Back in 1907, Bognor Regis officials were so overwhelmed by the volume of day-trippers they voted on whether to ask the railway company to limit numbers.
The motion was narrowly defeated and soon as many as 7,780 daily visitors were flocking to the West Sussex seaside town, whose population was a mere 8,500.
It had been an early backlash against ‘overtourism’.
People were shunning Brighton and thronging to fashionable Bognor with its long shingle-and-sand beach and London just an an hour and 50 minutes away by train.
Fast-forward to 2025, however, and it would seem Bognor is in the dumps – if, that is, you go by the findings of a new survey by the consumer group Which? that put Bognor at the bottom of its resort rankings. That made it the ‘worst’ seaside town in Britain.
In 1907, Bognor Regis officials were so overwhelmed by the volume of day-trippers they voted on whether to ask the railway company to limit numbers
Really? Having visited recently on a weekend break – arriving at its imposing redbrick station, with its lovely little bookshop, Heygates, and pleasant Express Cafe – I could not disagree more.
The secret to the enjoyment of Bognor Regis is to accept it for what it is – a classic British beach resort. Sure, Bognor, which began as a tourist town in the late 18th century, may have seen better days – but haven’t all British beach resorts?
A good place to start a visit – and try to ‘get’ Bognor – is at its quirky, understated history museum, just up from the pier.
Here, you learn how an MP named Sir Richard Hotham (1722-1799) began buying land around a fishing village named Bognor to build terraced houses to take on Brighton and Weymouth, which had already been attracting the great and the good over the summer ‘season’, including the Prince Regent, later George IV.
It was a grand scheme and you can see the quaint old street plans. But it took a while for Bognor to gain its ‘Regis’. This only came after George V’s convalescence locally in 1929, when the story goes that the king, asked if the town could add ‘Regis’ to its name, replied: ‘Oh, bugger Bognor!’ Which was taken as an informal ‘yes’.
Displays also explain how David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix and Tom Jones all played there in 1966 (Bognor was for a while, really cool) – and you can see all the glamorous/kitsch old railway posters.
Holidaymakers in 1985 at Butlins in Bognor Regis, which was once a popular destination
You can drop by Butlins as a day visitor, from £17, giving you access to pools, waterslides, fairground attractions, restaurants and bars with live music
So it’s got a lively history. But it’s along the promenade that Bognor comes into its own. Rollerbladers, joggers and walkers pass on by, while down on the sands, bathers play in the shallows, metal-detector enthusiasts hunt for treasures and tightrope walkers test their skills on ropes strung between groynes.
There’s nothing overtly ‘trendy’. Nor any need for it. On the rickety pier, built in 1865, the arcade has all the usual coin pushers, slots and hammer-strength games.
There’s live music on some nights, plus a 1980s retro cocktail bar with Pac-Man and Space Invaders games – while on a street by the promenade you have bumper cars, Waltzer rides, an hook-a-duck and the Runaway Train, all in a small fairground.
There’s 2.7 miles of promenade in all – and you see brilliant sunsets from it. Bognor is officially one of the sunniest places in Britain. So it’s good for getting a tan, too.
You also have the odd no-nonsense pub – a few, like the pink-fronted William Hardwicke, serving pina coladas and martinis (alongside pints of lager and Guinness).
My favourite is The Navigator Hotel, down by the seafront, with it sun-trap terrace, nautical themed decor, menu featuring tasty burgers and fish pies (at good prices), and friendly staff. Nothing fancy. No straining to be hip. Just a nice spot to while away an hour or two, watching the waves on the Channel.
This was where I stayed in a simple, good-value room, though I’ve also spent the night at Bognor’s star attraction.
On the other side of the pier, beyond the small high street, Butlin’s awaits. You can drop by as a day visitor (from £17) giving you access to pools, waterslides, fairground attractions, restaurants and bars with live music – the masterly Boney M, when I went.
Butlin’s began in Bognor when Billy Butlin opened his first amusement park in 1932. Back then with funfair rides, fruit machines, a zoo and – intriguingly – a shooting range featuring targets including Adolf Hitler and Joseph Goebbels.
On my final night, I dined on nasi goreng (spicy Malaysia-style fried rice with chicken and king prawns) at the buzzy Bonito Lounge on the High Street.
On my final morning, I strolled along the peacefully, empty shore, looking inland at the classical buildings dating from Sir Richard Hotham’s time and the 19th century.
What snobs those people at Which? can sometimes be. Bognor is brilliant – in its own way.
Travel facts
Seaview doubles from £110, B&B at The Navigator Hotel (navigatorhotel.co.uk); doubles at Butlin’s Shoreline Hotel from £182 for four nights (butlins.com); doubles at the Royal Norfolk Hotel from £90 B&B (leisureplex.co.uk). More information: bognorregis.gov.uk.
