A Little History of O’Connor’s

The story of 25 Warwick Street stretches back to the mid-1800s, when the building first opened its doors as the Warwick Arms, later known as the Warwick Hotel, serving Worthing’s growing community of locals, visitors, and seaside travellers. In those early days, the pub was a cornerstone of town life, pouring ales from nearby breweries and offering a friendly stop-off just a short stroll from the promenade.

As Worthing evolved from a modest fishing town into a bustling seaside resort, the Warwick Hotel kept pace. Victorian tradesmen, holidaymakers, and day-trippers all passed through its doors, drawn by the promise of a hearty meal, a pint of “Brighton Ale,” and lively conversation. Its three-storey façade and bay windows, still recognisable today, became a familiar landmark on one of Worthing’s most characterful streets.

Through the decades, the bar saw many chapters, from the turn-of-the-century bustle of Warwick Street’s shopping district, through the celebrations of coronations and wartime comebacks, to its long-running spell as The Warwick. Like any old pub, its fortunes rose and fell with the town around it, but it remained what it always had been: a gathering place, where the stories of Worthing unfolded over a drink or two.

In 2021, following a full refurbishment, the doors reopened under a new name O’Connor’s on Warwick Street - and a renewed sense of purpose. Today, the pub carries forward that long tradition of community and welcome, with a touch of Irish warmth and humour. Behind the fresh paint and the Guinness taps lies nearly two centuries of local history, still alive in the laughter, live music, and friendly faces that fill the bar each night.