green fields have been transformed into industrial estates, houses or ring roads.

This is another one of the series of books taking towns "Through Time", which not only provide a 'then and now' comparison, but have the extra dimension that in a few years time the 'now' photographs, which Sally has done very well, will themselves be of interest, and not necessarily recorded elsewhere. One day Teville Gate will be demolished, and who knows what will happen to the Half Brick?
All the early photographs are available to view on the West Sussex Past Pictures website (www.westsussexpast.org.uk), but even in 2010 not everyone uses a website, and a publication such as this brings the material, including much from the Gardiner collection, to a wider audience. Although I am fairly familiar with the collections held by Worthing Library, there were some which were new to me and well selected.
I would make the same complaint that Geoffrey Mead made in his reviews of earlier volumes in this series, that it would be greatly enhanced with even a simple map. Sally starts logically with the seafront and then moves inland from the east to the hospital and the station, then Chapel Road & Richmond Road, but then moves into businesses, hotels etc., with the villages, as expected, at the end. I would also make the usual librarian's complaint that no series like this ever has an index, and this one doesn't even have a contents/topics list.
A couple of other points: on page 77, Ham Bridge Halt is now East Worthing Station, not West Worthing as the caption says; and on page 30, whereas all the other modern photographs are taken from as near as possible the same angle, the northern end of Chapel road in the old photograph is the east side looking south towards the Rivoli, in the modern photograph it is the west side looking north towards Teville Gate.

Worthing at War: The Diary of C. F. Harriss, edited by Paul Holden, published 21 April 2010 (224 pp., Chichester: Phillimore & Co. Ltd., ISBN-10: 1860776183 & ISBN-13: 9781860776182) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

Of all the historical documents charting Worthing's past, few are more important than a wartime diary called 'Hotchpot', compiled with religious dedication by Broadwater resident C.F. Harriss. Mr Harriss was a retired lawyer who lived with his wife in Rectory Gardens throughout the Second World War, and his diary, now in the hands of West Sussex Library Service, charts in intimate detail the daily lives of people during this turbulent time. Mr Harriss hoped the giant tome, split into two volumes, would assist future historians attempting to probe through the mists of oblivion. He wrote, 'It was written at the time and so supplied an exact and vivid record of wartime life, a true and intimate example, in the colour of the moment, of what ordinary citizens felt, thought and said.' The diary is remarkable chiefly on account of Mr Harriss's literate and informed manner. As well as describing events in wartime Worthing, it provides what is almost certainly an accurate commentary on civilian morale as news of the progress of the war reaches a seaside town. The diarist is a 'character' and his personality inflects his account, but he is above all knowledgeable and articulate and his daily entries are a pleasure and an education to read. 'May 28, 1940. The Anglo-French army is retreating to the coast. It is fighting with extreme gallantry but the impression remains that its situation is almost desperate. England's turn is expected to come next by means of parachutists and bombing aircraft, then perhaps invasion. Last evening we watched Corporation employees erecting the barricades across Montague Place and South Street and other thoroughfares giving access to the sea. These consisted of bathing machines placed side by side and partially filled with shingle.'

Worthing: Town and City Memories, by Ronald Kerridge and Michael Standing, published 1 May 2010 (96 pp., Oakridge Books and Gifts, ISBN-10: 085774190X & ISBN-13: 9780857741905)

Neolithic Villages Near Worthing: Rediscovering lost ancient settlements on the South Downs, by Alex Vincent, published July 2010 (36 pp., Seaford: S. B. Publications, ISBN-10: 1857703618 & ISBN-13: 9781857703610) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

The area around Worthing in West Sussex is rich with remains of ancient Neolithic villages and flint mines. In this well researched book, archaeologist Alex Vincent uncovers the evidence for a fascinating array of settlements and earthworks, showing how this important heritage can be indentified and enjoyed by people today.
The author, Alex Vincent lives in Worthing

Haunted Worthing, by Wendy Hughes, published 6 September 2010 (96 pp., The History Press, ISBN-10: 0752456164 & ISBN-13: 9780752456164) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

This collection of phantoms, ghouls and spirits contains new and well-known spooky tales from Worthing and its environs. Featuring the 8ft-monk reading his prayer book, the young girl whose hair is stroked by an unseen hand, the two child-like figures caught on security cameras, the famous musician who frequented his last home and the painting that weeps salty tears, these tales will leave you chilled to the bone. Also included are the mysterious historical sites of Cissbury Ring, Chanctonbury Ring and Arundel Castle, which attract ghouls and curious ghost hunters in equal measure. This collection of spine-tingling tales is guaranteed to entertain and spook anyone interested in Worthing's ghostly history.

