Horsham

Coordinates: 51°03′43″N 0°19′30″W / 51.062°N 0.325°W / 51.062; -0.325

Horsham /ˈhɔːrʃəm/ is a market town on the upper reaches of the River Arun in the centre of the Weald, West Sussex and is within the historic county of Sussex, England. The town is 31 miles (50 km) south south-west of London, 18.5 miles (30 km) north-west of Brighton and 26 miles (42 km) north-east of the county town of Chichester. Nearby towns include Crawley to the north-east and Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill to the south-east. It is the administrative and market centre of Horsham District Council area.

History

The first historical record of Horsham is from AD 947. The name either originates from "Horse Ham", meaning a place where horses were kept, or "Horsa's Ham", named for a Saxon warrior who was granted land in the area.

The town has historically been known for horse trading in early medieval times, iron and brick making up until the 20th century, and brewing more recently.

Governance

Horsham is the largest town in the Horsham District Council area. The second, higher, tier of local government is West Sussex County Council, based in Chichester. In addition there are various Parish Councils.

West Sussex

West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering East Sussex (with Brighton and Hove) to the east, Hampshire to the west and Surrey to the north, and to the south the English Channel. Chichester in the southwest is the county town and only city in West Sussex, with the largest towns being Crawley, Worthing and Horsham.

West Sussex has a range of scenery, including wealden, downland and coastal. The highest point of the county is Blackdown, at 280 metres (919 ft). It has a number of stately homes including Goodwood, Petworth House and Uppark and also castles such as Arundel Castle and Bramber Castle. Over half the county is protected countryside, offering walking, cycling and other recreational opportunities.

History

Although the name Sussex, derived from the Old English 'Sūþsēaxe' ('South Saxons'), is from the Saxon period between AD 477 to 1066, the history of human habitation in Sussex goes back to the Old Stone Age. The oldest hominin remains known in Britain were found at Eartham Pit, Boxgrove. Sussex has been occupied since those times and has succumbed to various invasions and migrations throughout its long history.

West Sussex (UK Parliament constituency)

West Sussex (formally the Western division of Sussex) was a parliamentary constituency in the county of Sussex, which returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the bloc vote system.

It was created under the Great Reform Act for the 1832 general election, and abolished for the 1885 general election.

Members of Parliament

References

Horsham District

Horsham is a local government district in West Sussex, England. Its council is based in Horsham. The district borders those of Crawley, Mid Sussex, Mole Valley, Chichester, Arun and Adur.

The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, by the merger of Horsham urban district along with Chanctonbury Rural District and Horsham Rural District.

On a recent Channel 4 television programme, the Horsham district was classed as the ninth best district to live in the United Kingdom.

Between the 2001 UK Census and the 2011 UK Census, the district's population grew by 7.4% from 122,300 to 131,300.

Civil parishes

Within the Horsham District are the following civil parishes:

Education

The Rikkyo School in England, a Japanese boarding school, is located in the Rudgwick community in Horsham District.

References

External links

Horsham (disambiguation)

Horsham may refer to places called:

Horsham may also refer to:

Horsham (UK Parliament constituency)

Horsham is /ˈhɔːrʃəm/ a constituency centred on the historic satellite town to London, its rural district and part of another rural district in West Sussex represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament between 1997 and 2015 by Francis Maude, and since 2015 by Jeremy Quin, both of the Conservative Party.

Boundaries and profile

1885-1918: The Sessional Divisions of Horsham, Midhurst, and Petworth, and the civil parish of Crawley.

1945-1950: The Urban Districts of Horsham, Shoreham-by-Sea, and Southwick, and the Rural Districts of Chanctonbury (the civil parishes of Amberley, Ashington, Ashurst, Bramber, Coldwaltham, Henfield, Parham, Pulborough, Shermanbury, Steyning, Storrington, Sullington, Thakenham, Upper Beeding, Washington, West Chiltington, Wiston, and Woodmancote) and Horsham (the civil parishes of Billingshurst, Cowfold, Crawley, Horsham Rural, Itchingfield, Lower Beeding, Nuthurst, Rudgwick, Rusper, Shipley, Slinfold, Warnham, and West Grinstead).