It's hard to believe that Roberts Wine Lodge, shown directly below, is the same building as the one on the left. If you spend a little time examining the Wine Lodge picture, you will see that the old building is still there, with the pub wrapped around it on the ground floor, minus the chimneys!

The original building was known as the Thomas Banting Memorial Convalescent Home which was formed from a trust in his memory. The trust still exists to this day, although sadly, the building, or lodge, doesn't. We have an approximate date for this building of around 1870, but may have been earlier.

Many Worthing residents will have fond memories of the lodge, which went under various names in its history. We are given to understand that the original building was known as Parade Lodge. Roberts, the local wine merchants, opened it up as Roberts Wine Lodge in the 1950s, having given the structure a Spanish Villa feel.

It has been said that Chapman took the building over in 1986 purely to avoid it being purchased by Alexander Brewery. For a while, it traded under the name of the Litten Tree. It was demolished in 2003 and replaced with a block of flats.

It would appear that the Wine Lodge closed sometime in the late 1980's for what was possibly a refit shortly after Chris Chapman bought the property in 1986.

This picture is marked 'Wine Lodge reopen' and shows local south coast Television presenter and legend Fred Dinenage with Chris and his wife Delia.

Published on Monday 23 July 2001. Worthing Herald

With the future of the Litten Tree pub looking uncertain, former managing director Denis Fry spoke fondly of his time in charge. Denis, of Belmaine Court, Worthing, was managing director of the building and managing company Roberts and Son for five years. He was also on the board of directors for eight, before the company was sold in 1978. 'I am a little sad to think there's a possibility it could be demolished, only because I worked in the company and was involved in building it and because I love it. I can't help but think, if the flats are built, it will be like everything else along the seafront, uniform', he said.

The idea behind The Wine Lodge, as the building used to be known, was the brainchild of the Lynn family. They bought Roberts and Son in 1922 but retained the business name. The family realised in 1948, just after World War Two, that most public houses were owned by breweries and their range of stock was quite limited. They didn't go in for food, so there were very few good restaurants in Worthing. They decided to do something different, have a restaurant and a bar with a good selection, and they found premises on the seafront, which was unoccupied, recalled Denis. Plans were swiftly drawn up and, in 1950, The Wine Lodge opened, making history as the first public house to be opened in England after the war. It also boasted the longest bar in the country.

The Convalescent Home at Worthing, known as the Thomas Banting Memorial, meets the necessities of poor gentlewomen only, a class of persons who really need, from the small number of institutions providing for their wants, such help and sympathy as this excellent home affords. Applicants, particularly schoolmistresses, governesses, schoolmasters, and tutors are requested to state such facts as will show that they are accustomed to associate with such ladies as are intended to be admitted.

Each lady has a separate bedroom. The domestic comforts are in every respect those of a private gentleman’s family. The whole household expenses are provided by the trustees, so that the only cost to a convalescent will be her travelling expenses. So that the home is a boon to gentlewomen, partly recovered from serious illness, who are in need of sea air, tonic, and a change for complete restoration of health.

Time Line

A little bit more

1950 - Munton
1986 - Chris Chapman - new owner
1994 - Adrian & Wendy

The walls of a new pub called the Parade Wine Lodge, at the junction of Marine Parade and West Buildings, were decorated with murals, painted in oils by Mrs M Labram, which told the story of wine. (From the Worthing Journal)