Worthing Village Project: Heritage Lottery funded research into the town's origins, published December 2010 in Sussex Past & Present (no. 122, article, p.9, ISSN: 1357-7417) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/500475] & S.A.S. library   View Online

Heene St Botolph's cemetery, Manor Road, Worthing, by Elizabeth Lane, published Autumn 2010 in West Sussex History, the Journal of West Sussex Archives Society (no. 78, article, p.15) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 16404/78] & The Keep [LIB/500502]

Jezebel!?: scandal and riot in early 19th century Worthing, by Chris Allen, published Autumn 2010 in West Sussex History, the Journal of West Sussex Archives Society (no. 78, article, p.21) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 16404/78] & The Keep [LIB/500502]

Afflicted Worthing: Thomas Evans and his [typhoid] Epidemic Relief Fund, 1893-4, by Marion Woolgar, published 2011 in West Sussex History, the Journal of West Sussex Archives Society (no. 79, article, p.3) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 16404/79] & The Keep [LIB/500503]

Afflicted Worthing: some victims of the [typhoid] epidemic, by Marion Woolgar, published 2011 in West Sussex History, the Journal of West Sussex Archives Society (no. 79, article, p.7) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 16404/79] & The Keep [LIB/500503]

Worthing Under Attack: Eye Witness History of Worthing during the 1930s and 40s, by Chris Hare, published 24 May 2011 (112 pp., West Sussex Heritage Booklets, ISBN-10: 0956317111 & ISBN-13: 9780956317117) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

This book comes from the culmination of two projects funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund - the Time for History Project sponsored by Guild Care, and the on-going research project All Our Yesterdays based at West Sussex Record Office. The first project led to the publication of Through the Hard Times and the Good in 2009, and this book includes further extracts from oral history interviews and benefits from the second project involving the indexing by volunteers of periodicals and newspapers held at Worthing Library, in particular the Worthing Journal (1932-1940), which contained "hard-hitting and satirical columns" which bring the 1930s to life.
The cover immediately suggests the physical wartime attacks, being a painting of the December 1940 bombing of the area around the Town Hall. However, the first part of the book deals with the 1930s, when the town was under attack from the twin threats of the Great Depression and political extremism. As much oral history relating to the Depression appeared in the previous volume, Chris concentrates on the writings of the columnists of the Worthing Journal. This had a largely middle-class readership, who would appreciate, for example, that a group of "itinerant cacophonists" (i.e. musicians) might be better engaged making up new roads.
Worthing had a branch of the National Unemployed Workers Movement, which came into conflict with Worthing Council of Social Service (now Guild Care) over proposals for a social centre, and was then accused of being a communist influence. Those archaeologists from the Worthing area and beyond will be interested to read the comments by a member of the NUWM and chairman of the Worthing Trades Council - named Con Ainsworth!
In the 1930s Worthing had one of the most active branches of the British Union of Fascists in the country. Visits by Oswald Mosley often led to rowdy disorder; there was a fascist councillor (nominally independent), Captain Charles Henry Bentinck Budd, on both Worthing Council and West Sussex County Council. The BUF's national advisor on agriculture, Jorian Jenks, was a farmer at Angmering, and in 1937 he was the movement's prospective parliamentary candidate for the then Worthing and Horsham constituency. Jenks is particularly interesting as a proponent of organic and sustainable farming, and he was drawn to fascism by its policy of self-sufficiency. Interestingly, Jenks owned the land where Angmering Roman Villa was found, and gave permission to archaeologists to search for it.
As we move into the war years there is information on evacuees (who were taken away again after May 1940 because of the risk of invasion), the Home Guard & Land Army, and the Canadians in Worthing - who as elsewhere were a mixed blessing, and many myths grew up about relations with local girls and fights in pubs. Worthing was of course bombed, though not to the same extent as, say, Eastbourne - mostly the targets were the railway line, the tanks in Victoria Park and the gasworks. One of the reports in the local press of a German bomber crash in which at least 8 people were killed never appeared in any official log.
I feel the book tails off a little once the Worthing Journal closed in 1940, though it remains interesting. It is well illustrated, but unfortunately there is an error in the citation of the photographs from West Sussex County Library Service - the correct url is www.westsussexpastpictures.org.uk.

