98-602: Horsham ( / ˈ h ɔːr ʃ ə m / ) 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 31 miles (50 km) south south-west of London, 18.5 miles (30 km) north-west of Brighton and 26 miles (42 km) north-east of the county town of Chichester . Nearby towns include Crawley to the north-east and Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill to
196-672: A cricket club whose two teams play in the Sussex Cricket League (which is the biggest league in the UK) and the Sussex Slam during midweek. Closely linked with the cricket club is the Broadbridge Heath Stoolball Club. On the same site, Broadbridge Heath Tennis Club have two courts. All these three clubs are situated at the 'Top Common' in the village. The village is situated at the junction of
294-443: A 1996 merger, was a major employer in the town, but the plant is now closed and the site scheduled for redevelopment. The RSPCA , an animal welfare charity, has a £16 million headquarters at Southwater near Horsham, built to replace its former headquarters in the centre of the town. Horsham is also the headquarters of video game studio Creative Assembly , as well as the location of its motion capture studio. The Town Hall in
392-440: A community space on the upper floor. The oldest surviving structures date from the mid-17th century. In Scotland, borough markets were held weekly from an early stage. A King's market was held at Roxburgh on a specific day from about the year 1171; a Thursday market was held at Glasgow , a Saturday market at Arbroath , and a Sunday market at Brechin . In Scotland, market towns were often distinguished by their mercat cross :
490-514: A crossing-place on the River Thames up-river from Runnymede , where it formed an oxbow lake in the stream. Early patronage included Thomas Furnyvale, lord of Hallamshire , who established a Fair and Market in 1232. Travelers were able to meet and trade wares in relative safety for a week of "fayres" at a location inside the town walls. The reign of Henry III witnessed a spike in established market fairs. The defeat of de Montfort increased
588-528: A crossroads or close to a river ford , for example, Cowbridge in the Vale of Glamorgan. When local railway lines were first built, market towns were given priority to ease the transport of goods. For instance, in Calderdale , West Yorkshire , several market towns close together were designated to take advantage of the new trains. The designation of Halifax , Sowerby Bridge , Hebden Bridge , and Todmorden
686-683: A district in the latter part of the 20th century. An area of Horsham named after a feeder stream of the River Arun. It consists of residential housing, the majority of which is of late 20th-century origin. The suburb is substantial enough for two council wards. The hamlet around Old Holbrook House is immediately to the north of the A264, which abuts Holbrook. Holbrook House was previously the home of Sir William Vesey-Fitzgerald , Governor of Bombay and M.P. for Horsham (1852–1875). The Tithe Barn at Fivens Green
784-491: A full list, see this table at Danish Misplaced Pages ). The last town to gain market rights ( Danish : købstadsprivilegier ) was Skjern in 1958. At the municipal reform of 1970 , market towns were merged with neighboring parishes, and the market towns lost their special status and privileges, though many still advertise themselves using the moniker of købstad and hold public markets on their historic market squares . The medieval right to hold markets ( German : Marktrecht )
882-592: A full size running track, athletic facilities and football pitch as well as the District's Indoor bowls Centre. The Grenadian Olympic Team trained at the Centre in the weeks preceding the London 2012 Olympic Games , at which Kirani James won Grenada's first Olympic gold medal in the men's 400m. Horsham Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society (HAODS) are also based at The Bridge Leisure Centre. Broadbridge Heath also has
980-559: A good deal is known about the economic value of markets in local economies, the cultural role of market-towns has received scant scholarly attention. In Denmark, the concept of the market town ( Danish : købstad ) emerged during the Iron Age. It is not known which was the first Danish market town, but Hedeby (part of modern-day Schleswig-Holstein ) and Ribe were among the first. As of 1801, there were 74 market towns in Denmark (for
1078-591: A group of villages or an earlier urban settlement in decline, or be created as a new urban centre. Frequently, they had limited privileges compared to free royal cities . Their long-lasting feudal subordination to landowners or the church is also a crucial difference. The successors of these settlements usually have a distinguishable townscape. The absence of fortification walls, sparsely populated agglomerations, and their tight bonds with agricultural life allowed these towns to remain more vertical compared to civitates. The street-level urban structure varies depending on
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#17327725008831176-459: A half tons of water periodically; it was 45 ft across at its base, standing 28 ft high. It carried a plaque bearing one of his poems ' Mont Blanc '. The fountain was turned off in the spring of 2006 to save water. Despite recycling it used 180 gallons a day to cover evaporation and filtration losses. However, the council has made water saving efficiencies elsewhere and the fountain was turned on again on 13 November 2006, its tenth birthday but
