Heene

infobox UK place
country = England
static_

static_image_caption= Church of St. Botolph
latitude= 50.81338
longitude= -0.3852
official_name = Heene
population =
civil_parish=
shire_district= Worthing Borough
shire_county= West Sussex
region= South East England
constituency_westminster= Worthing West
post_town=
postcode_district =
postcode_area=
dial_code=
os_grid_reference= TQ138027

Heene is a neighbourhood of the Borough of Worthing in West Sussex, England. It lies on the A259 road 0.6 miles (1km) west of the town centre.

Once part of the parish of West Tarring, Heene was a civil parish in its own right from the 16th century up until 1890 when it became part of the Borough of Worthing. [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=18221 Heene | British History Online ] ] Its borders are defined by the Teville stream and Tarring Road to the north and Elm Grove and Wallace Avenue (once known as Sea Lane) to the west.

In the 1670s, three streets in Heene are mentioned - East Street, West Street and High Street (today's Heene Road).

As with other parts of Worthing, the coastline of Heene has changed changed greatly in recent centuries. The sea is thought to have encroached some 55 yards (50 m) in the century up to 1875. In the early 19th century, the area along the coast known as Heene Common was made up of rough pasture intersected by watercourses and covered with gorse.

In the early 1800s settlement was in Heene village and in an area known as Little Heene in Brunswick Road. The area had a reputation for wildness and lawlessness at the time. Fact|date=August 2007 Edward Ogle (known locally as 'King' Ogle) and other Commissioners in the new town of Worthing to the east erected a wall at the Heene-Worthing boundary to keep the 'lawless' of Heene out of the civilised east. [http://www.visitworthing.com/AboutWorthing/WorthingsWestEnd/PDFFile,15836,en.pdf]

In 1863 William Westbrooke Richardson, who owned most of the manor of Heene, sold his land to the Heene Estate Land Company, which in turn sold the southern part of its land to the West Worthing Investment Company in 1864. In 1865 the property of the two companies became the new town of West Worthing, which was intended to be an upmarket resort and residential area in its own right. In 1873, West Worthing was extended westwards up to the boundary with the parish of Goring at George V Avenue. The term West Worthing is still in use today.

In 1873 a new church of St Botolph was opened on the site of the ruined chapel of St Botolph. In 1882 and again in 1895 there were plans for a pier at the bottom of Grand Avenue, which never came to fruition. West Worthing railway station opened in 1889 to serve the new town of West Worthing. The following year, West Worthing merged into the new borough of Worthing. In 1894, West Worthing was described as being chiefly a good class residential area with much the same relation to Worthing as Hove to Brighton.

The 1968 film version of Harold Pinter's play "The Birthday Party" was filmed opposite the Grade II listed Heene Terrace on the seafront.

In the early 21st century, the formerly wild part of Worthing once known as Little Heene is now known as Worthing's "West End". Its shops and restaurants have a Bohemian feel.

References

5. http://www.stbotolphsheene.org.uk/

6. http://www.musicatheene.org.uk/