St Barnabas Hospice, Columbia Drive, Worthing (NGR: TQ11600457) - evaluation report, by James McNicholl-Norbury, published July 2011 (Reading: Thames Valley Archaeological Services)   View Online

Northbrook College and Lower Northbrook Farm, West Durrington, Worthing (NGR: TQ10420388) - desk-based assessment, evaluation and watching brief reports, by Sean Wallis, published November 2011 (Reading: Thames Valley Archaeological Services)   View Online

A project to research the history of the Worthing glasshouse industry, by Malcolm Linfield, published 2012 in West Sussex History, the Journal of West Sussex Archives Society (no. 80, article, p.3) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 16404/80] & The Keep [LIB/500504]

One Hundred Years in a Matter of Minutes: Worthing Society for the Blind 1910-2010, by Keith Humphreys, published 2013 (Worthing Society for the Blind) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

Princess Amelia at Worthing, by Helena Millen, published 2013 in West Sussex History, the Journal of West Sussex Archives Society (no. 81, article, p.6) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 16404/81] & The Keep [LIB/507838]

Worthing: The Postcard Collection, by Antony Edmonds, published 28 March 2013 (96 pp., Stroud: Amberley Publishing, ISBN-10: 1445616408 & ISBN-13: 9781445616407) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

During the reign of Edward VII (1901 - 1910) Worthing was a thriving resort in its architectural prime, its seafront graced by numerous elegant and charming buildings. The first decade of the twentieth century was also the period when the sending of picture postcards became almost a national obsession. Today these postcards provide us with a unique and fascinating record of the buildings, the traffic and the people of a long-vanished England. This photographic record is of especial value in the case of Worthing, since so many of the town's historic buildings have been demolished over the past seventy-five years. Reproduced in this book are over 160 postcards of Worthing that show the town in its Edwardian glory. Nearly 60 are in colour. All are richly atmospheric, and many - such as those of the Tunbridge Wells photographer Harold Camburn and the French form of Levy Sons & Co. - are of a high artistic standard. The collection takes us first to Broadwater and Tarring, and then along Worthing parade and through the streets of the town. The long section of cards of the promenade is of particular interest, the views being arranged in a tight geographical sequence, bringing the Edwardian seafront back to life building by building. Old maps of Worthing are included to assist the reader.

Unlike many recent illustrated publications on local towns, this title has a coherent theme, Edwardian Worthing. Not just "the Charm of Edwardian Worthing", as the review in the Worthing Herald (11th April 2013) was headlined, though that will doubtless help to sell the book, but illustrations of Worthing at its most graceful architectural period, so many of the buildings of which have been demolished in the past 75 years.
Using over 160 postcards (60 in full colour - with some interesting examples of different methods of tinting, in the days before widespread colour photography), the centre of the book is a photographic record of the Edwardian promenade, building by building, from what is now Dolphin Court (the former illfated attempt to build a Metropole Hotel at West Worthing in the 1890s - commonly known as Worthing's White Elephant) to the Esplanade (best known as the location where Oscar Wilde stayed while writing The Importance of Being Earnest - hence the character Ernest Worthing). Most of the postcards are contemporary; a few more recent ones have been included to complete the sequence as they illustrate Edwardian buildings. All the terrace names are included (not always easy to identify now), and details of what does and does not survive.
The other areas illustrated concentrate where visitors are most likely to frequent, such as the beach, town centre, Homefield Park (the People's Park); and the first section of the book covers the outlying areas (e.g. Tarring (including the fig gardens) and Broadwater.
The publishers for most of the postcards illustrated are identified, two of which (the French firm Levy Sons & Co., and the Tunbridge Wells photographer Harold Camburn) contribute one third of the postcards used.
He also has the wisdom to include a map (1896) so that readers can identify the locations of many of the pictures - the source of this is not actually acknowledged to Ordnance Survey (2nd edition 1898, surveyed 1896).
This title will be attractive to visitors and residents, those interested in Edwardian architecture and also postcard collectors, as he is clearly knowledgeable on the history of postcards.