1274-455: A local shopfront such as a bakery or alehouse, while others were casual traders who set up a stall or carried their wares around in baskets on market days. Market trade supplied for the needs of local consumers whether they were visitors or local residents. Braudel and Reynold have made a systematic study of European market towns between the 13th and 15th century. Their investigation shows that in regional districts markets were held once or twice
1372-468: A market town at Bergen in the 11th century, and it soon became the residence of many wealthy families. Import and export was to be conducted only through market towns, to allow oversight of commerce and to simplify the imposition of excise taxes and customs duties . This practice served to encourage growth in areas which had strategic significance, providing a local economic base for the construction of fortifications and sufficient population to defend
1470-563: A market town is the provision of goods and services to the surrounding locality. Although market towns were known in antiquity, their number increased rapidly from the 12th century. Market towns across Europe flourished with an improved economy, a more urbanised society and the widespread introduction of a cash-based economy. Domesday Book of 1086 lists 50 markets in England. Some 2,000 new markets were established between 1200 and 1349. The burgeoning of market towns occurred across Europe around
1568-508: A mixture of privately owned and council-built houses and bungalows. The land around Hills Farm nearby was sold for development in 1972 and further development took place in the 1980s. The Needles are named after a local farmhouse, built using timbers from ships wrecked on the Needles rocks off the Isle of Wight . Roffey is north east of the centre of Horsham and as a hamlet dates back to at least
1666-647: A new leisure centre and other recreational services to serve Horsham but to be built in Broadbridge Heath. Shelley Primary School, located on Wickhurst Lane provides education for boys and girls aged between 4 and 11 years. Broadbridge Heath has a Non-League football club Broadbridge Heath F.C. who play at the High Wood Hill Sports Ground next to the Bridge Leisure Centre. The Bridge Leisure Centre consists of
1764-473: A number of market towns in Saxony throughout the 11th century and did much to develop peaceful markets by granting a special 'peace' to merchants and a special and permanent 'peace' to market-places. With the rise of the territories, the ability to designate market towns was passed to the princes and dukes, as the basis of German town law . The local ordinance status of a market town ( Marktgemeinde or Markt )
1862-604: A place where the right to hold a regular market or fair was granted by a ruling authority (either royal, noble, or ecclesiastical). As in the rest of the UK, the area in which the cross was situated was almost always central: either in a square; or in a broad, main street. Towns which still have regular markets include: Inverurie , St Andrews , Selkirk , Wigtown , Kelso , and Cupar . Not all still possess their mercat cross (market cross). Dutch painters of Antwerp took great interest in market places and market towns as subject matter from
1960-412: A relationship with customers and may have offered added value services, such as credit terms to reliable customers. The economy was characterised by local trading in which goods were traded across relatively short distances. Braudel reports that, in 1600, grain moved just 5–10 miles (8.0–16.1 km); cattle 40–70 miles (64–113 km); wool and woollen cloth 20–40 miles (32–64 km). However, following
2058-746: A reputation for small business and also provides multiple retail chain stores. Supermarkets serving the town include branches of Tesco , Sainsbury's , Marks & Spencer , Lidl and Waitrose . In 2015, a new £8 million "Waitrose" and "John Lewis at Home" joint facility was opened after the closure of the smaller Waitrose that was formerly located in Piries Place. RSA Insurance Group , an insurance company, has its registered office in Horsham. Sun Alliance merged with Royal Insurance in 1996 to form Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance Group, then renamed RSA Insurance Group in 2008. The company first came to
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#17327725008832156-428: A small seaport or a market town prior to export. This encouraged local merchants to ensure trading went through them, which was so effective in limiting unsupervised sales ( smuggling ) that customs revenues increased from less than 30% of the total tax revenues in 1600 to more than 50% of the total taxes by 1700. Norwegian "market towns" died out and were replaced by free markets during the 19th century. After 1952, both
2254-455: A successful market town attracted people, generated revenue and would pay for the town's defences. In around the 12th century, European kings began granting charters to villages allowing them to hold markets on specific days. Framlingham in Suffolk is a notable example of a market situated near a fortified building. Additionally, markets were located where transport was easiest, such as at
2352-425: A swimming complex and a gymnastic centre, have been built on land around the park. Horsham has developed beyond the original boundaries to incorporate some of the smaller hamlets which now form part of the outer districts. Oakhill was originally known as Grub Street, and developed south of Depot Road in the 19th century. In keeping with many other towns, new developments to the east of the town centre were rapid in
