Bognor Regis Timeline
Key events from 1 June 1864 to present
Discover the key moments that shaped Bognor Regis. Explore the events that define our community.
1 June 1864
Railway Arrives in Bognor
Bognor railway station opened on 1 June 1864, on a branch line connecting the town to Barnham Junction on the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway...
c. 100 AD
Roman Activity on the Coastal Plain
The coastal plain around what is now Bognor Regis was occupied and farmed during the Roman period. The area lies within the hinterland of the Roman pa...
c. 1200
Medieval Bognor Fishing Hamlet
By the medieval period, a small fishing hamlet had established itself on the coast at what would become Bognor. The settlement was modest, a cluster o...
1787
Sir Richard Hotham Develops the Resort
Sir Richard Hotham, a wealthy London hatter and former Member of Parliament, arrived in Bognor in the 1780s with a scheme to develop the fishing hamle...
1799
Sir Richard Hotham Dies
Sir Richard Hotham died in 1799, having spent the last decade of his life and a substantial portion of his fortune attempting to establish Bognor as a...
September 1800
William Blake Arrives in Felpham
In September 1800, the poet, painter, and visionary William Blake moved from London to a cottage in Felpham, at the invitation of his patron William H...
January 1804
Blake's Trial for Sedition at Chichester
In August 1803, William Blake became involved in an altercation with a soldier named John Scofield in the garden of his Felpham cottage. Blake ejected...
1865
Bognor Pier Built
Bognor Pier was constructed in 1865, one year after the railway arrived, as part of the drive to develop the town as a credible seaside resort. The pi...
1870s-1900s
Victorian Resort Expansion
The last three decades of the nineteenth century saw Bognor expand steadily from a small resort into a recognisable seaside town. The combination of t...
February-May 1929
George V Convalesces at Craigweil
In February 1929, King George V arrived at Craigweil House, a private residence on the coast between Bognor and Aldwick, to convalesce after a serious...
1929
'Regis' Suffix Granted
Following King George V's convalescence at Craigweil House, the town of Bognor was granted the suffix 'Regis', meaning 'of the King', by royal permiss...
1929 and after
Aldwick and Craigweil History
Aldwick, the residential village immediately west of Bognor Regis, gained lasting prominence through its association with King George V's convalescenc...
1960
Butlin's Opens in Bognor Regis
Billy Butlin opened his Bognor Regis holiday camp in 1960, bringing the mass-market holiday industry to the town on a scale it had not previously expe...
1960s-1990s
Pier Storm Damage and Decline
Bognor Pier suffered repeated storm damage during the second half of the twentieth century, losing sections to heavy seas and eventually being reduced...
1980
Alexandra Theatre Opens
The Alexandra Theatre, housed within the Regis Centre on Belmont Street, opened in 1980 and has served as the town's principal live performance venue ...
2000s
University Campus Development
The University of Chichester's Bognor Regis campus, on Upper Bognor Road, was developed and expanded during the 2000s as the institution grew from a c...
2008 (event originated 1971 at Selsey)
Birdman Rally Comes to Bognor
The International Birdman competition, in which contestants launch themselves from a platform above the sea in home-made flying machines, moved to Bog...
2010s
Town Centre Regeneration Projects
A series of regeneration projects were proposed and partially implemented for Bognor Regis town centre during the 2010s, driven by Arun District Counc...
2014
Rocks Festival Begins
The Rocks Festival, later known as Bognor Rocks, was launched in 2014 as an annual music and arts festival on the seafront. The festival featured live...
c. 2015
Picturedrome Restoration
The Picturedrome on Canada Grove, one of the oldest purpose-built cinema buildings in England, was restored and reopened as a cultural venue in the mi...