MY BOGNOR- THEN AND NOW

YORKSHIREMAN Sir Richard Hotham arrived in a small fishing village on the south coast in the 1780s to create his own seaside resort, laying the foundation stone on January 18 '“ an event that is celebrated

annually.

He also wanted to attract royalty to the coast similar to the nearby resort of Brighton.

During his lifetime, his home was set in grassy and tree-lined grounds in the towncentre. Queen Victoria is reputed to have called the town "Dear Little Bognor", while King George V bestowed the title of 'Regis' in 1929 after recuperating in Craigweil House, Aldwick.

Looking at the history of the town, we find that many of the newer developments have occurred through pressure from residents or visitors as people's needs change, for example, with houses, flats, bungalows and even a national obsession for high-rise blocks in the

1960s.

One of the best examples of this is the Fitzleet block of flats in Queensway. Sadly, in the past, developers, council and residents have not considered the retention of older buildings. It is only now that there is a view of 'why did we demolish those nice Victorian buildings?'

Many of the older facades have been removed and sometimes replaced with

new constructions. Religious premises are on the decline as we change our habits but at one time there were numerous churches in the

towncentre. During my research, I found 50 different locations.

The original aim of Sir Richard was to build a seaside resort, and many years later he was joined in this quest by the arrival of Sir Billy Butlin to the town in 1932 with his amusements and then his

holiday camp in 1960.

The town has had a number of holiday camps and caravan centres over the

years to supplement the various hotels that have offered a range of accommodation. After the king recuperated, the town advertised with the slogan of 'The Royal Key to Health'. For a time, there was also

a large number of boarding schools alongside the abundance of convalescent homes.

These attracted visitors to the town, and in later life many of these visitors who had such happy memories of their

visits retired to Bognor.

Residents and visitors, of course, have their own varying views of this small seaside resort, and with changing aspirations for holidays, many people began to travel abroad for their annual holiday, so visitors now tend to come for the shorter break rather than the two-week holiday.

This has resulted in the decline of some of the larger hotels, while the caravan and holiday centres have continued to prosper.

Sir Richard's dream was to develop a seaside resort, which he did, and to attract royalty, which he failed to do in

his lifetime.

The railway station opened in 1864, while the pier arrived in 1865 '“ only the 19th built in the British Isles.

After Sir Richard's death in 1799, some royalty did visit or holiday here. One such was The Hon Claude Bowes- Lyon, the late Queen Mother's father, who actually resided in Bognor and was involved with the original pier construction.

There are areas that are still named after him, such as Lyon Street, Glamis Street, The Den and Strathmore Place. What is known today as Hotham Park was initially Sir Richard's back garden,

which is currently being renovated for future generations.

Ultimately, royalty did not arrive as he envisaged. However, many of Sir

Richard's buildings remain, such as the current buildings of Chichester

University and his home, Hotham Park House.

Today, Bognor can be the butt of many jokes but love it or hate it everyone has their own opinion of this small seaside resort on the sunny coast of England.

Originally published in the West Sussex Gazette December 19 2007