Castle Goring, Arundel Road Worthing designed by John Rebecca, was built between 1793 and 1808 by Sir Bysshe Shelley, grandfather of poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. It was meant as a home for the great poet but he never lived there.
Grade 1 listed by English Heritage, its architecture is unique, with the north side built in imitation of a Gothic castle, while the south represents an Italian villa. In its past, the building was the scene for entertaining many notable characters, including international cricket teams. Currently owned by the Somerset family, it is in need of restoration.
At the on-going Public Inquiry into the South Downs National Park, compelling evidence was given by respected conservationists into why the castle and its grounds should be included in the Park. Sadly however, that evidence was rejected by the Countryside Agency's consultants. We however remain hopeful that the Inquiry Inspector will agree the case for the Castle's protection within the Park.
Castle Goring south side
Castle Goring north side
The Following is an article that appeared in the September 16, 2004 issue of the Worthing Herald, written by their Chief Reporter Emily Bridges.
FUNDS to value under-threat Castle Goring, which is registered as a neglected historic building, have been allocated by Worthing Borough council.
The council, along with English Heritage, will stump up around £10.000 to have the grade 1 listed building, one of only two in the borough, valued.
An English Heritage action plan called Stopping the Rot says that an initial valuation of the building is crucial. A first estimate shows that the fee could be in the region of £10,000 to "consider the optimum use of the building, the marketability of the property, the amount of land (if any) to be included in a compulsory purchase order and the open market value of the property in its present state".
Councillors agreed recently to provide the funds for this valuation of the property, just south of the A27 near Durrington. English Heritage could provide up to £5,000 of the money needed and the council would have to make up the shortfall.
In 2002, the building, owned by the Somerset family, was placed in category A by English Heritage on the Buildings at Risk Register, a register aimed at focusing attention on neglected historic buildings, and the condition of the building was described as "very bad". Over the past three years, the council has made various attempts to gain access to the building to work out its condition. In September 2001, they viewed most of the building, apart from two areas, which were not accessible.
A full survey of Castle Goring was carried out in July 2003, using the council's powers to gain entry. The report was completed in January and it sets out details of the repairs considered necessary to "retain the architectural and historic importance of the building and sets out a timescale over which the repairs should be carried out".
Council officer Clare Mangan said: "I do not know of any other building like Castle Goring. If you took a picture of the front and the back, you would think they were two different buildings. "It turns from a Romanesque building into something Gothic. The building has been on the Buildings At Risk Register for quite some years. Getting basic information about its condition has been difficult because there is a language school, which occupies the building, and they go abroad. The next interesting stage is going to be when we get the valuation report. We can work out what steps we can take for the building's long-term future. It's not going to be easy. Time is of the essence with Castle Goring."
When the valuation report is completed, a further report will be drawn up, giving the council a risk assessment and consequences of the council using its discretionary powers such as a repairs notice and a compulsory purchase order.
Interesting Fact
In 1909 Lady Somerset, of Castle Goring wrote to Worthing Pier to express her strong disapproval of Sunday concerts being staged in the Southern Pavilion.
Update 2015. The property has now been sold full details here: www.castlegoring.com/history.html
To be continued!
