The Old Palace Manager Retires

Graham Hill

The end of an era - I finally ‘hung my boots up’ as the Manager of the Old Palace at the end of June just passed. I took over from my predecessors Robert and Lesley Leng in 2018, and soon realised that it was a big responsibility with its many challenges. The Old Palace is a 13 th Century Bishop’s Palace, being only one of two Grade 1 listed buildings in Worthing. The Palace was bought by St Andrews Church in 1958 having previously been a school, as well as having a great many other uses over proceeding centuries. Since becoming a local Community Centre following Church ownership, a great many Groups have used the excellent facilities offered and it has become the centre of community life in Tarring. As the Manager, it has been a great privilege to meet with so many community groups offering a wide range of social and recreational activities. All have remarked about the wonderful building and the fond memories they have of the many hours spent using the facilities offered. I leave with fond memories as well, and with a huge thank you to all those who have helped and supported me during my tenure. A special thanks to Linda, my Caretaker and Clive, her husband, who spent many hours keeping the Palace gardens under control. Linda has also retired and I wish her well, and I also extend my very best wishes to Leah Barrs, who has taking the reins.