Worthing

[loumaria]

Hello, thinking of relocating to Worthing from East London after 20+ years as a single mum with 3 young boys. I've been told it's an up and coming area (i.e. has a bit of a buzz about it?) with some good schools and wanted to know what people feel that live there? I'm ready for a change but obviously want to make the right one.(I have friends in Brighton/Hove but I don't feel this would be the right choice for the boys plus expensive). Planning to visit a few times in next few months so any advice/places to check out would be much appreciated x

Saltdean is nice if you want to be close to Brighton. The houses aren't particularly pretty - 60s bungalows mostly - but they are very practical to live in and all the houses we looked at had views of either the sea or the downs. They'll reopen the lido in a year or two as well.

What is your plan for work? It's a long commute to London. The sea front is great, but most of the shopping centre is shabby. There are certainly some nice places opening there though. I like the west Worthing end. We go there on day trips quite frequently

I lived and worked in Worthing area for 5 years and absolutely loved it. Wish we could go back.

Ferring and Goring to the west of Worthing are lovely - the best beaches. You can buy freshly caught fish from the fishermen on the beach at Goring Gap.

Steer clear of Durrington.

Wish there was a 'like' button for some of these comments. My sister has been saying some really good things about worthing but i needed to hear it from other people as well. Lambstales and Twotinygirls - which areas are you in or would you recommend? thanks again

I grew up in Worthing, in Broadwater in fact :), and was a really nice place to grow up in. From Broadwater you can easily walk up into the Downs and we used to go and climb the trees up there and do some really great walks. The Green in Broadwater used to have different events on in the summer. We also used to walk down to the beach and go on the pier, or for a swim, the Sixth Form College (the schools didn't used to have sixth forms so everyone went to the college instead, don't know if this is still the case) is near the beach in Goring and we used to go swimming in our free periods in the summer :)

I wouldn't have ever described Worthing as dire, the main high street always had most of the shops you need, they did a lot of work in the 90s modernising and pedestrianising large areas. The Guildbourne centre was definitely grotty - is that still there? We only had an old cinema then, The Dome (is that still there?) which was pretty rubbish as we had to go to Brighton to go to the cinema, but Brighton wasn't far at all as the train was so quick to get there, so if you want nightlife and more shops etc. they are definitely very easily accessed. Sounds like there are cinemas in Worthing now anyway. Our nightclub used to be at the end of the pier Worthing was never cosmopolitan, but Brighton is there if you need it. My parents moved to Worthing in the 70s as Brighton was considered very grotty then and Worthing was seen as more upmarket!

Worthing was always very sleepy with lots of old people, but for a family it has always been a nice place to live imo. I went to the local girls high school which was a brilliant school in the 90s, not sure now though. The boys school also had a good reputation then too. Competition was always fierce to get into these though.

I moved away in the early 2000s, as did my parents (they weren't originally from there) and now live abroad so can't comment on what it is like now, only what it was like growing up there, but I have fond memories :)

I grew up in Worthing and visit regularly (DParents &DSis still live there).

It has changed a lot recently and is definitely more family friendly than when I was small. You could do a lot worse than Worthing!

Worthing is great for running. Really good promenade all the way to Brighton and beyond to the east and easy access to the South Downs to the north.

I run from just a bit further a long the coast and the running trails in the Downs are fantastic. Views to die for and so peaceful.

Worthing has good train links, but the A27 is hell on earth in rush hour because it narrows to single carriageway.

I'm biased but I would say south of the railway line :) I like the sea.
If you need to head East towards Brighton live on the East side of town, you then have a choice of two stations to use and avoid the A27/A24 roundabout.
If you want travel to schools to be easy don't live north of the A27.
West Worthing is growing at a fast pace due to new estates. Traditional parts of West Worthing and Goring are boring (rhymes) and still have the staid image even if the property is sought after.
Think Heene to Ham! especially with three boys. Unless you like ferrying them around!

dontevenblink the night club at the end of the pier has just taken me back 20 years! Rutherfords? They had under 18s nights on Wednesdays. We thought we were so sophisticated ...

