Transcript
37 Marine Parade Worthing.
[1886?]
My dear Little Lion,
Here I am at Worthing, a place which I was in about 25 years ago, when Willy was about your age & Harriet & Charlie little bits of things. The sea & the beach are the same but the place is enormously increased & a long Parade has been made running along the sea shore like that at Hythe.
It is not so interesting a place as Bournemouth, as no steamers come here, there are no cliffs along the shore & no Public Gardens with Bands of Music.
There are however some places worth seeing in the neighbourhood, the South Downs, a range of chalk hills, quite unlike one's at Mickelham skirts the horizon to the North, & to the East we see the houses of Brighton. To the West there is no view but of sea & low lands for the Isle of Wight is not in sight.
The town of Shoreham is a few miles Eastward of Worthing, it was here that King John landed in II99, immediately after the death of Coeur de Lion. There was a fine harbour at Shoreham in those days but it was destroyed by the sea, since which the old town of Shoreham has been very much deserted & a new Shoreham has sprung up on the banks of the Adur. ln the marshes that succeeded the washing away of the land there are now established Oyster beds, which supply London with Oysters.
Shoreham is also the place from which Charles II made his escape to France after the battle of Worcester.
37 Marine Parade Worthing.
[1886?]
My dear Little Lion,
Here I am at Worthing, a place which I was in about 25 years ago, when Willy was about your age & Harriet & Charlie little bits of things. The sea & the beach are the same but the place is enormously increased & a long Parade has been made running along the sea shore like that at Hythe.
It is not so interesting a place as Bournemouth, as no steamers come here, there are no cliffs along the shore & no Public Gardens with Bands of Music.
There are however some places worth seeing in the neighbourhood, the South Downs, a range of chalk hills, quite unlike one's at Mickelham skirts the horizon to the North, & to the East we see the houses of Brighton. To the West there is no view but of sea & low lands for the Isle of Wight is not in sight.
The town of Shoreham is a few miles Eastward of Worthing, it was here that King John landed in II99, immediately after the death of Coeur de Lion. There was a fine harbour at Shoreham in those days but it was destroyed by the sea, since which the old town of Shoreham has been very much deserted & a new Shoreham has sprung up on the banks of the Adur. ln the marshes that succeeded the washing away of the land there are now established Oyster beds, which supply London with Oysters.
Shoreham is also the place from which Charles II made his escape to France after the battle of Worcester.
There is also an old Saxon camp about two miles from Worthing, at Cissbury hill—Ciss was one of the sons of Arlla King of the South Saxons & the name Cissbury is derived from two Saxon words meaning a hill. Roman coins & pottery have been found there showing that it was a Roman camp before it became a Saxon one. You will be glad to hear that Grandpapa is better, he was very ill last week we did not know how ill when we left the Camp, & so did not say much about it. We hope he will continue better & if so we shall come back on Thursday, when I shall be glad to see you again & go on with our reading.
I forgot to tell you that I wound up my study clock before I left. Give my kind regards to Miss Hughesden, & a kiss to Dicky, & my love to cousin Mary.
Ever my dear Little Lion
Your affectionate father
(signed) J. D. Hooker.
Mama, & Grandpapa, & Grandmama send their love to you,
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