Worthing

Worthing offers several distinct points of interest for a trip: historic buildings and cinema, garden culture, and cycling along the promenade. If you are considering Worthing as a destination, you can decide which of these themes you would like to shape your stay. The town’s architectural history, the facilities at Highdown Gardens and information about cycling provide practical guidance. The railway stations and regular train services are also relevant when planning your journey.

Getting Here and Getting Around

Worthing has five railway stations: East Worthing, Worthing, West Worthing, Durrington-on-Sea and Goring-by-Sea. Regular train services run to Brighton, Gatwick Airport, Portsmouth, Southampton and London. For planning your journey, you can use the named stations and range of destinations as reference points. The service information applies to Worthing; you can use it to plan your specific journey.

The promenade is a particular highlight for getting around by bicycle. Worthing’s wide, level promenade is suitable for a family bike ride. The scenic promenade makes it easy to get around actively, whether cycling on your own bicycle or on a rented Donkey Bike. There are bicycle racks in the town centre. This means that both a bike ride and a place to leave your bicycle in the town centre are practical aspects to consider when planning your trip to Worthing.

Gardens and Collections

Highdown Gardens combines garden culture with a recognised plant collection: Plant Heritage recognised the gardens as a National Plant Collection in 1989. Visitors can also find a visitor centre, a greenhouse and a sensory garden there. Admission is free. These details give a visit to the gardens a specific character: as well as the recognition, the garden offers a range of visitor facilities.

The costume collection at Worthing Museum & Art Gallery offers a different cultural focus. It is one of the leading resources for the history of costume in the United Kingdom. Unlike the plant collection at Highdown Gardens, its focus is the history of clothing. If these subjects interest you, Worthing offers a range of cultural points of interest that focus on different areas of collecting.

Buildings and History

Worthing Pier opened in 1862. The Dome Cinema has a different story: it has been in continuous use as a cinema since 1921. The Dome is also a rare surviving Kursaal, or multi-purpose building, and is considered one of the five best-preserved early cinemas in England. The combination of its multi-purpose design and cinema history makes the building interesting from two different perspectives: its architectural form and its continuous use as a cinema.

The Church of St Mary in Broadwater also stands out for its architectural history. It is a Grade I listed building, reflecting its outstanding architecture from the mid- to late 12th century, as well as the extensive survival of fabric from the 13th century and later medieval periods. Beach House offers another architectural point of interest: it was built by J B Rebecca in 1820. The Regency-style interior was added by the playwright Edward Knoblock. The two buildings have different points of interest: St Mary for its medieval architecture and fabric, and Beach House for its date of construction and later-added interiors.

Worthing’s history also includes its War Memorial and a former building used for cultural purposes. The Worthing War Memorial was unveiled by Field-Marshal Sir William Robertson on 11 April 1921 and is Grade II listed. The former Worthing Library, Museum and Art Gallery opened on 14 December 1908. Together with the pier and the Dome Cinema, these dates offer different points of reference for Worthing’s architectural and cultural history.

Discover more destinations: Yapton, Petworth, Trotton, Westbourne, Haywards Heath, Lower Beeding, Lindfield, Findon

For the broader travel overview: West Sussex.