Change at Barnham
Well-known member
Dear Swansman,
I’m a proud Bognorian, having been born in the town and lived here all my life.
It’s an unpretentious, working class town with a friendly community.
The town has a distinct loyalty and identity which I believe is due to its boundary not merging with the neighbouring towns of Chichester or Littlehampton. It is bordered by countryside and the sea.
Bognor was originally a fishing village but grew during Victorian times into a seaside destination when a direct train line was built from London Victoria station.
In the 1930’s a large holiday camp called Butlin’s was built in the town. It became very popular after the Second World War for families to visit but lost its attraction by the 1970’s when overseas package holidays became affordable for the masses.
With the town lacking any major investment it has spent a few years down on its luck but now shows signs of bouncing back.
The past 20 years has seen a large influx of Polish people who moved to the area for agricultural work and other manual employment. After being greeted with initial suspicion they have settled into the area lowering the average age and boosting the workforce and economy. Many are now local tradespeople that the Bognor residents appreciate, rely on, and call friends.
Considering you can be walking or cycling in the Southdowns National Park within 15 minutes, paddle boarding at a moments notice, or get on a direct train and be at Gatwick Airport or Brighton in under an hour it becomes a very convenient place to live.
Because of its working class roots Bognor has more affordable housing than its local neighbours Chichester or Arundel which are only a 15 minute drive away.
You can buy a decent 3 bedroom detached house for about £350K which makes life far more affordable than in many Sussex towns.
Bognor has always had jokes made about it but I reckon it’s very underrated, and many people who can now work from home are beginning to realise that its a good place to live and bring up a family.
And the biggest bonus of all? It has a brilliant non-league football team that has just won 2-0 at Worthing. #GreenArmy
I’m a proud Bognorian, having been born in the town and lived here all my life.
It’s an unpretentious, working class town with a friendly community.
The town has a distinct loyalty and identity which I believe is due to its boundary not merging with the neighbouring towns of Chichester or Littlehampton. It is bordered by countryside and the sea.
Bognor was originally a fishing village but grew during Victorian times into a seaside destination when a direct train line was built from London Victoria station.
In the 1930’s a large holiday camp called Butlin’s was built in the town. It became very popular after the Second World War for families to visit but lost its attraction by the 1970’s when overseas package holidays became affordable for the masses.
With the town lacking any major investment it has spent a few years down on its luck but now shows signs of bouncing back.
The past 20 years has seen a large influx of Polish people who moved to the area for agricultural work and other manual employment. After being greeted with initial suspicion they have settled into the area lowering the average age and boosting the workforce and economy. Many are now local tradespeople that the Bognor residents appreciate, rely on, and call friends.
Considering you can be walking or cycling in the Southdowns National Park within 15 minutes, paddle boarding at a moments notice, or get on a direct train and be at Gatwick Airport or Brighton in under an hour it becomes a very convenient place to live.
Because of its working class roots Bognor has more affordable housing than its local neighbours Chichester or Arundel which are only a 15 minute drive away.
You can buy a decent 3 bedroom detached house for about £350K which makes life far more affordable than in many Sussex towns.
Bognor has always had jokes made about it but I reckon it’s very underrated, and many people who can now work from home are beginning to realise that its a good place to live and bring up a family.
And the biggest bonus of all? It has a brilliant non-league football team that has just won 2-0 at Worthing. #GreenArmy