2450-419: A week while daily markets were common in larger cities. Over time, permanent shops began opening daily and gradually supplanted the periodic markets, while peddlers or itinerant sellers continued to fill in any gaps in distribution. The physical market was characterised by transactional exchange and bartering systems were commonplace. Shops had higher overhead costs, but were able to offer regular trading hours and
2548-517: A yellow roof sign and display a vehicle licence plate on the rear. Private Hire vehicles display a vehicle licence plate on the rear. The railway station is run by Southern , and is on the Arun Valley Line from Chichester to Crawley , Gatwick Airport and London Victoria . Trains on this line start from Bognor Regis and Portsmouth & Southsea or Southampton Central and divide or attach at Horsham. There are also services on
2646-885: Is 50 metres (160 ft) above sea level. It is in the centre of the Weald in the Low Weald, at the western edge of the High Weald , with the Surrey Hills of the North Downs to the north and the Sussex Downs of the South Downs National Park to the south. The River Arun rising from ghylls in the St Leonard's Forest area, to the east of Horsham, cuts through the south of the town then makes its way through Broadbridge Heath . The Arun
2744-487: Is a relatively recent development. Historically the markets were open-air, held in what is usually called (regardless of its actual shape) the market square or market place , sometimes centred on a market cross ( mercat cross in Scotland). They were and are typically open one or two days a week. In the modern era, the rise of permanent retail establishments reduced the need for periodic markets. The primary purpose of
2842-478: Is an example of this. A number of studies have pointed to the prevalence of the periodic market in medieval towns and rural areas due to the localised nature of the economy. The marketplace was the commonly accepted location for trade, social interaction, transfer of information and gossip. A broad range of retailers congregated in market towns – peddlers, retailers, hucksters, stallholders, merchants and other types of trader. Some were professional traders who occupied
2940-557: Is based just outside of Horsham, near Colgate . Tower Hill is a hamlet that lies one mile south from Horsham on a ridge of land containing a sandstone known as Horsham Stone rising above the town. A quarry existed here from 1830 to 1876. Tower Hill consists of housing dating from medieval to late 20th century. It has a public house called the Boar's Head, formerly the Fox and Hounds. The economic importance of quarrying Horsham Stone to Horsham in
3038-594: Is essential of late-Victorian construction, though preserving some aspects of the earlier buildings. It has been used as council offices and as a magistrates court and more recently housed the Horsham Registry Office on the upper floor. The ground floor was still used as an occasional market place until the Town Hall was closed to be let as a restaurant. Carfax contains the Town's Memorial to the dead of
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3136-681: Is home to the following well known independent schools: Market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages , a market right , which allowed it to host a regular market ; this distinguished it from a village or city . In Britain, small rural towns with a hinterland of villages are still commonly called market towns, as sometimes reflected in their names (e.g. Downham Market , Market Rasen , or Market Drayton ). Modern markets are often in special halls , but this
3234-664: Is joined by a number of streams flowing down from the north, which rises around Rusper . The middle The name Carfax is likely of Norman origin – a corruption of 'Quatre Voies' (four ways) or 'Carrefour', a place where four roads meet. The Carfax was formerly known as "Scarfoulkes", the derivation of which is uncertain. Two other places in England share the name: the Carfax in Oxford and the Carfax in Winchester. The town centre's south
3332-701: Is no single register of modern entitlements to hold markets and fairs, although historical charters up to 1516 are listed in the Gazetteer of Markets and Fairs in England and Wales . William Stow's 1722 Remarks on London includes "A List of all the Market Towns in England and Wales; with the Days of the Week whereon kept". Market houses were a common feature across the island of Ireland . These often arcaded buildings performed marketplace functions, frequently with
3430-566: Is now Broadbridge Heath dates to the Mesolithic period, in the form of flint implements found in the Wickhurst Green area. Later evidence of settlement in the parish includes several Iron Age roundhouses . The land now occupied by Broadbridge Heath was originally a detached portion of the parish of Sullington , part of a mediaeval system of transhumance whereby villagers from downland villages would drive their livestock into
3528-512: Is perpetuated through the law of Austria , the German state of Bavaria , and the Italian province of South Tyrol . Nevertheless, the title has no further legal significance, as it does not grant any privileges. In Hungarian, the word for market town "mezőváros" means literally "pasture town" and implies that it was unfortified town: they were architecturally distinguishable from other towns by
