the top of the poll. He did not stand at the 1784 general election but stood at the by-election at Southwark two months later in June 1784. He lost the contest very narrowly. In Parliament he voted with the opposition until the fall of the North government and made two speeches. In 1784 he was a member of the St. Alban's Tavern group who tried to bring Fox and Pitt together. Association with Bognor Hotham found the climate of the south coast did him the world of good, and decided that he would like to have a house of his own there and accordingly bought a plot of land containing a farmhouse, near the sea. He then set about rebuilding the farmhouse as a comfortable villa which he named Bognor Lodge (this has since been demolished). Following his own experience of the curative nature of the sea air, and the current trend for the gentry to resort to the seaside, his property developing side kicked in, and with an eye to gaining some of the fame and wealth of places like Brighton and Weymouth he set about buying land in the area until eventually he had around in his ownership. Then the building started. He built a number of large terraces of houses around the tiny hamlet, with the express aim of attracting the more well-heeled visitor to his new resort, the ultimate prize being to attract the King away from his favoured resort at Weymouth, or the Prince of Wales from Brighton. Ultimately, this was to be unrealised, although minor members of the Royal Family were attracted to stay in the grand new Dome House, built overlooking Richard's new house and grounds known as Bersted Lodge. Complete with private chapel and clock tower, this house still stands, now known as Hotham Park House. The chapel has gone but the clock tower remains. Sir Richard Hotham died at Bognor in March 1799 and was buried at the parish church of St. Mary Magdalene at South Bersted, where to this day there is an annual wreath laying ceremony at his grave. Legacy Following his death the estate was broken up and in the intervening years many of his fine buildings have vanished, although some gems remain, including Hotham Park House, now a private residence in the middle of Hotham Park. The grounds of Aldwick Manor are now a public park known