Explore hidden history in Worthing and discover some of the secrets of the past at Worthing Heritage Festival

Organised by the Worthing Heritage Alliance (WHA), the festival is now in its fourth year and going from strength to strength.

This year’s programme of events includes walks, talks and an opportunity to explore hidden history in the heart of Worthing and Broadwater.

Highdown Hill will be the focus for a history and folklore guided walk on Wednesday, June 3, from 7pm to 8.30pm.

Chris Hare, founder of History People UK, said: “Highdown has commanding views across the coastal plain and out to sea. On a clear day, it is possible to see the Isle of Wight to the west and Beachy Head to the east - no wonder it was a very special place for our ancient ancestors, they could see their whole world from here!”

During this walk, Chris will talk about the prehistory of Highdown, as well as its folklore and the smuggling connections of Highdown miller John Olliver. The walk will also include the history of Highdown Towers and the Stern family, who created the unique chalk gardens.

Tickets £9. Book at historypeople.co.uk/worthing-heritage-festival-2026 and meet in the car park at Highdown Towers.

Friends of Broadwater Cemetery will be running a tour of the cemetery, in Broadwater Road, on Saturday, June 6, at 11am with the theme of Sport in Worthing.

In the 1820s, donkey rides and ‘rude’ sports took place on the beach but by the time Broadwater Cemetery opened in May 1863, cricket was the main sport in the town.

With the growth in leisure time in the late Victorian period, the development of organised sports activities would follow before the turn of the century.

This tour will explore the lives of people who took part in the developing sports clubs and demonstrate the depth and breadth of them and, in several cases, the success they enjoyed at national and international level.

No booking required. Visit www.fbwc.co.uk for more information about the Friends.

Worthing Archaeological Society is holding an open day at Worthing Museum on Saturday, June 6, from 11am to 3pm.

Take a look at finds including some very old flint axes, flint arrowheads, Roman Samian pottery and some of the recent finds at the Highdown Big Dig.

Visit worthingarchaeological.org for more information about the society and how to join. Digs this year will be at Sompting Whitehouse and on a field north of St Mary the Virgin Church at Burpham. There are also monthly lectures at Worthing Library between October and April.

West Sussex Geological Society will be helping people identify pebbles and other things found on Worthing beach on Saturday, June 6, from 11am to 1pm.

Meet on the beach immediately to the east of the pier for Pebbles on the Beach. Expect an explanation and identification of the items, with audience participation, as well as a talk on how the beach and landscape were formed.

The club, which has been running events like this for more than ten years, says it is always popular, and ideal for children and families, and those with no prior knowledge of geology.

Email info@wsgs,org.uk or visit wsgs.org.uk for more information.

Cissbury Ring will be the focus for another walk with Chris, looking at Neolithic flint mines and the iron age hillfort, on Sunday, June 7, from 7pm to 8.30pm.

Chris said: “Cissbury is one of the most important archaeological sites in the country. Here will be found the second largest assemblage of Neolithic flint mines and the second largest Iron Age hillfort.

“Within the hillfort is to be found evidence of a Saxon mint, an Elizabethan warning beacon and Second World War gun emplacements. The hill is also rich in folklore and tales of fairies and Midsummer rituals.”

Tickets £9. Book at historypeople.co.uk/worthing-heritage-festival-2026 and meet at Storrington Rise car park, Findon Valley. This walk involves steep climbs and appropriate footwear is advised.

Chris will be leading a guided walk of Broadwater, including the village green and midsummer tree, on Wednesday, June 10, from 7pm to 8.30pm.

Chris said: “This guided walk around the historic village of Broadwater begins at St Mary's Church. Until 1890, Worthing was part of the parish of Broadwater, which is a reminder that our modern town is something of an historical upstart compared to Broadwater.

“Until the 19th century, Broadwater was far more important than the obscure little hamlet by the sea that came under its jurisdiction. As well as the village, this walk will also include the history of Broadwater Green and the mysterious Midsummer Tree, which still draws revellers to dance around it every year.”

Tickets £9. Book at historypeople.co.uk/worthing-heritage-festival-2026 and meet at St Mary’s Church, Broadwater Road, Broadwater.

Sussex Family History Group will be hosting a talk in the Pavilion Barn, Field Place Manor House and Barns, on Thursday, June 11, from 7.15pm to 9.15pm.

Nichola Court will be speaking about Bygone Sussex: The Photographs of George Garland and John Fletcher, exploring and illustrating two of West Sussex Record Office’s most important photographic collections.

While different in nature and content, the collections can be used together to discover more about our changed landscapes and ways of life.

Worthing-born John Fletcher captured scenes from the ramshackle mills and sleepy rural villages of pre-World War One Sussex, while George Garland lovingly celebrated the sheep fairs, rural crafts and ploughing matches throughout the mid-20th century.