3626-620: Is reflected in the prefix Markt of the names of many towns in Austria and Germany , for example, Markt Berolzheim or Marktbergel . Other terms used for market towns were Flecken in northern Germany, or Freiheit and Wigbold in Westphalia . Market rights were designated as long ago as during the Carolingian Empire . Around 800, Charlemagne granted the title of a market town to Esslingen am Neckar . Conrad created
3724-578: Is the Causeway. This street consists of houses erected in the 17th, 18th, and early 19th century and is lined with ancient London Plane trees. The Horsham Museum is at the north end opposite to the recently developed former headquarters of the RSPCA . At the south end of the Causeway is the Church of England parish church of St. Mary: Norman in origin, rebuilt in the 13th century and restored in 1864–65 by
3822-402: Is the most notable building in the district. This hamlet dates back to the late 18th century, when a small number of houses were in existence, with an inn opening in the early part of the 19th century. A station opened in the area in 1907, originally called Rusper Road Crossing halt, but later renamed Littlehaven . South-west of the town, the Needles estate was laid out from c. 1955, with
3920-505: The A24 and the A264 roads . Bus services serving the village are operated by Arriva Southern Counties , Compass Travel, Metrobus and Sussex Coaches. The nearest railway station is at Christ's Hospital although Horsham has more frequent services. The nearest airport is London Gatwick . The poet Percy Bysshe Shelley , was born at Field Place, which stands about 1 mile (1.6 km) north of
4018-517: The Gothic revival architect S.S. Teulon . The area immediately to the south east of the parish church is known as Normandy. It was formerly an area of artisans cottages and an ancient well. A short walk along the banks of the Arun in a south-easterly direction is Chesworth Farm, an area of open public access. Swan Walk, a shopping centre which opened in 1976 and was enclosed with a glass roof in 1989 with
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4116-462: The Horsham district of West Sussex , England. It is about two miles (3 km) west from the historic centre of Horsham . The population of Broadbridge Heath has increased considerably in the first two decades of the twenty-first century because of large scale housing development (79% from 2013 to 2019 according to Office For National Statistics ). The earliest evidence of human activity in what
4214-479: The Low Weald to graze on acorns, grass and beech mast. A manor at Broadbridge was occupied by Roger Covert in the 1290s. The village began as a scattered group of houses around an unenclosed common before the 19th century, and by 1844 there were about twelve houses and an inn. Deposits of Horsham Stone have long been quarried in the area and in 2016 one working quarry existed to west of the village. In spite of
4312-451: The Sutton and Mole Valley lines which start from Horsham, and run to London Victoria via Dorking , Epsom and Sutton . Thameslink also serves the town with a service from Horsham to Peterborough via London Bridge . In 2012, work finished expanding and modernising the station. Other stations within or near the town are Littlehaven (previously named Littlehaven Halt), in the northeast of
4410-510: The Yiddish term shtetl . Miasteczkos had a special administrative status other than that of town or city. From the time of the Norman conquest, the right to award a charter was generally seen to be a royal prerogative. However, the granting of charters was not systematically recorded until 1199. Once a charter was granted, it gave local lords the right to take tolls and also afforded
4508-428: The koopman, which described a new, emergent class of trader who dealt in goods or credit on a large scale. Paintings of every day market scenes may have been an affectionate attempt to record familiar scenes and document a world that was in danger of being lost. Paintings and drawings of market towns and market scenes Bibliography Broadbridge Heath Broadbridge Heath is a village and civil parish in
4606-543: The parliamentary constituency of Horsham , re-created in 1983. Jeremy Quin had served as Conservative Member of Parliament for Horsham since 2015, succeeding Francis Maude , who held the seat from 1997 but retired at the 2015 general election. Quin was defeated in the 2024 election. John Milne is the town's current MP. Horsham was an ancient parish in the Hundred of Singlecross in the Rape of Bramber . The parish covered
4704-659: The "small seaport" and the "market town" were relegated to simple town status. Miasteczko ( lit. ' small town ' ) was a historical type of urban settlement similar to a market town in the former Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth . After the partitions of Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth at the end of the 18th-century, these settlements became widespread in the Austrian , German and Russian Empires. The vast majority of miasteczkos had significant or even predominant Jewish populations ; these are known in English under
4802-401: The 13th century, with taxation records of 1296 showing 18 liable people in the area. Kelley's Post Office Directory for 1867 describes 'Roughey' as consisting 'of a few farmhouses and cottages. Here is an iron church, capable of accommodating 80 persons'. Maps of the 1880s show Roffey Corner (still spelt Roughey), but appear to label the hamlet as Star Row, with Roffey in use again by the start of
