Horsham

Horsham is a market town on the upper reaches of the River Arun on the fringe of the Weald in West Sussex, England. The town is 31mi south south-west of London, 18.5mi north-west of Brighton and 26mi 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 centre of the Horsham district.HistoryThe first historical record of Horsham is from AD 947. The name may mean either "horse home" or "Horsa's home" (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.GovernanceHorsham 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. It was once part of the county of Surrey in 1758 until a change in boundaries through the parliament act in 1867. In addition there are various Parish Councils.The town is the centre of the parliamentary constituency of Horsham, recreated in 1983. Jeremy Quin has served as Member of Parliament for Horsham since 2015, succeeding Francis Maude, who held the seat since 1997 but retired at the 2015 general election.