Join Nichola to find out more about the photographers and their collections. Non-members welcome, £5 cash only.

The group is a member of the Family History Federation, an international body affiliated to the Sussex Rural Community Council and Sussex History Forum. Visit sfhg.uk for more information.

Chris Hare’s new book, Sussex History, Folklore and People, will be launched at Sidney Walter Centre, in Sussex Road, Worthing, on Friday, June 12, with a free short talk, followed by book signing from 7pm to 8pm.

Discover a piece of hidden history in a house in Broadwater with a visit to the Old Bakehouse at 21 Broadwater Street East from Wednesday, June 10, to Saturday, June 13, from 2pm to 4pm.

See the Victorian bakehouse and view an exhibition of related documents, photographs and artefacts. The bakehouse was built for William Manwaring in the 1860s and taken over by the Knight family in 1910. It ceased being used as a working bakery in the 1940s.

The brick floor is uneven and there is one step down. Access is up the driveway next to Magickal Moments, originally the bakers shop.

Admission £5, advance booking preferred. Email [email protected] for booking enquiries and details for BACS payments. All proceeds to West Sussex Archives Society, the Friends of West Sussex Record Office.

The society supports the saving and preserving of the archival heritage of the county. Items have included an 1820s map of Worthing and a contribution towards the purchase of the late Ron Kerridge’s Broadwater archive.

Visit wsas.co.uk for more information, including the regular talks, visits and an annual conference, all with a Sussex theme. There is a quarterly newsletter and annual journal, West Sussex History.

Chris will be giving a guided walk around West Tarring, entitled Saints and Sinners, on Sunday, June 14, at 7pm.

He said: “West Tarring includes the only truly ancient street in the borough of Worthing. Tarring High Street includes both medieval and Tudor-era buildings. This wonderful street was nearly lost to a road-widening scheme in the late 1920s, so we are very fortunate to still enjoy it today.

“Two saints are associated with West Tarring, one a bishop and one an archbishop. The village history has plenty of sinners as well, including a smuggling magistrate and a murdering churchwarden.

“Due to narrow streets, this walk is limited to 25 people, so please book early to avoid disappointment. Those joining the walk will be given a photocopy of a Victorian map of the village to keep.”

Tickets £10. Book at historypeople.co.uk/worthing-heritage-festival-2026 and meet at St Andrew's Church, Church Road, Tarring.

The Worthing Society will be presenting a talk on Jane Austen and the Worthing Connection at Pizza Express, Warwick Street, at 12pm on Monday, June 15.

The charity is dedicated to safeguarding the town's heritage buildings. It also aims to highlight the town’s unique social history and the famous people who visited.

The talk will be held in the listed building where the Austen family stayed in 1805. The cost is £15 per person, to include a light lunch. To book and confirm payment, email social secretary Georgina Colwell at [email protected]

Janet Pennington, a noted speaker on Sussex history, will give a talk on Witches, Warlocks and Wellingtons in the Chichester Room at Field Place on Thursday, June 18, at 7.15pm.

This Sussex Family History Group talk explores how ancestors used various objects to protect their homes and families from evil or to bring good luck, specifically examining beliefs surrounding witchcraft and protection. The session will feature a display of protective items that can be handled.

Non-members welcome, £5 cash only.

St Botolph’s Church is hosting Summer Fair, Heritage and Bells on Saturday, June 20, from 11am to 2pm.

There will be stalls, refreshments, home-made cakes and light lunches at the church, in Lansdowne Road.

Go inside the World War Two air-raid shelter, see the remains of the 14th century Heene Chapel, demolished in 1766, and view the bowl from the late medieval font which was returned to the church in 1910.

Climb the spiral stairs to watch bell ringing in action, see an exhibition about the bells and find out why they are in need of extensive repair work if they are to continue ringing.

Heene Cemetery is holding an open day on Saturday, June 20, from 1pm to 4pm.

The cemetery, in St Michael’s Road, Worthing, is a one-acre town-centre site that was open for burials between 1873 and 1977. It is now a closed cemetery and a Sussex Local Wildlife Site, cared for by volunteer group the Friends of Heene Cemetery, who also built and maintain the website www.heenecemetery.org.uk

Nearly 2,000 individuals are buried here and a group of the Friends is researching their history and documenting their stories. Another group of the Friends care for this space throughout the year to, documenting and encouraging the biodiversity of what was originally meadowland.

The WHA is an umbrella organisation of Worthing’s varied heritage organisations, including the Worthing Society, Worthing Museum, Worthing Family History and many more besides. For more information, including its popular heritage trail series, visit worthingheritagealliance.uk