4900-426: The 16th century. Pieter Aertsen was known as the "great painter of the market" Painters' interest in markets was due, at least in part, to the changing nature of the market system at that time. With the rise of the merchant guilds, the public began to distinguish between two types of merchant, the meerseniers which referred to local merchants including bakers, grocers, sellers of dairy products and stall-holders, and
4998-609: The 19th century has left a legacy of toponyms including Stone Pit Field, Stone Barn, Stonyhurst and Stone Pit Wood. An area of late 19th and early 20th centuries development on land west of the London Road at North Parade. It consists chiefly of semi-detached houses with corner shops, most of which have closed. Until the mid-20th century, it was known as "The Common", after a piece of common land that survived enclosure in Trafalgar Road for many years. Trafalgar forms one of
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#17327725008835096-431: The 20th century, the special rights granted to market towns mostly involved a greater autonomy in fiscal matters and control over town planning, schooling and social care. Unlike rural municipalities, the market towns were not considered part of the counties . The last town to be granted market rights was Ólafsvík in 1983 and from that point there were 24 market towns until a municipal reform in 1986 essentially abolished
5194-402: The 20th century. A railway station opened as Roffey Road Halt in 1907, closing in 1937. The station is shown in the location now known as Wimland Road. Roffey is a separate ecclesiastical parish with its own parish church — All Saints' Church on Crawley Road, designed in 1878 by Arthur Blomfield . It replaced a temporary building which was licensed for worship in 1856. Roffey Park Institute
5292-516: The European age of discovery, goods were imported from afar – calico cloth from India, porcelain, silk and tea from China, spices from India and South-East Asia and tobacco, sugar, rum and coffee from the New World. The importance of local markets began to decline in the mid-16th century. Permanent shops which provided more stable trading hours began to supplant the periodic market. In addition,
5390-679: The Headquarters for Bomb Disposal Units (UK), Royal Engineers moved to a site on Wickhurst Lane; in 1951 the School of Bomb Disposal , which had been based in Chatham since 1949, arrived on site so that it was co-located with the Headquarters. In 1959 it was renamed the Joint Service Bomb Disposal School. The Bomb Disposal School moved out to Lodge Hill in 1966 and a supermarket and leisure centre were built on
5488-485: The Market Square is a much-adapted building originally dating from c. 1648 when it was referred to as a 'Market House'. In 1721 a new construction of Portland stone was built containing a poultry and butter market. The building fell into disrepair and was substantially rebuilt around 1812. In 1888 it became the property of Horsham Urban District Council and was again largely rebuilt. The present building
5586-595: The addition of Springfield Court. Swan Walk takes its name from the Swan Inn that once stood where the pedestrian area now enters West Street, the old name being honoured by the bronze swan statues to the back of the centre and a mosaic in the middle. The shopping centre once enclosed the Capital Theatre which was built in the 1930s and was sandwiched between shops and a multi-storey car park from 1976 until its demolition in early 1983 when Marks & Spencer bought
5684-510: The area becomes Iron Bridge (named after the railway bridge). The area consists of mainly Victorian and Edwardian houses to the north of Brighton Road, whilst to the south, there are areas of inter- and post-war housing. This area is known as the East Side. Horsham Park, a remnant of the former Hurst Park Estate, is in the northern end of the centre. The park has football pitches, a wildlife pond and tennis courts. Leisure facilities, including
5782-549: The area. It also served to restrict Hanseatic League merchants from trading in areas other than those designated. Norway included a subordinate category to the market town, the "small seaport" ( Norwegian lossested or ladested ), which was a port or harbor with a monopoly to import and export goods and materials in both the port and a surrounding outlying district. Typically, these were locations for exporting timber, and importing grain and goods. Local farm goods and timber sales were all required to pass through merchants at either
5880-651: The building that is now a study centre in Hurst Road, Parkside and the whole of the St Mark's complex, and print and security centres in industrial estates sprinkled around Horsham, plus Tricourt House closer to the Carfax and now occupied by a housing association. West Sussex County Council has partially occupied parkside after Royal Sun Alliance vacated the building. Until 2015 the Swiss-based multinational pharmaceutical company Novartis , formerly Ciba-Geigy before
5978-500: The central part of the parish, containing the town, was made a local government district , governed by a local board. Such districts were reconstituted as urban districts under the Local Government Act 1894 . The 1894 Act also said that parishes could no longer straddle district boundaries, and so the part of Horsham parish outside the urban district became a separate parish called Horsham Rural. Horsham Urban District
