Goring-by-Sea, commonly referred to simply as Goring, is a neighbourhood of

Worthing Worthing () is a seaside town in West Sussex, England, at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of Chichester. With a population of 111,400 and an area of , the borough is the second largest component of the Brighton and Ho ...

and former

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...

, now in

district in

West Sussex West Sussex is a county in South East England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the shire districts of Adur, Arun, Chichester, Horsham, and Mid Sussex, and the boroughs of Crawley and Worthing. Covering an ...

, England. It lies west of

West Worthing West Worthing is a neighbourhood of Worthing in West Sussex, England that was developed within Heene and later expanded beyond Heene's boundaries. Intended as an exclusive resort, the township of West Worthing was developed from around 1864 and m ...

, about west of Worthing town centre.

Historically History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the Englis ...

, in the rape of Arundel, Goring has been part of the

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...

of Worthing since 1929. As of 2020 the average house price in the area was £321,694. This was £89,839 above the national average.

Etymology

It is thought that the place-name Goring may mean either 'Gāra's people', or 'people of the wedge-shaped strip of land'.Glover, Judith (1997) ''Sussex Place-Names: Their Origins and Meanings'', Countryside Books Usually known as "Goring", the "by-Sea" suffix has been added to differentiate it from the village of Goring-on-Thames in

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primaril ...

History

Around the 6th century Goring became part of the kingdom of Sussex. Like in other villages in the south of Sussex, the people of Goring had land to the north that they used as summer pasture in the Weald, at Goringlee, near Coolham. This route would have been used as a

droveway A drovers' road, drove ''roador droveway is a route for droving livestock on foot from one place to another, such as to market or between summer and winter pasture (see transhumance). Many drovers' roads were ancient routes of unknown age; ...

s for driving livestock, especially pigs. The parish of Goring existed at the time of the Domesday survey in 1086, under the name ''Garinges''. Unlike the other parishes in the area covered by the present Borough of Worthing, which have been in the Rape of Bramber since the 11th century, Goring forms part of the neighbouring Rape of

Arundel Arundel ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Arun District of the South Downs, West Sussex, England. The much-conserved town has a medieval castle and Roman Catholic cathedral. Arundel has a museum and comes second behind much larg ...

. ( Rapes are the six ancient subdivisions of the county of

, each named after a

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

and its associated town.) The former parish of Goring incorporated four manors. The most important of these passed from the Earls of Arundel to

Roger de Montalt, 1st Baron Montalt Roger de Montalt, 1st Baron Montalt (1265–1297) (aka Monte Alto) was a baron who rebelled for a time against Henry III of England. Roger was one of the sons of Sir Robert de Monaut, Knight (born 1230, married 1261, died 1275 in Arden, Cheshi ...

and several other holders. The former parish of Goring included Castle Goring, a

country house An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a town house. This allowed them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these peop ...

built for Sir Bysshe Shelley, 1st Baronet in the late 1790s. Intermittent residential development began in the 19th century and continued throughout the 20th century. Although the railway came to Goring in 1846, there were so few passengers using Goring station that it was closed for a period. Goring's population expanded after 1929, when it became part of the borough of Worthing, and again in 1938 when the railway was electrified. Over a period of around 50 years, much of old Goring was demolished, although a few buildings survive. Begun shortly before 1939, the Goring Hall estate was developed as a garden city, with concentric crescents near the seafront.

Geography

Goring has a mixed

pebble A pebble is a clast of rock with a particle size of based on the Udden-Wentworth scale of sedimentology. Pebbles are generally considered larger than granules ( in diameter) and smaller than cobbles ( in diameter). A rock made predominant ...

and sand beach which is popular for a wide variety of

watersports Water sports or aquatic sports are sport activities conducted on waterbodies, and can be categorized according to the degree of immersion by the participants. On the water * Boat racing, the use of powerboats to participate in races * Boatin ...

including

kitesurfing Kiteboarding or kitesurfing is a sport that involves using wind power with a large power kite to pull a rider across a water, land, or snow surface. It combines aspects of paragliding, surfing, windsurfing, skateboarding, snowboarding, and wak ...

. The southwest of Goring contains part of the Goring Gap, a protected area of fields and woodland between Goring and

Ferring Ferring is a village, civil parish and electoral ward in the Arun District of West Sussex, England. It is part of the built-up area of Worthing and is accessed along the A259 road west of the town - comprising North Down Farm and Highdown Hi ...

