BOGNOR REGIS

'Bognor Regis' is a seaside resort town and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England.

Contents

History

Town

Transport

''Birdman of Bognor''

See also

Other information

External links

History

Bognor Regis was originally named Bognor, and was a fishing and smuggling village until the 18th century, when it was converted into a resort by Richard Hotham. Tourism gradually took off over the next hundred years, and the town was visited by King George V in 1927; as a result it acquired the suffix Regis [1]. Local legend suggested the King's last words, upon being told that he would soon be well enough to revisit the town, were 'Bugger Bognor!'.
The nearby village of Felpham, now a suburb of Bognor, was home briefly to the poet William Blake.
The Church of England, parish church is dedicated to St Wilfrid while the local Catholic Church is dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows.
Sir Billy Butlin opened one of his famous Butlins Holiday Camps in Bognor in 1960. The camp later became known as Southcoast World until 1998 and is now known as Butlins Bognor Regis Resort. In 2004 Butlins erected a large pointed roof.
In 2005, a new £10m hotel was unveiled at the Bognor Regis resort.

Town

The town of Bognor Regis has a large 1980s pedestrianised town centre, which has recently been the subject of some redevelopment.
Bognor Regis lies within the constituency of Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, the MP for which is Nick Gibb (Conservative).
The town has several areas, and buildings, that still firmly link it with its past. A good example, and a prominent local landmark, is the Royal Norfolk Hotel.

Transport

★ 'Rail links'

★
★ Bognor Regis railway station is situated on a branch line from the West Coastway Line. It has hourly services to London and services to other south coast towns. The 18:34 runs on weekdays, from Bognor Regis to Portsmouth Harbour.

★ 'Road links'

★
★ A27 , runs west to east from Salisbury in Wiltshire to Pevensey in East Sussex. This road closely parallels the south coast a mile or two inland as it passes through West Sussex.

★
★ A29. To Dorking to the north, where it joins the A24 to London.

★
★ A259. The Coastal Road running along the south coast from Havant in Hampshire to Folkstone in Kent.

★ 'Bus travel'

★
★ The Number 700 bus runs frequently from Brighton to Portsmouth, calling at Bognor Regis

''Birdman of Bognor''

The ''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. Such celebrities as Richard Branson are famous for taking the leap of faith.

See also

★ Alexandra Theatre, Bognor Regis

★ Bognor Regis Town F.C.

Other information

Bognor is referenced the site where, in a song by the band Genesis [2] called Harold the Barrel, the character of the song, Harold, owns a restaurant and feeds his customers his own toes subsequently before committing suicide. [3]
The apocryphal last words of King George V of England were "Bugger Bognor!" in response to a suggestion that he could go there when he recovered from his (as it turned out, terminal) illness.
The town is mentioned in the Frank Zappa song "Once Upon a Time". The song parodies the story of Genesis where, "In the beginning", God said he needs a floor to support the giant maroon sofa he just created "...and sure enough, boards of oak appeared throughout the emptiness as far as vision permits, stretching all the way from Belfast to Bognor Regis."
In addition to being mentioned by Frank Zappa, "Bognor Regis" is also the name of an instrumental jam by Zappa. The recording was intended to be released on the b-side of a single edit of "Sharleena" in 1970. Though the single remains officially unreleased some Zappa collectors claim to have copies of the recording.
Bognor Regis was placed at number 28 of ''The Idler'' magazine's 'Crap Towns' list of UK towns for 2004.
Duncan Goodhew, the olympic swimming maestro was brought up in Yapton, three miles from Bognor. Rumour amongst Yapton locals is that he lost his hair after falling from a tree. There is a residential road in his home village named after the man, Goodhew Close.
The encounter between the Beatles and Maharishi Mahesh Yogi was sent up in the Rutles film, ''All You Need Is Cash''. Instead of going to Bangor, Wales, the Rutles go to Bognor. Sultan tries to pick up, unsuccessfully, Stig O' Hara's wife, and this is a reference to the sex scandal of Maharishi. Maharishi was portrayed as "Arthur Sultan", the "Surrey mystic" who does table tapping.
The film The Punch and Judy Man, staring Tony Hancock, was made in Bognor Regis - as was a film dramatizing the early life of Cynthia Payne, who grew up in the town.
Bognor Regis has also been mentioned in the cartoon Cucumbers by the well known website Weebl's Stuff, where it was cited as being "Panda-free" making it safe to plant cucumbers as the pandas and cucumbers are enemies.
Bognor Regis is the home of the Regis School of Music and possibly the largest classical guitar society in the UK, the West Sussex Guitar Club.
The Formula 1 driver David Purley, best known for his attempt to save the life of fellow racing driver Roger Williamson during the 1973 Dutch Grand Prix, was born in Bognor Regis, and where tragically he was killed after crashing his aerobatic biplane into the sea off Bognor Regis on July 2, 1985.

External links

★ Arun District Council

★ Arun District Council - Bognor Regis Regeneration Programme

★ Bognor Regis Town Council

★ Bognor Local History Society

★ Comprehensive history of Bognor

★ St Wilfrid's church

★ The Bognor Birdman Competition

★ Bognor Regis News

★ Bognor Regis International Dance Ensemble

★ Bognor RFC

★ Knowhere Guide to Bognor Regis

★ Bognor Regis Town Football Club