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Worthing is the largest town in West Sussex, around 100 km (60 miles) south of London and 18 km (11 miles) or so along the coast from Brighton. The town lies nestled between the English Channel and the South Downs National Park. Since the 19th century it has been nicknamed 'Sunny Worthing' thanks to its reputedly sunny and mild microclimate.

Worthing Pier from the beach Although a seaside town with a pier, a prom and pleasant seaside parks, for much of the 20th century the town seems to have taken its eye off the ball with regards tourism, preferring to see itself as a town by the sea rather than a seaside town. In the 21st century, the town has been getting its act together; palm trees have been planted along the beach promenade, the Dome Cinema has been restored and the area around Splash Point revitalised. The town has a growing reputation for the arts and now hosts the Worthing Birdman event which attracts tens of thousands of people. Further regeneration work is planned, including a £150-million redevelopment of the Teville Gate area near the station.

The hills around Worthing were home to some of Britain's earliest and most extensive flint-mining operations, which saw some of the hardest flint available mined for thousands of years and exported across much of Britain and Europe. These flints helped people to fell trees, bringing about the neolithic revolution turning the nomadic Stone Age into a settled agricultural Bronze Age. Church Hill dates from 4500 BC. You can still see the filled-in mineshafts on the edge of Cissbury Ring, just north of town.

Settled since the Bronze Age, Worthing remained a small fishing hamlet until the 1750s, when various wealthy citizens visited for the hunting and fishing opportunities afforded by the area. Princess Amelia, daughter of King George III, stayed in Montague Place in 1798, which put the town firmly on the map of England's fashionable society. In the 19th century, Worthing was an elegant and fashionable resort attracting the rich and famous of the day.

It is famous for being used as the location for the movie Wish You Were Here as well as its literary connections. Oscar Wilde named the central character of The Importance of Being Earnest after the town, and wrote the play while stayed here at the height of the town`s fashionability in the 1890s. Jane Austen's unfinished novel Sanditon is thought to have been significantly based on experiences from her stay in Worthing in 1805. A blue plaque marks the former home of Nobel prize-winning playwright Harold Pinter in Ambrose Place.

Today Worthing has a windsurfing and kitesurfing centre at the western end of the promenade and is a good place to stay for visitors wishing to explore the South Downs which are just north of the town.

Worthing (population 100,000) is a large town and the centre of an urban area of 185,000. With nearby Brighton, it forms part of England's tenth largest conurbation, with nearly half a million residents.

East Beach Studios.
Worthing Museum and Art Gallery, Chapel Rd. Tu-Sa: 10AM-5PM.. Pay a visit to the town's free museum. It contains one of the country's finest Victorian costume collections and holds various fine and decorative art exhibitions, including lively temporary exhibitions often involving local artists, as well as a sculpture garden. Also has archaeology exhibits, including artefacts from the South Downs nearby. Some of the space is a little dated, but interesting nevertheless. Free.
Visit local artists at the Worthing Open Houses event. More than 45 local homes open their doors to the public to display a wide range of arts and crafts from local artists. In 2011 the event takes place in the last two weekends of June and first weekend of July.
Visit the reproduction of the Sistine Chapel ceiling located in English Martyrs Catholic Church 4 miles (7 km) to the west of the town centre, near Goring Station. Open Tu-Fr 10AM-4.
Highdown hill, north of Goring, provides scenic views of the town and also has the historic Highdown Gardens open to the public. Both are free of charge. Highdown Gardens is open Apr-Sep: daily 10AM-6PM, Oct-Nov: M-F 10AM-4:30PM, Dec-Jan: M-F 10AM-4PM, Feb-Mar: M-F 10AM-4:30PM. There's also a cafe and a hotel/restaurant by the entrance.

East Beach Studios.

Worthing Museum and Art Gallery, Chapel Rd. Tu-Sa: 10AM-5PM.. Pay a visit to the town's free museum. It contains one of the country's finest Victorian costume collections and holds various fine and decorative art exhibitions, including lively temporary exhibitions often involving local artists, as well as a sculpture garden. Also has archaeology exhibits, including artefacts from the South Downs nearby. Some of the space is a little dated, but interesting nevertheless. Free.

