Horsham

From Wiki Sussex

Horsham has grown up around the Carfax, which is the meeting place of five roads. Part of this has been closed to traffic in recent years. Two shopping centres, Piries Place and Swan Walk, are located close by to the Carfax. There are also two main shopping streets; East Street and the pedestrianised West Street. A new shopping area and public square, the Forum, has recently been completed to the south of West Street, off Blackhorse Way.

To the south of the Carfax is the Causeway. This tranquil, little altered street is lined with ancient houses, and leads to the Norman church of St Mary. Beyond the church is the River Arun and the town cricket field.

To the north of the Carfax is a large park, the remnant of what was formerly the Hurst Park Estate. The park has numerous football pitches, a wildlife pond and tennis courts. Various leisure facilities, including a modern swimming complex, have been built on land around the park.

At the west end of the town centre at Lynd Cross stands a large modern water sculpture known as the Rising Universe fountain, more commonly known locally as The Shelley Fountain. It was designed by Angela Connor, and erected to commemorate the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley who was born at Broadbridge Heath near Horsham. It carries a plaque bearing one of his poems. 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 November 13th 2006, its tenth birthday. The Shelley Fountain & the Water Features in the Forum were turned off again after Christmas.