Horsham

Horsham - one of the finest towns in West Sussex - is also one of the finest places to live in the UK - it's official. Here's some information to help you get the most of what Horsham has to offer:

Horsham Tourist guide

Horsham is an extremely good place to base your vacation in West Sussex, lying right in the heart of the south east of England.

First, Horsham is a beautiful and historic town in its own right.

Plus, Horsham also extremely convenient for Gatwick Airport, with regular trains between Horsham and Gatwick.

And Horsham is well connected to South East England's main attractions via a good road network.

Horsham also has a mainline rail link to Central London. Trains to London's Victoria Station or London Bridge take an hour and there are several trains each hour.

What's on in Horsham

Keep up to date with the many events going on in and around Horsham and neighbouring parts of West Sussex, including art exhibitions, comedy, dance and theatre.

Music lovers can see our classical music listings and details of other musical events in Horsham and West Sussex.

Horsham attractions

Horsham itself is a mixture of the old and the new, with historic streets being wrapped around the large but slightly unglamorous Swan Walk shopping centre in the heart of the town.

Horsham shopping has a really good mix of retailers large and small however and is a pleasant place to shop.

Just a few yards away from the shops, The Causeway is one of the finest streets in Sussex, with a lovely mixture of old buildings, mature trees and the great Horsham Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin and the peaceful Memorial Garden at the Causeway's southern end. The Causeway even has its own ghost.

One of the Casuseway's best buildings houses the Horsham Museum, which is terrific - and free, although you can make a donation if you want to.

Horsham tradition is upheld by the weekly markets at Market Square and Carfax on Saturdays and at the Bishopric on Thursdays.

Horsham Park is a lovely park of around 60 acres right in the middle of Horsham, based in the grounds of the grand old Park House.

Things to do

There are plenty of clubs to join in Horsham covering everything from the heavens to the depths of the earth.

Or maybe you'd prefer to help with charitable work locally?

Horsham Sports clubs

Want to find out about sporting facilities in Horsham? See our listings of all the sports clubs in Horsham.

History of Horsham

Horsham has played a key part in the history of West Sussex for centuries. Horsham has been an important market town and centre of justice as well as an important part of the Sussex Iron Industry. Find out more about the history of Horsham

Attractions close to Horsham

Horsham has many really good attractions within easy striking distance.

Firstly, several top class gardens are very close by with the amazing Leonardslee Gardens and romantic Nymans Gardens at Handcross also close by.

High Beeches Gardens and Borde Hill are close by too making Horsham an ideal base for lovers of great gardens. And as if that isn't enough Wakehurst Place, run by Kew Gardens and home of the Millennium Seed Collection is less than 10 miles away.

St Leonard's Forest is an area of heathland wrapped around the eastern side of Horsham and gives an idea of what the Weald was like before agriculture and the iron industry ripped the forest to shreds. The Forest forms an important protected habitat for many butterflies and reptiles and other creatures whose habitats have been threatened by civilisation.

To the south west of Horsham Southwater Country Park is an intelligent conversion of a 90 acre former brickworks into an attractive wildlife and leisure area all based around its lakes.

A few miles down the A24 from Horsham lie the remains of Knepp Castle, which can be glimpsed from the busy road but which are better visited on foot.

Close by is Belloc's Mill at Shipley and the Quakers' historic Blue Idol Meeting House. The Wey and Arun Canal passes close by Horsham and is a fine place for walking, riding, cycling and boating (along some sections at least).

Further down the River Arun, Pulborough Wild Brooks Bird Sanctuary is an important area for wildlife and a spectacular sight in winter when the Arun frequently bursts its banks and leaves its valley looking like an enormous lake.

Places near Horsham

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