Pumping Station, Hill Barn Lane, Worthing (NGR: TQ14260548) - watching brief reprort, by Felicity Howell, published June 2013 (Reading: Thames Valley Archaeological Services)   View Online

Jane Austen's Worthing: The Real Sanditon, by Antony Edmonds, published 19 September 2013 (128 pp., Stroud: Amberley Publishing, ISBN-10: 1445619733 & ISBN-13: 9781445619736) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

During her stay in Worthing in late 1805 Jane Austen became friends with Edward Ogle, who was the driving force behind the chaotic little town's transformation into a well-ordered seaside resort. Then, in 1817, the year of her death, Jane Austen used Worthing as the background for her final, unfinished novel, Sanditon, one of whose main characters was based on Ogle. This book gives a detailed account of the town Jane Austen knew in 1805, and explores in full the close links between Sanditon and early Worthing. But this is more than just the snapshot of a single year. It is also the portrait of an era. Taking the first twenty-five years of the nineteenth century as his time frame, the author explains how Worthing changed and developed during this period, and paints vivid pictures of some of the people associated with the town. We meet Worthing's most paranoid resident, the volatile reformed criminal John Mackoull, as well as notable visitors to the town such as the poets Byron and Shelley, the satirical writer Horace Smith, and Colonel Berkeley, the louche nobleman and part-time actor with a passion for young actresses. Jane Austen's Worthing includes seventy-five illustrations, over a third of them in colour.

Antony Edmonds considers the evidence that Sanditon, Jane's last and unfinished novel of 1817, may have been based on the early development of Worthing as a seaside town. As he rightly says, Jane Austen was a novelist, not a travel writer, and describes her as muddying the coastal waters by placing the fictional Sanditon between Eastbourne and Hastings, specifically mentioning Worthing as one of the large towns on which Sanditon was an improvement. There are clear resemblances between Trafalgar House in the novel and Warwick House in Worthing; between Mr Parker in the novel and Edward Ogle, the owner of Warwick House when Jane was in Worthing, and an indefatigable promoter and developer of Worthing as a seaside resort; between Old Sanditon and Broadwater, and possibly Sanditon House and either Broadwater Manor or Offington House.
From this thesis he expands into an account of the development of Worthing as a seaside resort in the early 19th century (to about 1825), when the establishment of circulating libraries, hotels (including Assembly Rooms as part of the Steyne Hotel), and a theatre (most of which Ogle had an interest in or promoted) brought the town into line with other resorts. When Jane Austen visited, Worthing had only recently (1803) become a town with a Board of Commissioners, of which Edward Ogle was the first Chairman. Antony Edmonds quotes liberally from the guidebooks of the time, and has a chapter on "The Life and Grievances of John Mackoull", the author of "A Sketch of Worthing" (1817 and earlier editions), in which the (known criminal) author takes the opportunity of being very rude about many persons (including Ogle) and establishments in Worthing. There is also a concluding chapter on "Seven Notable Visitors".
The book contains a considerable number of prints and watercolours of early Worthing, many in colour. He does provide an Index of Locations and Buildings Around Worthing, but a fuller index would have been welcome.
Whether or not any further evidence comes to light regarding Jane Austen's intention to use Worthing as a template for Sanditon, this possible link gives an excellent reason for telling the story of Worthing in its early seaside development days, and an opportunity to publish or republish some of the excellent early illustrations of the town.

Shingle style; Architects: Wilkinson Eyre Architects, by Eleanor Young, published September 2013 in RIBA journal (vol. 120, no. 9, article, pp.26-30) accessible at: R.I.B.A. Library

Reviews a public swimming pool in Worthing commissioned at a time of austerity - it was sink or swim for the architects.

