ith a good deal of Roman
masonry mixed with later material built into the walls. These
interesting little villages may be easily reached from Bognor.

The last years of the eighteenth century were prolific in the birth of
south-coast watering places or in the transformation of decayed ports
or remote seaside hamlets into fashionable bathing places. Bognor is a
case in point and comes within the latter category. A successful hatter
of Southwark named Hotham, having "made his pile" built himself a house
near the little manor hamlet of Bognor, which boasted a single inn but
no church. The example of Brighton and the nearer neighbour Worthing
being constantly before the then member of Parliament and one-time
business man, the possibilities of the land he had acquired, with its
fine fringe of firm sand, soon made themselves apparent, and the
Crescent, Hothampton Place and several other terraces in what is now
the centre of modern Bognor quickly appeared. A determined attempt to
change the name to Hothampton failed, and as soon as the speculator
died, his gamble a personal failure, the town reverted to the original
Saxon Bognor (Bucganora).

The young town had the usual royal send-off; the Princess Charlotte
stayed here for a short time and was followed in due course by the
little princess who was one day to become so famous a Sovereign.

It will be seen that Bognor has nothing to interest the visitor who
requires something besides a rather homely home from home with good
air, bright sunshine and almost the nearest stretch of good sand to
London, which delights the shoals of juveniles who give to the front
its air of busy animation. The famous Bognor rocks provide an
additional attraction; the sea at low tide retires for a considerable
distance and exposes a line of rocks which indicate the general trend
of the ancient coast. Here treasures of the sea may be found in
profusion and variety. During spring and leap tides the waves, backed
by a strong wind, may cause great excitement by dashing across the
front and invading the back streets; until the present wall was built
this was of frequent occurrence. Bognor has a very mild winter
temperature and runs Worthing very close for sunshine.

The old parish church is at South Bersted. It is of Norman origin with
some remains of this period and possibly of Saxon times; the main
portion is, however, Early English. Note the stone slabs outside the
porch; these were brought from Bo