Yes, it's hard to believe that this building, one of a pair of terraced cottages on Richmond Road, would become what we knew as the Wheatsheaf. The building dates back to around 1835.

The landlord, pictured on the left, is likely to be Henry Cooper, who moved down from Pettistree in Suffolk and lived in Worthing from 1867 to 1904.

It was rumoured that the back of the building was used as a mortuary, but this is unlikely. Pubs were often used for coroner's courts where the body would have been displayed, but not stored. Worthing did have mortuaries and undertakers.

Newspaper article 23rd January 1959

One of Worthing's oldest Inns, the Wheatsheaf in Richmond Road, has undergone a transformation. its lounge has been almost doubled in size, and refurnished in period style. The licensee, Mr Bert Thomas, and his wife (seen in the centre of the picture) were 'at home' to a large party on Monday evening.

1980: The pub had been closed since January the previous year when a fire caused damage to the building. Bass Charrington, the owners, finally repaired and refurbished it at a cost of over £20,000.

New licensee, Mr Pat McMonagle and his wife Poppy pulled the first pint with regional director Neil Wilson, who said it was a happy day for Worthing to know that the Wheafsheaf was restored to its rightful place among the local pubs.

The inside layout was now very different; the two bars, public and saloon, had been knocked into one.

May 1992: New leaseholders Ray and Jackie Bray, who also run the Marlipins in Shoreham, have become the new owners of the Wheatsheaf.

After a total refurbishment, they installed Ralph and Carol Walker (pictured) as their managers. Ray said, "Our aim is to keep it as a traditional pub and serve real ales - not to become a noisy disco, there are plenty of youngsters' pubs in Worthing for those who want that kind of entertainment. If a lady wants to walk into a pub on her own, we want hr to feel comfortable and relaxed.

Town planning had considered demolition several years previously.

The pub closed somewhere around 2017 (exact date unknown) and remained empty since.

In July 2018, a fire broke out on the upper floor. Fire crews battled the blaze for 2 hours before bringing it under control. Police suspect arson.

Sadly Worthing has a bit of a history of pubs catching fire - inevitably, it freed up the land for the construction of blocks of flats!

Time Line

A little bit more

1839 - John Levett
1851 - Edward John Booker
1856 - Robert Cooper
1859 - J Hoare
1863 - 1902 Henry Cooper
1913 - Thomas Butcher / James Butcher
1918 - Henry Lucas
1926 - 1936 - Archibald Streeter
1936 - John Thomas Woolmore
1939 - Glad & Harry Conyers-d'Arcy
1959 - Bert Thomas
1962 - Bert & Cora Thomas
1966 - Eric & Sybil Brown
1970 - Ken & Joyce Frampton
1980 - 1986 Pat & Poppy McMonagle
1992 - 1993 Ralph & Carol Walker
1996 - Rita Donaghy
2013 Jason Mathews (November)
2015 - Steve Reeve & Beth Parsons
2016 to end - Dillon Weller & Laura Young

1902: Henry Cooper retired as landlord after over 39 years, during which time local magistrates never received a single complaint.

1993: Ralph Walker has a collection of sub-machine guns hanging from the ceiling at the wheafsheaf (daily record, June 1st)