50°47N 0°41W, pop (2000e) 60 500. Coastal resort town in West Sussex, S England, UK; on the English Channel, 20 km/12 mi W of Worthing; the title Regis dates from 1929, when King George V came here to recuperate; railway; tourism, electrical engineering.
Bognor Regis is a seaside resort town and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England.
History
It 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.
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 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).
Transport
Rail links Bognor Regis railway station is situated on a branch line from the West Coastway Line. Bus travel The Number 700 bus runs frequently from Brighton to Portsmouth, calling at Bognor RegisBirdman of Bognor
The Birdman is an annual competition for human-powered 'flying' machines held each summer in Bognor Regis.
Other information
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 a currently unreleased instrumental jam by Zappa.
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.
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