Why move to Horsham?

Horsham is a historic market town that has retained its character while expanding to accommodate more homes and better facilities to cater for approximately 129,000 occupants. Horsham is the perfect blend of old style and new substance, which is no doubt why it has been voted as one of the best places to live on multiple occasions. In 2006, a Channel 4 programme ‘The Best and Worst Places to Live in the UK’ found Horsham to be the second best place to live in the UK, analysing factors like crime, education, employment, environment and lifestyle. More recently, a ‘Quality of Life’ survey conducted in 2013 by Halifax, declared Horsham to be one of the top 20 places to live in Britain.

All about Horsham

Getting its name from ‘a breeding place for horses’, Horsham was developed to serve as a market town that provided an approximate midpoint between London and the south coast. A rich history in brewing is reflected through the many pubs still serving notable beers that originated at Horsham’s old King and Barns brewery. Evidence of another popular industry of the past, brick making, can be seen by looking up at the roofs of many Horsham period homes, which still display intricately carved stoned, made by the early Horsham brick makers.

These days, the town is better known for its commercial businesses, most notable of which is the huge Royal Sun Alliance (RSA) building in the town centre, which is home to More Than insurance. For a true glimpse into the history of Horsham, Horsham Museum is in a medieval timber-framed building and has on display a range of exhibits detailing the town’s past. There is also an official database supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, which contains historical prints, photographs, paintings and drawings. These can be seen by visiting West Sussex Past Pictures.

Suburbs

Horsham can be divided into a number of areas outside of the main town, all of which are just a short walk or drive away from the centre.

Holbrook

The Holbrook district consists mainly of residential housing – both older style, detached properties and newer estates. A convenient parade of shops houses a post office and newsagents, convenience store, small café, hairdressers and a beauty shop. The area also has its own pub; The Sussex Barn, a primary school and The Holbrook Club; a gym and fitness centre. Additionally, there is a doctor’s surgery and a dental practice.

Littlehaven

Littlehaven boasts its own train station, just one stop from the main Horsham station situated in the town centre. The station has been in operation since 1907 and runs directly into London throughout the day, making this a popular location of choice with commuters. Littlehaven also boasts a primary school and is close in proximity to Holbrook. Most properties in the Littlehaven area are older style houses and many are detached, particularly around the station, although there are newer style properties to be found too.

Roffey

The Roffey area is located to the north east of Horsham. Originally home to just a few farmhouses and cottages, Roffey now contains a large number of houses and flats, many of which have been built within the last decade. Crawley Road runs through the centre of Roffey, providing access to Horsham in one direction and Crawley in the other. There is a primary school, two pubs (The Norfolk Arms and The Star) and a fair-sized shopping parade with a supermarket, post office, café, takeaway food restaurants and a few independently owned businesses. Roffey Millennium Hall is home to the Parish council office and can be hired for business and personal events. More areas to be added once clarified

Horsham properties

Many buyers are choosing to move to Horsham from London. There are direct trains from Horsham and Littlehaven stations into the city centre, and property in Horsham, even taking into account the cost of the daily commute to London, can work out to be significantly cheaper. Horsham offers a wide range of properties, from one-bedroom flats right up to sprawling estates. Property is highly sought after in Horsham and it sells fast – homes are rarely on the marketing for very long.

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