Can anyone tell me about Horsham?

[TheJoyofCocodamol]

We're a family of four living in London and want to get a bit more space and settle somewhere closer to green space. DC are primary age. We considered Dorking but whilst it seems lovely there didn't seem to be much going on sports, clubs, activities wise, especially for kids. We've now got our eye on Horsham but it's a bit further south meaning more of a commute to central London for one of us. Horsham a good idea or not?

We like Horsham and are thinking of moving there.

Property seems a bit cheaper than where we are in South London but it would be more of a commute - if we ever get back to commuting.

Horsham is lovely. If we didn't have so many ties to our current home area I would move to Horsham in a heartbeat.

Town centre is really good, great for shopping with both usual high street names and smaller independent shops and plenty of good restaurants and bars. Horsham Park and the Pavilions leisure centre are great if you have primary age children. Not too clued up on the local schools but have heard positive things from family who live there. There's also a good range of housing stock from Victorian terraces and semis up to 4/5 beds with good size plots.

It is quite pricey and I think house prices have gone up quite a lot in the last 4-5 years. There's a lot of houses being built which is putting some pressure on local resources and traffic.

It's well served by roads with the A24 and M23 close by, but the trains into London aren't great, although they are direct, it's about an hour if you can get one of the "fast" ones.

Avoid Roffey and Needles.

DH has just got a job in Horsham and we are thinking of moving there from S London. It looks lovely but is deffo on the pricey side.

Good to know the dodgier areas!

Is that for daily or almost daily commute? It is quite far but we do have family there and they’re very happy (don’t work in London, though).

Have you looked at Reigate or Oxted? They’re more commutable. Reigate is a bit cooler with lots of family amenities. Oxted has a more chilled out feel but it there’s a leisure complex in the town centre etc.

We moved to Horsham a couple of years ago and no regrets - it's lovely!

We moved to Horsham 3 years ago for the excellent schools and absolutely love it here. There’s so much going on for families. Themed events in the town centre, mini festivals etc. The south coast is only 30 minutes away and the South Downs are stunning.

Horsham has a faster train to London than dorking. But am baffled by your comment re dorking. It has an amazing Rugby club, football
Club, cricket, swimming, tennis, golf etc. Great park and you are right next to the Surrey hills for mountain biking, walks etc. Plus on the road to reigate we even have our own lake which you can swim and paddle board in with Surrey hills adventure Club. It's as far as lacking in stuff for kids to do as is possible to imagine.

Horsham is a long way out for a daily commute, if you ever go back to that.
It's a nice area though.

My parents and sister live there so it's my "home base" whenever I'm in the UK.

I love it, honestly - it's beautifully situated and my kids love the fields and lambs. I'm sure if we were to ever move back to the uk we'd end up there too.

The fact that the train goes direct into London Bridge and by default Borough Market, almost makes up for the fact that it's an hour long journey!

Horsham is lovely but no more activities than Dorking.

@unchienandalusia what schools would you suggest primary and secondary that are excellent? I am thinking to relocate from London and Harsh am is in the list since I work in Victoria..

did you ended up moving there?@TheJoyofCocodamol

@Crimp1982 you will find that there are no bad schools in Horsham, especially at Primary level, it will however be very much catchment related for some of them, with a few being over-subscribed. When it comes to secondary that will be very much which one has space if doing an in year transfer. If applying for year 7 then it will be catchment related. E.g. if you live on the east side of town then your catchment is Tanbridge House School (mixed), north Horsham then most likely the new Bohunt School (mixed), and if on the east side then either Millais (girls) or Forest (mixed). This September families who lived at the south end of Southwater had problems getting into Tanbridge especially with some originally allocated a school in Burgess Hill, as far as I'm aware though they did get in on appeal as I suspect an extra class had to be fitted in. For 6th form it is The College of Richard Collyer in Horsham, which has a good reputation especially for A Levels. If wanting more trades type training then Crawley College, plus there is also The Weald School and 6th Form in Billingshurst, both of which are easily accessible by train.
With primary also consider where has wrap around care if needed as not all the schools have it, are full with it, or there is no childminders available with spaces for that school. I am happy to chat more if you want, I am a childminder in the town and have lived here for 40+ years.

@Crimp1982

Agree with @badgerhead . No real bad schools in Horsham, but it is VERY catchment based (primary schools in particular).

W Sussex make it very clear that your assigned catchment really should be in your choices for primary, as it's the most likely destination.

I can really only speak knowledgeably on W Horsham, but Arunside (primary) and Tanbridge House (secondary) are both very good. For Arunside, you really need to be in catchment, though, as it's an increasingly popular choice. Trafalgar (infants only) also have a decent reputation,though I don't know enough about the linked junior school to comment.

Elsewhere, Heron Way is always popular, as is Kingslea. Holbrook and Littlehaven seem to get good reviews. There is also a new Bohunt primary opening in Sept.

We moved (back) here to be closer to a lot of our family, and don't regret it.
There is a lot going on, the air is fresh, lots of opportunities for our 4 year old etc. You're not far from the coast, but also have most things you need. London is an hour away, and Brighton isn't far either.

It can be a bit of a culture shock at first for those who have become used to London living (things like shops in the town centre aren't open late, and some are closed on Sundays; and a car is def needed to get to some places) but people are friendly, and there is always something happening locally (either Horsham or the surrounding areas). The area has definitely become more diverse in the past decade (a definite positive) and the has been a conscious effort to ensure the town centre remains vibrant (lots of new eateries and developments like Piries place).

The commute is a bit of a pain, though, if it's regular, and is expensive.