History of Horsham, Sussex, England

"Along with Chichester and Steyning, Horsham is perhaps the most attractive and historic town in West Sussex.

Horsham's early prosperity was as a market town. Although it was well positioned to benefit from the Wealden iron industry, Horsham was less influenced by iron making than many other Wealden towns like Cowfold, Lindfield or Heathfield.

From the middle ages Horsham seems to have become more important, returning MPs, holding Assizes, executions and having the country jail too.

The clay of the Weald also provided the natural resources for the next boost to Horsham's economy - brickmaking. Horsham stone was also much used for roofing and heavy Horsham slab roofing is one of the notable features of many old buildings in West Sussex.

Horsham was also known for its breweries. Although King and Barnes folded a while back, the tradition of brewing in Horsham is being kept alive by the Hepworth Brewery and WJ Kings Brewery.

The most distinguished historical building in Horsham, is St Mary's Church, which was inaugurated in the 12th century by the family of Bramber based William de Braose, who had the difficult job of keeping law and order for the Normans immediately after the Conquest.

The Causeway is also a magificent space, combining some fine listed buildings, one of which houses the excellent Horsham Museum

Horsham gives a sense of being well looked after and has done very well in Britain in Bloom competitions.

Horsham is a very prosperous place now with a population of around 50,000 and it was named the second best place to live in the UK in 2006. Mid Sussex was also named in the top 20 of the same statistically based analysis by the way."

www.westsussex.info/ horsham-history.shtml