insideSUSSEX Magazine Issue 13 - March 2016 | Page 59

TOWNSPOTLIGHT

S P OT L I G H T

O N

HORSHAM

BY LISAMARIE LAMB

An historic market town, Horsham is located right in the centre of the stunning Sussex Weald,
giving it a location that is the envy of its neighbours. This pretty place has all the advantages of a
big town, including a museum, plenty of parks and outside spaces, a handy railway station, great
shops (with lots of parking), and nine suburbs including Holbrook, Oakhill, and Littlehaven. But,
it’s also able to claim a slice of country life, with its spectacular position along the River Arun.

History in Brief
The first mention of Horsham comes in 947AD
in King Eadred’s land charter, although it
seems to have been left out of the Domesday
book. The land was used to keep horses,
which would later come up for sale, and the
name Horsham is thought to derive from
‘Horse Ham’, which means exactly that.
There is another, perhaps more romantic
story connected with the name of the town,
however: the Anglo-Saxon warrior hero, Horsa,
is thought to have connections to the area, so
it’s possible the name comes from the lands he
was gifted.

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Wherever the name came from, Horsham
grew quickly, firstly controlled by the de Braose
family, who built Horsham Castle, and then
by the Eversfield family, who built Denne Park
House. The latter family were landowners as
well as being hugely successful in the iron
business, and there is evidence of them in
street names all across the area.
The iron industry began to decline in the 17th
century, and the breweries took over, but it
was for its markets that Horsham became well
known, with both sellers and buyers travelling
from across the county and beyond to trade
there.