. The former village of Goring lies in the south of the former parish. North-east of this is the Maybridge estate. North of Maybridge is West Durrington. To the north and west of West Durrington lies Castle Goring, Titnore Wood and the eastern slopes of

Highdown Hill Highdown Hill is a hill in the South Downs, with a height of . The summit of the hill and its western slopes lie in the parish of Ferring in the Arun district, while its eastern slopes lie in the borough of Worthing. It is a popular spot for pi ...

, including

Highdown Gardens Highdown Gardens are gardens on the western edge of the town of Worthing, close to the village of Ferring and the National Trust archaeological site Highdown Hill, in West Sussex, England. Overlooking the sea from the South Downs, they contain a ...

Landmarks

St Mary's Church, the

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

, was originally built 1100AD as the Church of Our Blessed Ladye of Gorynge, and was rebuilt in 1837 by

Decimus Burton Decimus Burton (30 September 1800 – 14 December 1881) was one of the foremost English architects and landscapers of the 19th century. He was the foremost Victorian architect in the Roman revival, Greek revival, Georgian neoclassical and Reg ...

for David Lyon of Goring Hall. The Bull's Head on Goring Street has existed as a pub since at least 1770. This may be the same pub that was closed in the early 17th century by puritan-minded

Justices of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

. Courtlands was built in the 1820s and was extended around 1906−10 by Paul Schweder. Built around 1889, Goring Hall is a replica of the original building which was built around 1840 for David Lyon, probably designed by

Charles Barry Sir Charles Barry (23 May 1795 – 12 May 1860) was a British architect, best known for his role in the rebuilding of the Palace of Westminster (also known as the Houses of Parliament) in London during the mid-19th century, but also responsi ...

, best known for his role in rebuilding the

Palace of Westminster The Palace of Westminster serves as the meeting place for both the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Informally known as the Houses of Parli ...

in London. Goring Hall is now used as a hospital, operated by

BMI Healthcare BMI Healthcare was an independent provider of private healthcare, offering treatment to private patients, medically insured patients, and NHS patients. , it had 54 private hospitals and healthcare facilities across the UK, with headquarters in ...

. An 1840s avenue of

holm oaks ''Quercus ilex'', the evergreen oak, holly oak or holm oak is a large evergreen oak native to the Mediterranean region. It is a member of the ''Ilex'' section of the genus, with acorns that mature in a single summer. Description An evergreen t ...

leads from Goring Hall to St Mary's Church. Tax Office - geograph

The English Martyrs' Catholic Church, dedicated to the English-

Catholic Martyrs The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a p ...

, has the world's own hand-painted copy of the ceiling of the

Sistine Chapel The Sistine Chapel (; la, Sacellum Sixtinum; it, Cappella Sistina ) is a chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the pope in Vatican City. Originally known as the ''Cappella Magna'' ('Great Chapel'), the chapel takes its name ...

, painted by Gary Bevans between 1987 and 1993. The red-brick Durrington Bridge House,

HM Revenue and Customs HM Revenue and Customs (His Majesty's Revenue and Customs, or HMRC) is a non-ministerial government department, non-ministerial Departments of the United Kingdom Government, department of the His Majesty's Government, UK Government responsible fo ...

' building near Durrrington-on-Sea station on Barrington Road, holds 900 employees. The site is due to be replaced with homes as HMRC is due to relocate in 2021 to Teville Gate in the centre of Worthing.

Education

St Oscar Romero Catholic School on Goring Street is a mixed secondary school that was established in the 1950s. Goring Church of England Primary School is the main primary school for the area. Outside of Goring proper, but within the boundaries of the former parish of Goring is

Northbrook College Northbrook College is a further education and higher education college with three campuses: Broadwater Campus and West Durrington Campus in Worthing and Shoreham Airport Campus in Shoreham-by-Sea. It was founded as West Sussex College of Art & D ...

's West Durrington campus. Also known as University Centre Worthing, the site has been part of

Greater Brighton Metropolitan College Greater Brighton Metropolitan College was a large further education college based in Brighton, Worthing and Shoreham-by-Sea in Sussex on the south coast of England. It was formed in early 2017 by the merger of Brighton-based City College Brig ...

since 2017 and provides both

further education Further education (often abbreviated FE) in the United Kingdom and Ireland is education in addition to that received at secondary school, that is distinct from the higher education (HE) offered in universities and other academic institutions. I ...

and

higher education Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after completi ...

