Discover 10 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Bognor Regis (United Kingdom). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Bognor Regis Town Hall, Climping Beach, and Hotham Park. Also, be sure to include Our Lady of Sorrows Church in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Bognor Regis (England).
Table of Contents
Bognor Regis Town Hall
Bognor Regis Town Hall is a municipal building in Clarence Road, Bognor Regis, West Sussex, England. The town hall, which is the meeting place of Bognor Regis Town Council, is a Grade II listed building.[1]
Climping Beach
Beach in England. Climping Beach is a 32.1-hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest west of Littlehampton in West Sussex. The eastern half is designated a Local Nature Reserve called West Beach.
This stretch of shoreline has sand dunes at the back with a vegetated shingle beach, which is a nationally uncommon habitat, in front. The intertidal zone has soft muds and sands with many invertebrates, which are an important source of food for wintering birds, especially sanderling.[2]
Hotham Park
Park in Bognor Regis, England. Hotham Park is a public park in the seaside town of Bognor Regis, West Sussex, England, in the United Kingdom. It was established by the founder of Bognor Sir Richard Hotham, who formerly resided at Hotham Park House which still stands today. Since becoming a public park in 1947 Hotham Park continues to be a popular local attraction for residents of the town as well as holiday makers. The park is located nearby to Butlins and the town centre.[3]
Address: Hotham Park High Street, PO21 1HW Bognor Regis
Our Lady of Sorrows Church
Parish church. Our Lady of Sorrows Church is a Roman Catholic Parish church in Bognor Regis, West Sussex, England. It was built from 1881 to 1882 and designed by Joseph Stanislaus Hansom. It is situated on the corner of the High Street and Clarence Road, backing on to Albert Road, in the centre of the town. It was founded by the Servite Order and is a Grade II listed building.[4]
Address: 138 Clarence Rd, PO21 1LB Bognor Regis
Bognor Regis Pier
Bognor Regis Pier is a pier located in the seaside resort of Bognor Regis, West Sussex. The pier opened on 5 May 1865 to the design of Sir Charles Fox and J. W. Wilson. Initially constructed with a length of 1000 ft, it now stands at 350 ft. The pier is Grade II listed.
The pier continued to be developed after opening. A small bandstand was added in 1880, followed by a seaward end pavilion which opened on July 9, 1900. A small landing stage was added in 1903, to allow paddle steamers to dock.
During World War II the pier became a Royal Navy observation station, named HMS St Barbara.
Storm damage in 1964 and 1965 caused the pavilion to sink into the sea. The following decade, after two fires in three months, the pier was closed in December 1974.
In 1989, Bognor Regis Pier was awarded a Grade II listing status by English Heritage. Despite this, the condition of the pier continued to decline, and in 1994 an application was made to demolish the structure's remaining seaward end.
Navboxes folded up The International Bognor Birdman is an annual competition for human-powered 'flying' machines held each summer in Bognor Regis. Contestants launch themselves from the end of the pier, a prize being awarded to the one who glides the furthest distance. Rarely taken completely seriously, the event provides competitors with an opportunity to construct improbable machines complete with outlandish dress. The spectacle draws a sizeable crowd in addition to the local media. Inaugurated in nearby Selsey in 1971, the Birdman transferred to Bognor in 1978 when it had outgrown its original location. Competitors have included Richard Branson.
The Birdman Event of 2008 was transferred to Worthing after 60 feet (18 m) of pier had been removed by the owners due to storm damage in March 2008. This meant that there were question marks over the possible safety of the contestants landing in shallower water. The shortened pier was judged safe for the event in 2010, and the event subsequently returned to Bognor. There are now annual events at both Bognor and Worthing.[5]
Bersted Brooks
Nature reserve in England. The Brooks Local Nature Reserve is a 19.1-hectare Local Nature Reserve on the northern outskirts of Bognor Regis in West Sussex. It is owned and managed by Arun District Council.
The Brooks has extensive grassland, reedbeds, ponds and newly planted woodland. One area has been turned into a dog-free wildlife sanctuary for ground-nesting birds. The site is flooded every winter, which makes it a good habitat for wetland flora and fauna.
The site is open to the public.[6]
Alexandra Theatre
Auditorium in Bognor Regis, England. The Alexandra Theatre is a 357 seat auditorium in the British town of Bognor Regis showing a variety of entertainment from comedy to drama to pantomime. It is part of the Regis Centre, which offers a range of entertainment from dance, musicals, drama, music and family events.[7]
Address: Bognor Regis, Belmont Street
Felpham SSSI
Felpham SSSI is a 1-hectare geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Bognor Regis in West Sussex. It is a Geological Conservation Review site.
This short stretch of shoreline is one of only three in Britain to have fossils of flora dating to the Paleocene, the first epoch after the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event 66 million years ago. It has yielded four previously unknown genera and sixteen new species.
The beach is open to the public.[8]
Bognor Reef
Bognor Reef is a 39.7-hectare biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest which stretches along the foreshore of Bognor Regis in West Sussex. It is a Geological Conservation Review site.
This is an area of beach, sand dunes, grassland, scrub and marsh. Flora include the nationally endangered childing pink. It is one of the few areas which has the full sequence of layers in the London Clay, dating to the Early Eocene. It is particularly valuable for plant fossils. It is described by Natural England as the most important site in the world for pyritised fossil insects, especially beetles.[9]
Hotham Park House
Hotham Park House is a grade II* listed 18th-century country house in Bognor Regis, West Sussex. It stands in the 9 hectare Hotham Park, now a public open space.
The house, originally called Chapel House after a nearby chapel, was built in 1792 by Sir Richard Hotham, the founder of Bognor, as his main residence. After the chapel was demolished in the 1850s, the house was renamed Bersted Lodge, then Aldwick Manor and subsequently Hotham Lodge. It is built of stuccoed brick in two storeys with a six-bay (but 10 window) frontage.[10]