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#17327725008836076-519: The concept. Many of the existing market towns would continue to be named kaupstaður even after the term lost any administrative meaning. In Norway , the medieval market town ( Norwegian : kjøpstad and kaupstad from the Old Norse kaupstaðr ) was a town which had been granted commerce privileges by the king or other authorities. The citizens in the town had a monopoly over the purchase and sale of wares, and operation of other businesses, both in
6174-488: The day when the community congregated in town to attend church. Some of the more ancient markets appear to have been held in churchyards. At the time of the Norman conquest, the majority of the population made their living through agriculture and livestock farming. Most lived on their farms, situated outside towns, and the town itself supported a relatively small population of permanent residents. Farmers and their families brought their surplus produce to informal markets held on
6272-464: The early Victorian era, and that area of the town became known, as it is today, as New Town. The area contains the Iron Bridge, a steel structure that carries the railway to the south of Horsham. North Heath was originally used as a label to describe the northern part of the Horsham ancient parish (compared to Southwater to describe that part south of the River Arun ), this area was developed as
6370-546: The early market towns have continued operations into recent times. For instance, Northampton market received its first charter in 1189 and markets are still held in the square to this day. The National Market Traders Federation , situated in Barnsley , South Yorkshire , has around 32,000 members and close links with market traders' federations throughout Europe. According to the UK National Archives , there
6468-468: The enclosure of the heath in the 1850s, there was little further development until the late 1880s when land along the main Horsham to Five Oaks Road was offered for sale and a number of semi-detached houses were built there over the next 13 years. After the Second World War , the pace of development increased and large new housing estates were built to the south of the village. In August 1950
6566-398: The era from which various parts of the city originate. Market towns were characterized as a transition between a village and a city, without a unified, definite city core. A high level of urban planning only marks an era starting from the 17th-18th centuries. This dating is partially related to the modernization and resettlement waves after the liberation of Ottoman Hungary . While Iceland
6664-417: The grounds of their church after worship. By the 13th century, however, a movement against Sunday markets gathered momentum, and the market gradually moved to a site in town's centre and was held on a weekday. By the 15th century, towns were legally prohibited from holding markets in church-yards. Archaeological evidence suggests that Colchester is England's oldest recorded market town, dating to at least
6762-413: The lack of town walls. Most market towns were chartered in the 14th and 15th centuries and typically developed around 13th-century villages that had preceded them. A boom in the raising of livestock may have been a trigger for the upsurge in the number of market towns during that period. Archaeological studies suggest that the ground plans of such market towns had multiple streets and could also emerge from
6860-404: The legal basis for defining a "town". For instance, Newport, Shropshire , is in the borough of Telford and Wrekin but is separate from Telford . In England, towns with such rights are usually distinguished with the additional status of borough . It is generally accepted that, in these cases, when a town was granted a market, it gained the additional autonomy conferred to separate towns. Many of
6958-519: The local town council . Failing that, the Crown can grant a licence. As the number of charters granted increased, competition between market towns also increased. In response to competitive pressures, towns invested in a reputation for quality produce, efficient market regulation and good amenities for visitors such as covered accommodation. By the thirteenth century, counties with important textile industries were investing in purpose built market halls for
7056-514: The main landowners, the Dukes of Norfolk , controlled the election of MPs. Dealing with such rotten boroughs was part of the motivation behind the Reform Act 1832 , which reduced Horsham's representation from two to one MPs and made elections less open to abuse. Following those reforms Horsham's borough corporation stopped functioning. Local government eventually returned to Horsham in 1875 when
7154-924: The main reason. Horsham lies at the junction of three main routes with the dual carriageway A24 running north to south route from London and Dorking to Worthing . The A264 links Horsham to Crawley and the M23 to the east by a modern dual carriageway and to the A29 to the west. The A281 runs between Guildford and Brighton . Bus services are provided by Metrobus , Stagecoach South , and Compass Travel to destinations such as Brighton , Crawley , Gatwick Airport , Dorking , Guildford , Worthing , Pulborough , Burgess Hill , Storrington and Haywards Heath . Taxis and Private Hire Taxi and private hire companies in Horsham are regulated by Horsham District Council . There are 2 types of licences Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Hackney Carriages are White in colour, have