The Royal Observer Corps in Worthing: From the Days of Identifying Friendly and Enemy Aircraft, to Their New Rather Chilling Role, Trained to Report the Onset of a Nuclear Attack on Britain, by Graham Lelliott, published 14 January 2014 (56 pp., published by the author, ISBN-10: 095538933X & ISBN-13: 9780955389337) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

Lower Northbrook Farm, West Durrington, Worthing (NGR: TQ10600410) - building survey and evaluation reports, by Sean Wallis, published June 2014 (Reading: Thames Valley Archaeological Services)   View Online

Oscar Wilde's Scandalous Summer: The 1894 Worthing Holiday and the Aftermath, by Antony Edmonds, published 28 July 2014 (224 pp., Stroud: Amberley Publishing, ISBN-10: 1445636182 & ISBN-13: 9781445636184) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

In the summer of 1894 Oscar Wilde spent eight weeks in Worthing, and it was during this family holiday that he wrote his masterpiece, The Importance of Being Earnest.
The Worthing holiday was a microcosm of Wilde's turbulent life during the three years between his falling in love with Lord Alfred Douglas in 1892 and his imprisonment in 1895.
Constance Wilde, lonely and depressed, became emotionally involved with her husband's publisher, to whom she wrote a love letter on the day he visited the Wildes in Worthing. Meanwhile Wilde was spending much of his time with the feckless and demanding Douglas, and with three teenage boys he took out sailing, swimming and fishing. One of these boys was Alphonse Conway, with whom Wilde had a sexual relationship, and about whom he was to be questioned at length and to damaging effect in court six months later when he sued Douglas's father, the Marquess of Queensberry, for libel.
This book tells for the first time the full story of the Worthing summer, set in the context of the three years of Wilde's life before his downfall. In the final chapter the author reassesses the trials, offering fresh insights into Wilde's attitude to the boys and young men with whom he had sexual relations.
There are fifty-six illustrations, over thirty of which are photographs of Worthing as it was in Wilde's time, and three contemporary maps of the town.

Lower Northbrook Farm, Titnore Lane, West Durrington, Worthing (NGR: TQ10430410) - evaluation report, by Sean Wallis, published July 2014 (Reading: Thames Valley Archaeological Services)   View Online

New Worthing School, Broadwater Road, Worthing (NGR: TQ14580407) - evaluation report, by Felicity Howell, published September 2014 (Reading: Thames Valley Archaeological Services)   View Online

Worthing & Adur Chamber of Commerce: A History, by Chris Hare, published 2015 (Worthing & Adur Chamber of Commerce) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

With DVD, which can also be viewed alongside the book at www.worthingandadurchamber.co.uk/hlf

50th anniversary of the Worthing Astronomical Society, 1965 to 2015, edited by Alex Vincent, published 2015 (28 pp., Worthing: Worthing Astronomical Society) accessible at: British Library & West Sussex Libraries

The Head family of Worthing, pioneer nurserymen, by Malcolm Linfield, published 2015 in West Sussex History, the Journal of West Sussex Archives Society (no. 83, article, p.16) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 16404/83] & The Keep [LIB/508996]

St Mary of the Angels: 150 Years of History , by Dennis J. Key, published 1 July 2015 (104 pp., Verite CM Ltd., ISBN-10: 191071903X & ISBN-13: 9781910719039) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

12 Littlehampton Road, Worthing (NGR: TQ13270468) - watching brief report, by Felicity Howell and Sean Wallis, published September 2015 (Reading: Thames Valley Archaeological Services)   View Online

Mistress of the Davison Memorial Infantine School in Worthing, 1861-1873, by Margaret A. Coombs, published 24 September 2015 in Charlotte Mason: Hidden Heritage and Educational Influence (pp.97-118, James Clarke and Co. Ltd., ISBN-10: 0718894022 & ISBN-13: 9780718894023) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

Charlotte Mason (1842-1923) was a radical educational pioneer

Worthing Pier Past, Present & Future Book, by Worthing Youth Council, published 2016 (96 pp., ISBN-13: 9781897739075) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

Illustrated colour book about the Heritage Lottery Funded Young Roots Worthing Pier Past, Present and Future project.
Packed with information about the Pier's history and including Art and Poetry work produced by pupils in schools across the Borough.

