Information AboutHorsham |
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| towns in west sussex | |
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| market towns in england | |
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Horsham is a Market Town in West Sussex , England with a population of roughly 50,000. It is the administrative and market centre of the District Of Horsham . ADMINISTRATION Horsham is the largest town in the district of the same name. It is administered by Horsham District Council. The second tier of administration is by West Sussex County Council, based in Chichester . In addition there are various Parish Council s. North east Horsham is known as Roffey , originally a separate village. HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT The ''Horsham Point'' - a Mesolithic Arrow head - is sometimes claimed as the birth of distinctly British Culture , since it is the earliest known Artifact that postdates the separation (due to Glacial meltwater filling the Channel ) of Britain from the Continent . The first mention of Horsham was in King Eadred s land charter of AD 947 . The town had connections to the sale of Horse s and the name is believed to be derived from "Horse Ham", a settlement where horses were kept. An alternative explanation is that "Horsham" is a contraction of "Horsa's Ham" named after the Saxon warrior who was said to have been given lands in the area. However, this is considered unlikely by most local historians. Despite having been in existence for some 140 years at the time of the survey, Horsham is not mentioned in the Domesday Book Albery, W. (1947) ''A Millennium of Facts in the History of Horsham and Sussex. 947-1947.'', Horsham, Horsham Museum Society either because it was never visited by inspectors, or was simply 'left out' of the final version. Horsham had two weekly s. Despite a local iron industry which stayed until the seventeenth century and a prosperous brewing industry, Horsham remained primarily a market town serving the many farms in the area until the early 20th century, when other industry and residential development began to proliferate. Horsham prospered during the Victorian era and early 20th century. The town, along with others, has been well documented photographically by Francis Frith . The pictures record many of the landmarks that are still in place today, although some, such the War Memorial, Jubilee Fountain and Carfax Bandstand, have been relocated. The town has grown steadily over recent years to a population of over 50,000. This has been facilitated by the completion of both an inner and outer town bypass. The location of any new growth is the subject of intense debate. Certainly, the town will fight hard to retain the "strategic housing gap" between itself and its large neighbour Crawley, however the latest plans by the District Council include a large neighbourhood directly adjacent to Crawley potentially eating into that gap. TOWN CENTRE Horsham has grown up around the Carfax, which is the meeting place of five roads. Part of this has been closed to traffic in recent years. Two shopping centres, Piries Place and Swan Walk, are located close by to the Carfax. There are also two main shopping streets; East Street and the pedestrianised West Street. A new shopping area and public square, the Forum, has recently been completed to the south of West Street, off Blackhorse Way. To the south of the Carfax is the Causeway. This tranquil, little altered street is lined with ancient houses, and leads to the Norman church of St. Mary. ( Anglican ) Beyond the church is the River Arun and the town cricket field. To the north of the Carfax is a large park, the remnant of what was formerly the Hurst Park Estate. The park has numerous football pitches, a wildlife pond and tennis courts. Various leisure facilities, including a modern swimming complex, have been built on land around the park. At the west end of the town centre at "Lynd Cross" stands a large modern water sculpture known as the " Rising Universe " fountain, more commonly known locally as "The Shelley Fountain". It was designed by Angela Connor , and erected to commemorate the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley who was born at Broadbridge Heath near Horsham. It carries a plaque bearing one of his poems. The fountain was turned off in the spring of 2006 to save water. Despite recycling it used 180 gallons a day to cover evaporation and filtration losses. However, the council has made water saving efficiencies elsewhere and the fountain was turned on again on November 13th 2006, its tenth birthday. (The Shelley Fountain & the Water Features in the Forum were turned off again after Christmas.) HONOURS On the 26th October 2006 Horsham was pronounced the second best place to live in the UK , beating off the likes of Epsom and Tunbridge Wells and only beaten by Winchester . This was claimed by a Channel 4 show 'The 10 best and worst places to live in the UK'. The show was Statistical and was not of personal opinion. The show mentioned that:
Horsham was certainly proud to be regarded so highly as a leading UK town but it was not unexpected. 7 out the 10 best towns were located in South East England . ''Best and Worst Places to Live 2006'', Channel 4, 26 October 2006 In 2007 a Reader's Digest poll put Horsham as the 25th best place in mainland Britain to bring up a family. ''Best Places in Britain to Bring Up a Family'', Reader's Digest, 2007 FAMOUS RESIDENTS
LITERARY CONNECTIONS Sir Arthur Conan Doyle had the fictitious Openshaw family, in the Sherlock Holmes story, The Five Orange Pips residing in the town. The first illustrated history of Horsham was written in 1836 by Howard Dudley at the age of 16. It includes descriptions of St Mary's Church and other buildings along with lithographs and wood-cut images of the town. The book entitled The History and Antiquities of Horsham has been reproduced in full to enable research on line LOCATION AND TRANSPORT Road Horsham lies at the junction of three routes.
Railway The town has one main railway station, Horsham Railway Station , on the Arun Valley Line from Chichester to Crawley , Gatwick and London Victoria . Sutton & Mole Valley Line services continue north to Dorking , Epsom , Sutton and London Bridge . There is also Littlehaven Station , (also referred to on occasion as Littlehaven Halt) in the north east of the town on the Crawley line. Other Horsham is in France and Lage in Germany 1. Cyclists, pedestrians and horseriders can reach Guildford and Shoreham via the Downs Link , a long distance bridleway and cycle route which follows the now disused Horsham-Guildford, and Horsham-Shoreham railway lines and passes through Southwater , just to the south of Horsham. EDUCATION The main secondary schools in Horsham are:
Horsham is also home to the well-known:
EMERGENCY SERVICES FACILITIES Horsham Community Hospital , is open weekdays, and is located on Hurst Road. The town also boasts its own law courts, ambulance station, fire station and police station, again located on Hurst Road. LEISURE AND CULTURE Horsham has various facilities for leisure and culture (along with spending one of the highest amounts of money on outdoor artwork, roughly £250,000 ):
TRIVIA AND LEGENDS
SPORT Horsham is home to Horsham Cricket Club , who were National Champions in 2005. Faye White , Captain of England and Arsenal Women’s Teams played for Horsham Ladies from the age of 13. Regarded as one of the best defenders in female football Faye has more than 50 international caps Horsham F.C. are the towns' Senior football club and currently (2006-07) play in the Isthmian Premier Division following promotion the previous season. This is currently the highest division the club have ever played in. Last season also saw the team appear in the Sussex Senior Cup Final for the first time in 3 decades, but unfortunately they lost 3-1 to Lewes after extra time. The team currently play at the Atspeed Stadium, Queen Street (almost opposite the Queens Head) and are renowned for their attractive brand of football. The latest news from the club can be found at the Hornets Review website, link follows {Link without Title} Horsham YMCA FC are the town's other football team, playing their 2006/7 season in the Isthmian First Division South. As with their friends 'over the fence', YM are playing at the highest level in their history. The team's home ground is at Gorings Mead, Horsham, the team is recognised for consistently playing competitive football on a tiny budget. YM's Manager is the longest serving manager in the south of England, 20 years and counting. The latest news from the club can be found at the Hornets Review website, link follows {Link without Title} EXTERNAL LINKS
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