7252-464: The market. If the travel time exceeded this standard, a new market town could be established in that locale. As a result of the limit, official market towns often petitioned the monarch to close down illegal markets in other towns. These distances are still law in England today. Other markets can be held, provided they are licensed by the holder of the Royal Charter, which tends currently to be
7350-513: The purchasing habits of the monks and other individuals in medieval England, suggests that consumers of the period were relatively discerning. Purchase decisions were based on purchase criteria such as consumers' perceptions of the range, quality, and price of goods. This informed decisions about where to make their purchases. As traditional market towns developed, they featured a wide main street or central market square . These provided room for people to set up stalls and booths on market days. Often
7448-487: The rise of a merchant class led to the import and exports of a broad range of goods, contributing to a reduced reliance on local produce. At the centre of this new global mercantile trade was Antwerp , which by the mid-16th century, was the largest market town in Europe. A good number of local histories of individual market towns can be found. However, more general histories of the rise of market-towns across Europe are much more difficult to locate. Clark points out that while
7546-433: The sale of cloth. Specific market towns cultivated a reputation for high quality local goods. For example, London's Blackwell Hall became a centre for cloth, Bristol became associated with a particular type of cloth known as Bristol red , Stroud was known for producing fine woollen cloth, the town of Worsted became synonymous with a type of yarn; Banbury and Essex were strongly associated with cheeses. A study on
7644-574: The same time. Initially, market towns most often grew up close to fortified places, such as castles or monasteries, not only to enjoy their protection, but also because large manorial households and monasteries generated demand for goods and services. Historians term these early market towns "prescriptive market towns" in that they may not have enjoyed any official sanction such as a charter, but were accorded market town status through custom and practice if they had been in existence prior to 1199. From an early stage, kings and administrators understood that
7742-574: The sample testing of markets by Edward I the "lawgiver" , who summoned the Model Parliament in 1295 to perambulate the boundaries of forest and town. Market towns grew up at centres of local activity and were an important feature of rural life and also became important centres of social life, as some place names suggest: Market Drayton , Market Harborough , Market Rasen , Market Deeping , Market Weighton , Chipping Norton , Chipping Ongar , and Chipping Sodbury – chipping
7840-527: The site to build their store that opened in 1984. A shopping area and public square, the Forum, opened in 2003 to the south of West Street. Fifty metres south is the River Arun . On the northern bank is Prewett's Mill, and on the south side is the town's cricket field. East Street joins the A281 and passes under a railway bridge (the line from London Victoria to Littlehampton ). The road becomes Queen Street and
7938-424: The south of Horsham. The main secondary schools in Horsham are: The College of Richard Collyer is the sixth form college serving Horsham. Founded in 1532, it is known more commonly as "Collyer's", and is situated on Hurst Road. As of July 2020, West Sussex County Council announced proposals to alter The Forest School from a single sex boys' school to a co-educational school from September 2021 entry. Horsham
8036-407: The south-east. It is the administrative centre of the Horsham district. There are two main tiers of local government covering Horsham, at district and county level: Horsham District Council and West Sussex County Council . Much of the built-up area of Horsham is an unparished area , but some of the suburbs are included in civil parishes , notably North Horsham . The town is the centre of
8134-466: The time of the Roman occupation of Britain's southern regions. Another ancient market town is Cirencester , which held a market in late Roman Britain. The term derived from markets and fairs first established in 13th century after the passage of Magna Carta , and the first laws towards a parlement . The Provisions of Oxford of 1258 were only possible because of the foundation of a town and university at
8232-428: The town and in the surrounding district. Norway developed market towns at a much later period than other parts of Europe. The reasons for this late development are complex but include the sparse population, lack of urbanisation, no real manufacturing industries and no cash economy. The first market town was created in 11th century Norway, to encourage businesses to concentrate around specific towns. King Olaf established
8330-403: The town and surrounding rural areas including Broadbridge Heath , Roffey and Southwater . The town was an ancient borough , being described as a borough from the thirteenth century and also electing members of parliament from 1295 onwards. By the eighteenth century the borough corporation had ceased to have much role in administering the town, instead serving primarily as the means by which