Was Worthing Built on the Wages of Sin, by Barrie Keech, published 2016 (West Sussex Archives Society) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries   Download PDF

Secret Worthing, by James Henry and Colin Walton, published 15 July 2016 (96 pp., Stroud: Amberley Publishing, ISBN-10: 1445651408 & ISBN-13: 9781445651408) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

This popular Sussex seaside resort on the south coast is an eclectic mix of Edwardian, Georgian and Victorian architecture, with a splash of art deco and a smattering of medieval if you know where to look. Local history books are an invaluable source of information, charting the development of a town, but there are some oddities and curiosities that lack explanation or merit few words. It is these that James and Colin have set themselves the task of investigating. Few will realise that they are walking in the footsteps of Oscar Wilde or Jane Austen, both of whom were short-term residents of Worthing. Within these pages you'll discover stories of places, people and objects.

Lost Buildings of Worthing: A Historic Town and its People, by Antony Edmonds, published 15 October 2016 (256 pp., Stroud: Amberley Publishing, ISBN-10: 1445657074 & ISBN-13: 9781445657073) accessible at: British Library & West Sussex Libraries

Demolition and redevelopment over the past seventy-five years have done great damage to Worthing, and relatively few of the town's historic buildings survive.
Lost Buildings of Worthing is a lavishly illustrated record of the most interesting and important of these vanished buildings. It is also a rich and detailed history - and social history - of Worthing, with numerous fascinating narratives and anecdotes about people associated with the buildings described.
In the first section, 'Lost on the Seafront', we travel from east to west along the parade, visiting over twenty buildings, including the Haven, where Oscar Wilde wrote The Importance of Being Earnest in 1894; Warne's, the famous hotel where Emperor Haile Selassie stayed after he was exiled from Ethiopia; and the Marine Hotel, where Benjamin Disraeli 'sojourned for a time' during a period when he was in opposition.
The second section, 'Lost in the Town Centre', features buildings and streets that once stood in the historic heart of Worthing - from the slum dwellings of Cook's Row to the fine old houses of the High Street - while the third, 'Lost on the Periphery', focuses on the ancient estates of Charmandean and Offington.
Illustrated with over two hundred engravings and photographs - together with six extracts from the Ordnance Survey map of 1859 - Lost Buildings of Worthing is an indispensable historical account of the largest town in West Sussex.

New Astroturf Pitch, Vale School, Vale Avenue, Worthing (NGR: TQ12720657) - recording action report, by Sean Wallis, published December 2016 (Reading: Thames Valley Archaeological Services)   View Online

Fatal Accidents, published 2017 (Friends of Broadwater and Worthing Cemetery) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

Equine Matters, published 2017 (Friends of Broadwater and Worthing Cemetery) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

Relatively Speaking, published 2017 (Friends of Broadwater and Worthing Cemetery) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

A Victorian tour of Worthing, published 2017 (Friends of Broadwater and Worthing Cemetery) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

By their own hand, published 2017 (Friends of Broadwater and Worthing Cemetery) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

The Feminine Touch, published 2017 (Friends of Broadwater and Worthing Cemetery) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

Electric Pictures: A Guide to the Films, Film-Makers and Cinemas of Worthing and Shoreham, by Ellen Cheshire and James Clarke, published 2 March 2017 (128 pp., Stroud: The History Press, ISBN-13: 9780750981415) accessible at: British Library & West Sussex Libraries

Written as part of the Worthing WOW festival celebrations, Electric Pictures commemorates 120 years of film in the Sussex coastal towns of Worthing and Shoreham, capturing the region's rich cinematic legacy and its place in British film history. From film-making pioneers through to blockbuster films and key events in the film history of the coast, this volume draws on research from film archives and local history resources to tell the story of the south coast film world. Richly illustrated and featuring contributions from local historians and film and theatre specialists, this book also includes an additional Heritage Trail guide that reveals key filming locations and the towns' cinemas.

St Mary's Broadwater: The Parish Church of Worthing, by Frederick Harrison, published (no date) (pamphlet) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 4982]

Worthing, St George Parish Register, published (no date) by the Sussex Family History Group and Parish Register Transcription Society (Ref: SXW97, CD-ROM)

Baptisms, Marriages and Banns 1869-1900. Indexed Transcription. Vol.97.