Actually do think that Worthing is on the up - have been here for 15 years now having moved here from London. Lots of community organisations including art initiatives involving children and adults. Check out the Sunny Worthing Facebook page for examples of many positive things happening in our town.

Oh god Rutherfords! Or Scrubberknobs as we used to call it back then (mid/late 90s). I used to work in a pub about 20 minutes up the A24 and go there after an evening shift. So usually sober. Surely can't be still going. Used to like Worthing and nearly bought a flat there. Mum used to take us to the seafront for rollerskating practice.

We also used to go to rutherforda nightclub when we were about 15-16. It's no longer there, now a nice-ish looking brasserie/fish and chips place. For kids, splash point and Beach House are great as is the play park on the seafront at west Worthing and the walk to Goring. The Fish Factory restaurant is fab.

Ah Rubberducks, always smelt faintly of dog and House of Pain's Jump Around at 2am to signify the end of the night. Happy days.

dontevenblink - the Dome cinema is still there - and has been renovated to provide great function room over looking the sea, there are two screens and love that you can enjoy a glass of wine during the film from the bar downstairs. The end of pier nightclub is now a smart cafe/bar venue ; a great place to watch the sun go down. Worthing Sixth Form recently relocated to the old Norwich Union site at Broadwater - not so good for lunchtime swims but really good facilities and apparently very convenient for KFC or Starbucks according to my son.

I thought it was to Shoreham that young families from Brighton were moving, rather than Worthing.

I'd recommend broadwater and around home field park. Then your close to pretty much everything and they are good areas to live.

Loving the Rutherfords memories! Sorry to hijack OP. For what it's worth I think Worthing is still a bit grotty in parts but has potential.

Everywhere is grotty in parts though, if we could afford the house prices we'd move back to Worthing in a heartbeat

Great to hear about all the changes! Making me feel quite homesick... Rutherfords we always used to say if you were older than 16 you felt ancient in that club! I remember walking down the pier during a storm in a rather short skirt and heels (how classy was I )- how anyone thought putting a nightclub at the end of the pier was a good idea... I do remember the floor was always horribly sticky and the place did smell! We used to go outside and stand on the balcony to get some fresh air, even when it was blowing a gale! Shame its now disappeared but at least they've upgraded it. signora I was also frequenting it during the mid/late 90s :)

mumtehtaxidriver I'm glad they've finally updated the Dome, my dad used to call it the flea pit as it was so grotty in the 80s/90s! I knew loads of people that worked at the Norwich Union site, interesting to hear about the sixth form moving there, would have been very convenient for me, I had to catch the train to college until I learned to drive. There didn't used to be much around there, is there a lot now?

What's in Broadwater now? There used to be a butcher who made fantastic sausages, and I used to work at the Woolworths there as a teenager (obviously this is no more now )

Does anyone remember a bar that was on the seafront, think it had an Egyptian theme or something like that...? Think there was also an over 21s bar near the station which seemed like it was very grown up And the bowling alley, one of the only other things there was for teenagers to do!

Worthing is in a bit of a slump but is far from a dump, plus I think we are soon to see lots of new development. I think we all forget how lucky we are to have the beach on our door step, the downs for outdoorsy stuff and be in easy reach of Brighton for shopping and 'buzz' and Chichester if we want a top class theatre. It isn't on a level with Chichester or Brighton but neither are the house prices. Everyone who I know who moved here from London etc love it, locals like to grumble but there are many many worse places.

I lived in worthing 25 years ago, so am not best placed to comment on how it is now, but FWIW I had a great time there. Was lovely to be able to walk to the beach and under the pier of an evening.
Had good friends, too, which is what makes a good night out, not buzzing bars.
Also, was great to go into Brighton for the day/ night.

BiscuitMillionaire Shoreham might be 'full' unless you want tiny flats. There is very limited land along the coast. The movement West from Brighton seems to have leap frogged Lancing at the moment and moved straight to Worthing.

We live in hove and DSD lives in Worthing, it's horrible. I refused to move there hence why we live in hove. Its run down, grim shops, chavs and the new swimming pool is dirty. I've been here 4 yrs and would defiantly not says it's 'up and coming'. Go to hove or shoreham, much nicer.

I moved here from london too, worthing would be too much of a culture shock for me.