Visit local artists at the Worthing Open Houses event. More than 45 local homes open their doors to the public to display a wide range of arts and crafts from local artists. In 2011 the event takes place in the last two weekends of June and first weekend of July.

Visit the reproduction of the Sistine Chapel ceiling located in English Martyrs Catholic Church 4 miles (7 km) to the west of the town centre, near Goring Station. Open Tu-Fr 10AM-4.

Highdown hill, north of Goring, provides scenic views of the town and also has the historic Highdown Gardens open to the public. Both are free of charge. Highdown Gardens is open Apr-Sep: daily 10AM-6PM, Oct-Nov: M-F 10AM-4:30PM, Dec-Jan: M-F 10AM-4PM, Feb-Mar: M-F 10AM-4:30PM. There's also a cafe and a hotel/restaurant by the entrance.

Dome Cinema, 21-22 Marine Parade, BN11 3PT, +44 1903 823112. See a film at one of England's most atmospheric early cinemas.
Visitors to Worthing should not miss the opportunity to stroll along the prom. Or hire a bike from the cycle hire shop on the seafront
M's Cycle Hire, Marine Parade (On seafront opposite Steyne Gardens, +44 7852 986165 or +44 7852 986163. Hire a bike along the seafront. They will also deliver to where you are in the Worthing area. Cycle along the seafront or up onto the South Downs.
Don't miss the fishermen selling fish from their boats on East Worthing Beach. Oscar Wilde's residence here in 1894 is commemorated by a blue plaque on the modern building at the eastern end of the Esplanade.
Admire the views of the town's art deco pier from Splash Point, with its rainbow mist water feature and pleasant seating area. Located 100 metres east of the pier.
Visit one of the town's theatres:
- The Connaught Theatre offers productions visiting from London's West End as well as repertory theatre in an art-deco setting.
- The Pavilion Theatre offers a range of shows from children's shows to general entertainers in the beach-side pavilion on Worthing Pier.
- The Assembly Hall is the town's main venue for music, with its excellent acoustics. It is home to the Worthing Symphony Orchestra, the only professional orchestra in West Sussex, which puts on Spring and Autumn seasons.
Walk up to Cissbury Ring, one of Britain's most impressive Iron Age hillforts, managed by the National Trust and lying in the newly created South Downs National Park just north of the town. Consider walking from the Worthing suburb of Broadwater or the nearby village of Sompting with its picturesque 11th-century church.

Worthing has a range of golfing facilities to suit all abilities:

Worthing Golf Club - Features two 18-hole courses on the South Downs. The Lower Course is reckoned to be one of the best downland courses in England. The Upper Course boasts some spectacular views across much of the south coast, from the Isle of Wight to Beachy Head.
Hill Barn Golf Club - Nice 18-hole course on the South Downs. Former municipal course in private hands and benefiting from their investment. The club hosted European Tour events in the 1970s.
Brooklands Golf Centre - Municipal, nine-hole learners course. Looks good now the trees have grown and has a nice water feature. Close to the seafront east of town.
Splash Point Mini Golf - Worthing's only crazy golf course, near seafront behind Splash Point.
Marine Gardens Putting Green - Small putting green close to the seafront west of the town centre.

Worthing Golf Club - Features two 18-hole courses on the South Downs. The Lower Course is reckoned to be one of the best downland courses in England. The Upper Course boasts some spectacular views across much of the south coast, from the [[Isle of Wight]] to Beachy Head.

Hill Barn Golf Club - Nice 18-hole course on the South Downs. Former municipal course in private hands and benefiting from their investment. The club hosted European Tour events in the 1970s.

Brooklands Golf Centre - Municipal, nine-hole learners course. Looks good now the trees have grown and has a nice water feature. Close to the seafront east of town.

Splash Point Mini Golf - Worthing's only crazy golf course, near seafront behind Splash Point.

Marine Gardens Putting Green - Small putting green close to the seafront west of the town centre.

From September to April, Worthing Thunder play in the BBL, the UK's top basketball league. Catch them at Worthing Leisure Centre, close to Durrington Station, two miles (3km) west of the town centre.

From September to April, Worthing Thunder play in the BBL, the UK's top basketball league. Catch them at Worthing Leisure Centre, close to Durrington Station, two miles (3km) west of the town centre.

