Hotham Park Area

Leafy residential streets surrounding Bognor's principal public park, with Victorian housing, mature trees, and the park's miniature railway and formal gardens.

The area around Hotham Park occupies the north-western part of central Bognor Regis and takes its name from the public park that is the town's most valued green space. Hotham Park was originally the grounds of Hotham House, built for Sir Richard Hotham in the 1790s as part of his scheme to develop Bognor as a fashionable seaside resort. The park was acquired by the local council in the twentieth century and opened to the public. It now provides formal gardens, mature specimen trees, a miniature railway popular with families, a putting green, a cafe, a boating lake, and a well-equipped children's play area. The park hosts events throughout the year, including the Proms in the Park concerts during the summer months. The residential streets around the park are a mix of Victorian and Edwardian houses, many of them substantial, reflecting the area's origins as part of the planned resort development. Upper Bognor Road runs along the northern edge, and the streets to the south and west are lined with period properties that benefit from the park setting. The area has a settled, leafy character that contrasts with the commercial bustle of the High Street a short walk to the south-east. The housing around Hotham Park is among the most desirable in Bognor, with the park providing a large, well-maintained green space that adds considerably to the quality of life. Several of the larger Victorian houses have been converted to flats, but the area retains its spacious, tree-lined character. The University of Chichester campus on Upper Bognor Road sits on the northern fringe of this area, adding a student population to the residential mix.