Worthing started out as a Saxon village, nothing more than an agricultural hamlet. It was originally called Worth ingas or Wurtha ingas, meaning the settlement, or belonging to, the people of Woth/Wutha.
It was not until the 18th Century that Worthing developed and grew into more than just a hamlet. At that time, it became popular belief that bathing in sea water could cure a variety of diseases. Towards the later part of the 18th Century, the rich began to visit the seaside as a matter of fashion and status. This is when many seaside resorts appeared, such as Brighton and Bognor Regis.
Worthing’s fortunes changed when Princess Amelia visited in 1798. It soon began to develop as other wealthy people wanted to follow in the footsteps of royalty. It was a rapid, but short-lived, development. The growth started in very early 19th Century, with several new streets being built, but then slowed by mid-19th Century.
1803 - Local government in Worthing started as an Act of Parliament formed a body of men called Commissioners. They had the power to pave and clean the streets.
Visitors had easier access to Worthing as a turnpike road was built to the town. These roads were privately owned and had a fee for their usage, but it still provided a more convenient route to the town.
1807 - The first theatre in Worthing opened.
The Prince Regent’s daughter, Princess Charlotte, visited Worthing.
1810 - Worthing got its own market.
1829 - A dispensary of free medicines was opened so the poor could have basic medical care.
1834 - Lights became fuelled by gas.
1835 - Worthing had its first Town Hall built.
1845 - The railway finally reached Worthing.
1850 - A ship called Lalla Rook was caught in a storm offshore. Local fishermen set out to rescue the ship, but their own boat sank, killing all 11 crew. A second rescue attempt was successful at saving all the crew of Lalla Rook.
1857 - Worthing got a piped water supply.
1862 - The first Worthing pier was built.
1881 – The first hospital opened.
1889 - A new pier was built to replace the first opened in 1862.
1896 - The first public library opened in Worthing.
The Salvation Army arrived in Worthing in the early 1880’s and was met with fierce opposition. In 1884, this opposition reached its peak when a rabble formed, calling themselves the ‘skeleton army’. This group began riots in Worthing to the extent where troops had to be called in to disperse them.
Worthing was not made into a borough until 1890, when it had a population of approximately 16,000. However, in 1893 typhoid broke out amongst the residents of the town, killing 188 people.
1901 - Electricity came to Worthing
1908 - A museum and art gallery were built.
1910 - The Dome was built.
1914 - The Connaught Theatre was built.
1921 - A War Memorial was erected.
1924 - Denton Gardens opened.
1926 - The Pavilion Theatre was built.
1930 - Marine Gardens were created.
1933 - A new Town Hall was built.
1959 - Worthing Lido opened.
1967 - Highdown Gardens was given to the council.
1974 - The Guildbourne Centre opened.
1975 - A new library was built.
1989 - Davidson Leisure Centre opened.
2000 - Millennium Garden opened.
The first council houses were built in the 1920s and 1930s. In World War II, air raids reached Worthing, killing 44 people and destroying 97 houses.
In the early 20th Century, Worthing grew rapidly in population as the town flourished as a seaside resort. By the late 1930s it was estimated that 62,000 people lived in Worthing. This was a dramatic increase from 16,000 within 40 years.
Today, the population of Worthing is estimated at 97,000.
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