The Borough of Worthing covers an area of 8,030 acres (3,250 ha)[1] on the south coast of England, facing the English Channel.
Residential growth in the 20th century absorbed nearby villages, and older houses, churches and mansions became part of the borough.
From its origins as a fishing village, Worthing grew into a seaside resort in the early 19th century on the strength of royal patronage, the positive effect of nearby Brighton, the excellent climate and new road links to London.
[14] A 1947 plan by Charles Cowles-Voysey proposing the complete demolition and redevelopment of central Worthing was never implemented, but piecemeal changes since then (especially during the 1960s) have had a similar effect in removing many historically significant buildings.
[10] A conservation society was formed in 1973—much later than in similar towns;[10][13] despite low levels of public support, it successfully saved Beach House from demolition in the late 1970s.
[10] Listed buildings demolished or lost to redevelopment in Worthing include the old rectory at Broadwater, West Tarring's original Church House, most of the Humphrys Almshouses, the old Theatre Royal and the adjacent Omega Cottage.
Other structures with listed status include an ornate cast-iron lamp-post—the only survivor of more than 100 installed when Worthing first received electricity,[17] and saved from demolition in 1975;[18] a K6 telephone kiosk in the Steyne, a seafront square;[19] an 18th-century dovecote on a site where one has existed since the 13th century;[20] and a recent addition: a 1989 sculpture by Elisabeth Frink consisting of four gigantic male heads cast in bronze and set on a stuccoed loggia.
The three-storey cobbled flint building's structural features include a bay window and a cornice supported by a modillion.
[30] St Mary's Farmhouse in Durrington had two attendant barns, which were listed separately from the house (along with its front garden wall) to reflect their architectural value as a group.
[32][33] One lay diagonally across the southwest corner of the farmhouse grounds; it was built mainly of flint and had a hipped roof of thatch.
The former Christ Church school, opposite that church, was built in 1861.
Heene Terrace was part of a major building scheme west of Worthing in the mid-19th century.
From right to left, numbers 74, 75 and 76 Marine Parade form part of an early-19th-century terrace.
The bow-fronted houses at 77–79 Marine Parade are also early-19th-century.
Six listed buildings on Portland Road—from number 75 (foreground) to number 89—are shown here.
90 (partly obscured), 92 and 94 Portland Road all have boat porches.
40/40A (right) and 42 (left) High Street are early-19th-century survivors on the High Street in central Worthing. 40 High Street is the oldest building in the town centre
The neighbouring cobble-fronted cottage, which is now on what would have been no 40s garden.
This
Tudor Revival
villa has been divided into flats—52, 52A and 52B Richmond Road.
This lamp-post dates from 1901 and is the only surviving example in the borough.
This K6 telephone kiosk stands on the seafront at the corner of The Steyne.