In the summer months there various grounds in Worthing which will welcome spectators:

Worthing Cricket Club - A former county cricket ground and an easy walk from the town centre just north of the main railway station. Worthing play in the Sussex Cricket League.
Broadwater Cricket Club - Have played on Broadwater Green, a few km north of Worthing town centre, since the 18th century. There is a traditional pub named the Cricketers opposite the green.

Worthing Cricket Club - A former county cricket ground and an easy walk from the town centre just north of the main railway station. Worthing play in the Sussex Cricket League.

Broadwater Cricket Club - Have played on Broadwater Green, a few km north of Worthing town centre, since the 18th century. There is a traditional pub named the Cricketers opposite the green.

Watch the Worthing Birdman competition in August - see grown men jumping off Worthing Pier in their attempts to 'fly' the furthest, and with the wackiest costumes. If the weather's good you can expect to be joined by 20,000 to 30,000 others.

Watch the Worthing Birdman competition in August - see grown men jumping off Worthing Pier in their attempts to 'fly' the furthest, and with the wackiest costumes. If the weather's good you can expect to be joined by 20,000 to 30,000 others.

Dome Cinema, 21-22 Marine Parade, BN11 3PT, +44 1903 823112. See a film at one of England's most atmospheric early cinemas.

Visitors to Worthing should not miss the opportunity to stroll along the prom. Or hire a bike from the cycle hire shop on the seafront

M's Cycle Hire, Marine Parade (On seafront opposite Steyne Gardens, +44 7852 986165 or +44 7852 986163. Hire a bike along the seafront. They will also deliver to where you are in the Worthing area. Cycle along the seafront or up onto the South Downs.

Visit one of the town's theatres:

The Connaught Theatre offers productions visiting from London's West End as well as repertory theatre in an art-deco setting.
The Pavilion Theatre offers a range of shows from children's shows to general entertainers in the beach-side pavilion on Worthing Pier.
The Assembly Hall is the town's main venue for music, with its excellent acoustics. It is home to the Worthing Symphony Orchestra, the only professional orchestra in West Sussex, which puts on Spring and Autumn seasons.

Walk up to Cissbury Ring, one of Britain's most impressive Iron Age hillforts, managed by the National Trust and lying in the newly created South Downs National Park just north of the town. Consider walking from the Worthing suburb of Broadwater or the nearby village of Sompting with its picturesque 11th-century church.

You will find the main high street shops around South Street and Montague Street including the town's two department stores Beales and Debenhams.

Montague Street is pedestrianised and is home to a market every Wednesday. South Street Square hosts a Farmers' Market on the fourth Saturday of every month.

Information on the shops and facilities in the pedestrian town centre can be found here

While in Worthing, look out for a type of sweet named Worthings after the town, available from various places including the shop at the town's Museum and Art Gallery.

Many different international cuisines are offered in Worthing, and most offer excellent food at a reasonable price. There main area for eating out in Worthing is in and around the pedestrianised Warwick Street. There are also an increasing number of restaurants around the West End of the town centre, about 1km west of South Street, around the west end of Montague Street and Rowlands Road.

For Italian food, go to 'Pomodoro e Mozzarella' on Warwick Street. This restaurant is far superior to the nearby franchises of Ask and Pizza Express, and offers authentic Italian cuisine in a friendly but very intimate atmosphere. Be sure to make a reservation if you want an evening meal there on a Friday or a weekend night. For Chinese food, try either China Palace or Fortune Inn on Chapel Road; the first is somewhat more expensive than the second, but both offer good food. China Palace has both a traditional a la carte menu and also a 'buffet' menu - for a fixed price, you can eat as much as you like, but it is cooked to order rather than being displayed in open gastronorms in the self-service style. Good Indian food can be found slightly away from the town centre on Goring Road at Shafiques. Ask for the window seat here and watch the local world go by.

For a bite to eat during the day, head to Bath Place, just off the east end of Montague Street, where you will find two very interesting cafés: Thai Lunch Box and Parklife. Thai Lunch Box offers a fairly traditional sandwich menu backed up by an extensive menu of Thai food. Look out for the oriental supermarket next door - pop in and have a look round if you have time. Parklife (almost directly opposite TLB) serves all sorts, including milkshakes in over 50 different flavours.

Worthing

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