8428-747: The town erected a market cross in the centre of the town, to obtain God's blessing on the trade. Notable examples of market crosses in England are the Chichester Cross , Malmesbury Market Cross and Devizes, Wiltshire. Market towns often featured a market hall , as well, with administrative or civic quarters on the upper floor, above a covered trading area. Market towns with smaller status include Minchinhampton , Nailsworth , and Painswick near Stroud, Gloucestershire . A "market town" may or may not have rights concerning self-government that are usually
8526-570: The town in 1965 as Sun Alliance, becoming the town's biggest employer, at its peak, it employed 2,500 people, plus the specialised computer centre called Lennox Wood, sited in Southwater country park to which many of the original Horsham computer department staff were relocated. At its peak, the company occupied several smaller premises on the Carfax, Springfield House near St John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church,
8624-597: The town on the Arun Valley Line, and Christ's Hospital station serving the west of Horsham. Horsham is 20 km (12 mi) from Gatwick Airport and 65 km (40 mi) from Heathrow Airport . Cyclists, pedestrians, and horseriders can reach Guildford and Shoreham via the Downs Link , a long-distance bridleway and cycle route which follows the now disused Horsham-Guildford, and Horsham-Shoreham railway lines and passes through Southwater , just to
8722-408: The town some protection from rival markets. When a chartered market was granted for specific market days, a nearby rival market could not open on the same days. Across the boroughs of England, a network of chartered markets sprang up between the 12th and 16th centuries, giving consumers reasonable choice in the markets they preferred to patronise. Until about 1200, markets were often held on Sundays,
8820-541: The two world wars as well as a substantial well-used bandstand. The Parish Church of St. Mary the Virgin is the oldest building in Horsham, having been in continuous use for nearly eight centuries. It is located at the end of the Causeway in Normandy, the oldest existing part of Horsham. It has a ring of ten bells. The earthworks of the eleventh-century Horsham or Chennelsbrook Castle can be found near Chennells Brook. At
8918-539: The vacant land in the 1980s. The opening of the A264 Broadbridge Heath by-pass in the 1970s reduced traffic congestion in the village. In 2013-16 a development of 1,500 houses was constructed to the south of the Horsham by-pass, under the name Wickhurst Green. As part of this development, in March 2014, West Sussex County Council proposed a new 'Quadrant' area south of the village, that would include
9016-519: The wards of Horsham Hurst (electoral division) of the Horsham District Council . Horsham holds the UK record for the heaviest hailstone ever to fall. On 5 September 1958, a hailstone weighing 140g (4.9 oz) landed in the town. It was similar in size to a tennis ball and impact speeds have been calculated to be 100 m/s (224 mph). Horsham is a market town formerly trading in cattle, sheep, and corn. Its prosperity
9114-405: The west end of the town centre formerly stood a kinetic water sculpture called the ' Rising Universe ', colloquially known as 'The Shelley Fountain'. It was designed by Angela Conner , and erected to commemorate the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley who was born at Field Place in Broadbridge Heath, near Warnham , two miles west from Horsham centre. The fountain was designed to release a torrent of six and
9212-402: Was abolished in 1974, merging with surrounding districts to become the modern Horsham District, which covers a large rural area as well as the town itself. The Horsham Rural parish continued to exist until 1987 when it was divided into the parishes of Broadbridge Heath, North Horsham and Southwater, subject to some adjustments to the boundaries with neighbouring parishes at the same time. Horsham
9310-563: Was built on industries that included brewing, brickmaking, iron-smelting, and printing. Although some of these survive, with the exception of iron smelting, they are on a small scale and no longer employ large numbers of workers. In 2014 the important industries were financial services, pharmaceuticals, and technology. Horsham is a commuter town serving London, Gatwick Airport and the South East Coast. The town still has Saturday and Thursday markets on Carfax. Horsham's town centre has
9408-482: Was derived from a Saxon verb meaning "to buy". A major study carried out by the University of London found evidence for least 2,400 markets in English towns by 1516. The English system of charters established that a new market town could not be created within a certain travelling distance of an existing one. This limit was usually a day's worth of travelling (approximately 10 kilometres (6.2 mi)) to and from
9506-465: Was turned off again after that Christmas. In May 2008 the fountain was turned off again due to the failure of its main hydraulic cylinder. On 19 January 2009 the fountain was fenced off for repairs. It was reopened without the fountain functioning. The fountain was again repaired at the start of March 2011 at a cost of more than £30,000 and was removed altogether in June 2016 with cost of upkeep being cited as
9604-405: Was under Danish rule, Danish merchants held a monopoly on trade with Iceland until 1786. With the abolishment of the trading monopoly, six market town ( Icelandic kaupstaður ) were founded around the country. All of them, except for Reykjavík , would lose their market rights in 1836. New market towns would be designated by acts from Alþingi in the 19th and 20th century. In the latter half of
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