A-Z of Horsham: Places-People-History

The A-Z of Horsham delves into the history of this West Sussex market town. It highlights well-known town landmarks, famous (and infamous) residents and digs beneath the surface to uncover some of the lesser-known facts and hidden gems of Horsham. The town’s most significant landmarks and buildings include the Old Town Hall (scene of the Acid Bath Murder trials in 1949), the lonely tower of St Mark’s Church and Christ’s Hospital School, but Horsham’s story also includes tales of criminal, military, political, social and ancient history.

Famous names associated with the town include Barnes Wallis, Catherine Howard, test pilot Neville Duke and Percy Bysshe Shelley, but this book also unveils a darker underbelly to its history, including the time the town flirted with Mosley and his Blackshirts, why several residents were interned by the British government in the Second World War, how the population struggled against the plague and how Horsham was once the capital of political corruption. This fascinating A-Z tour of Horsham’s history is fully illustrated and will appeal to all those with an interest in this West Sussex town.