Transport

The

A259 The A259 is a road on the south coast of England passing through Hampshire, West Sussex, East Sussex and Kent, and is the longest Zone 2 A road in Great Britain. The main part of the road connects Brighton, Eastbourne, Hastings, Rye and F ...

runs east–west through Goring, connecting it to the centre of Worthing and Brighton to the east, and Littlehampton and Bognor Regis to the west. The A2032 Littlehampton Road which also runs east–west passes north of Goring proper but within the former parish area. Goring is served by two railway stations: Goring-by-Sea railway station in the west, which opened in 1846, and

Durrington-on-Sea railway station Durrington-on-Sea railway station is in Goring, a suburb of Worthing in the county of West Sussex. It is down the line from Brighton. The station is operated by Southern. Durrington-on-Sea railway station lies about south of the Worthing ...

in the east, which opened in 1937. Both stations lie on the West Coastway Line and connect Goring to Worthing, Brighton, Littlehampton, London and Southampton.

Notable people

* Gary Bevans, best known for painting a replica of the frescoes of the

on the ceiling of English Martyrs' Catholic Church, Goring-by-Sea *

George Saxby Penfold George Saxby Penfold (176913 October 1846) was a Church of England clergyman, Rector (ecclesiastical), Rector of several parishes and active as a visiting preacher. In 1825 the University of Oxford awarded him the degree of Doctor of Divinity. A B ...

was Vicar of Goring from 1815 to 1832, but held other livings as well. *

George Brooke-Pechell Vice-Admiral Sir George Richard Brooke-Pechell, 4th Baronet (30 June 1789 – 29 June 1860), born George Richard Pechell, was a British Royal Navy officer and Whig (British political party), Whig politician. He was a Member of Parliament (United ...

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

officer and Whig

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

(1835-1860) *

Keith Emerson Keith Noel Emerson (2 November 1944 – 11 March 2016) was an English keyboardist, songwriter, and record producer. He played keyboards in a number of bands before finding his first commercial success with the Nice in the late 1960s. He became ...

, keyboardist, songwriter, and film composer, grew up on the Maybridge estate in Goring. *

Francesca Hayward Francesca Hayward (born 4 July 1992) is a Kenyan-born English ballet dancer and actress. She is a principal dancer in the Royal Ballet at Covent Garden in London. In 2019, she starred as Victoria the White Cat in the musical film ''Cats'', an ad ...

, ballet dancer *

Billy Idol William Michael Albert Broad (born 30 November 1955), known professionally as Billy Idol, is a British-American singer, songwriter, and musician. He first achieved fame in the 1970s emerging from the London punk rock scene as the lead singer o ...

, musician *

Richard Jefferies John Richard Jefferies (6 November 1848 – 14 August 1887) was an English nature writer, noted for his depiction of English rural life in essays, books of natural history, and novels. His childhood on a small Wiltshire farm had a great influ ...

, nature writer * David Lyon,

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...

merchant and

Tory A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. Th ...

for

Bere Alston Bere Alston is a village in West Devon in the county of Devon in England. It forms part of the civil parish of Bere Ferrers. History and geography With a population of about 2,000, the village lies in the Bere peninsula, between the rivers ...

in Devon *

John Molson John Molson (December 28, 1763 – January 11, 1836) was an English-born brewer and entrepreneur in colonial Quebec, which during his lifetime became Lower Canada. In addition to founding Molson Brewery, he built the first steamship and the firs ...

, Canadian-born Unionist

for

Gainsborough Gainsborough or Gainsboro may refer to: Places * Gainsborough, Ipswich, Suffolk, England ** Gainsborough Ward, Ipswich * Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, a town in England ** Gainsborough (UK Parliament constituency) * Gainsborough, New South Wales, ...

in Lincolnshire * Arthur Somerset Sr, cricketer for

and

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

between 1891 and 1906 *

Frederick Claude Stern Sir Frederick Claude Stern (18 April 1884, Knightsbridge, London – 10 July 1967) was a botanist and horticulturalist, known for developing the gardens at Highdown Gardens, for creating several cultivars of garden plants and for his publication ...

, botanist and horticulturalist

References

Bibliography

* * * * *

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Goring-By-Sea Suburbs of Worthing Seaside resorts in England Populated coastal places in West Sussex Beaches of West Sussex Former civil parishes in West Sussex