You may know Horsham for its market square, independent shops and café culture, but it’s also a town full of surprises. Dragons, dinosaurs, an Indian princess, unusual sculptures and even paving stones that whisper tales from the past. Slow down, look a little closer, and you will find all sorts of stories hidden in Horsham’s nooks, crannies and twittens.
1. The dragon capital of Sussex
If dragons are supposed to be mythical creatures, nobody seems to have told Horsham. Hidden in plain sight are at least half a dozen dragons, maybe more. Some perch high above eye level, others are tucked away where only the observant will notice them. Once you know they’re there, spotting Horsham’s dragons becomes an irresistible treasure hunt.
According to local legend, the surrounding St Leonard’s Forest was once terrorised by a fearsome dragon. In the sixth century, a French hermit named Saint Leonard is said to have settled in the forest to live a life of prayer and solitude. His peace was repeatedly disturbed by the dragon, and after a fierce battle, he finally slew the beast. Legend also says that where the hermit’s blood fell, white lilies-of-the-valley sprang from the forest floor. Even today, one area of the forest is known as the Lily Beds.
The tale doesn’t end there. As his reward, Leonard is said to have asked that snakes should lose their venom, or, in some versions, disappear from the forest altogether, and that the nightingales, whose songs interrupted his prayers, should fall silent.
Hundreds of years later, in 1614, a pamphlet claimed that a “strange serpent, called a dragon” had been seen in St Leonard’s Forest. The creature was described as being nine feet or more in length and “shaped almost in the form of an axletree of a cart” (the long wooden beam running through the centre of a cart that connected the wheels). Whatever the truth, the legend has endured, and today Horsham proudly embraces its dragon heritage.
2. An Indian princess rests here
One of Horsham’s most extraordinary stories belongs to Helena Bennett, better known locally as the Indian Princess of St Leonard’s Forest. Born Halima and daughter of a Persian Colonel, at 15, she married the celebrated French soldier of fortune Benoît, Comte de Boigne, before an unhappy marriage eventually brought her to rural Sussex, where she spent the final years of her life in quiet obscurity. You can find her gravestone at the entrance to St Mary’s Church at the end of The Causeway.
3. A bridge over a bridge
Horsham boasts not one but two places where you’ll find a bridge over a bridge. One is at the end of Denne Road, where the railway bridge crosses the road which in turn crosses the river. A little out of town, on the Downs Link as it approaches Rudgwick, is another bridge over a bridge. The Downs Link is a disused railway line which crosses a former railway bridge that was abandoned due to the the steep climb that followed after it. This bridge in turn is over the river.
4. Discover Horsham’s twittens
Sussex has its own word for narrow pedestrian passages: twittens. Horsham has plenty of them. These little alleyways often follow medieval property boundaries and offer charming shortcuts between streets, revealing glimpses of old brickwork, hidden gardens and parts of the town many visitors never see.
5. The forgotten graveyard
One of Horsham’s most atmospheric corners is its abandoned churchyard in Denne Road. When burial space ran out, a new cemetery took over, leaving this peaceful corner to nature. Moss-covered gravestones, mature trees and birdsong all make it feel like a forgotten and magical world. The site also includes a Garden of Remembrance.
6. A queen once called Horsham home
Long before she became the fifth wife of Henry VIII, Catherine Howard spent part of her childhood at Chesworth House on the edge of Horsham. Although little remains today, the site links the town to one of the most dramatic stories of the Tudor court.
7. Even William the Conqueror was ‘ere
Following the Norman Conquest, William the Conqueror granted Horsham land to his supporter, William de Braose. De Braose built a motte and bailey castle at Bramber, and castles at Sedgwick and Chennelsbrook.
8. Horsham’s sculpture
Keep your eyes open and you’ll find quirky sculpture everywhere. Elegant swans in Swan Walk (of course), a much-loved donkey in Piries Place, and the remarkable Heritage Sundial which rewards close inspection with layer upon layer of symbols telling the story of civilisation. And do not miss the Jon Edgar sculpture, Fluvius, at Highwood.
9. Crime and punishment
Horsham has witnessed some remarkable moments in Sussex’s criminal history. The town was the setting for the first court appearance of the notorious Acid Bath Murderer, at Horsham Magistrates Court in 1949 and it drew huge crowds and marked the beginning of the legal proceedings that led to his conviction.
Local tradition also links Horsham to a number of witches, with the last recorded indictments for witchcraft in Sussex being at the Horsham Assizes in 1680. Meanwhile, when the church bell from nearby Slinfold fell from a cart on its way to the church, a witch advised that the bell could be extracted from the mud by using twelve white oxen … provided it was done in total silence. Unfortunately, as the bell was successfully recovered, one of the locals shouted, “Hurrah” and the bell fell back down never to be seen again.
10. The church spire without a church
Tucked away off Chart Way stands one of Horsham’s most unexpected landmarks: a church spire with no church attached to it. Rising 141 feet into the air, the Bridges Memorial Spire was added to St Mark’s Church in 1870 as a memorial to Mary, the only daughter of Canon A. H. Bridges, the church’s first minister. Mary died aged just 18. When the Victorian church was declared redundant more than a century later, the main building was demolished and a new St Mark’s Church was built elsewhere. The spire, however, was saved. Today it stands alone, surrounded by modern office buildings.
11. Why is it called Depot Road?
The answer lies in the Napoleonic Wars. In 1804, a vast military ordnance depot was built on Horsham Common beside what is now Depot Road (behind the train station). Designed to store 10,000 stands of arms, the complex included workshops, barracks, officers’ quarters and an ammunition magazine, all enclosed within high brick walls. It remained in use until 1819, when the weapons and stores were removed.
12. Little Poland
Few people realise that, after the Second World War, the Horsham area was home to a number of Polish military and resettlement camps, including sites at Five Oaks, Lower Beeding and West Chiltington. Many of the Polish servicemen and their families had fought alongside the Allies but were unable or unwilling to return to a Soviet-controlled homeland. Instead, they built new lives in Sussex, becoming part of the local community and leaving a lasting legacy that can still be traced today.
13. Read the pavement
One of Horsham’s best-kept secrets is beneath your feet. Along West Street, engraved paving stones tell dozens of fascinating snippets from the town’s history. Most shoppers walk straight over them, but those who pause will discover a miniature history lesson woven into the streetscape.
14. The hidden airport
Just outside the town is a tiny runway across a stretch of grass. Walkers are often surprised as they walk along the Downs Link to find a light aircraft coming into land over their heads.
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