History of Horsham - Timeline

Timeline

• c. 950 - Small Anglo-Saxon village.
• 1200 - Horsham first described as a borough.
• 1525 - Five brewers in Horsham.
• 1532 - First Horsham Grammar School founded.
• 1560 - Suffered Plague.
• 1574 - Suffered Plague.
• 1608 to 1609 - Suffered Plague.
• 1659 - Suffered small pox.
• 1673 - Horsham described as being ruled by two bailiffs and two MP's.
• 1735 - Last ever man to be pressed died in Horsham.
• 1755 - Horsham connected to London by road.
• 1791 - First bank in Horsham founded.
• 1796 - Barracks built to house 1,500 men.
• 1801 - Population of 1,539.
• 1804 - Travelling library at Collyers School.
• 1804 - Ammunition depot built.
• 1811 - Library Society founded and opened.
• 1812 - Town hall built by Duke of Norfolk.
• 1815 - Barracks shut and soldiers left. It was soon demolished.
• 1829 - Horsham Mechanics' Institution opened.
• 1830 - Book and Tract Society at the Unitarian Church.
• 1834 - Last man in England to be put to death for homosexuality in the country died in Horsham.
• From 1836 - Horsham was lit by gas.
• 1839 - A police force was founded in Horsham.
• 1840 - A fire brigade was founded in Horsham.
• 1844 - Horsham Library Society closed.
• 1844 - Last time ever in Britain a wife was sold. They were sold for 33 shillings in the town centre.
• 1847 - Literary and Scientific Institution established.
• 1848 - Horsham was connected by rail to Brighton.
• 1851 - Population of 6,000.
• 1852 - A cemetery was founded in Horsham for the first time.
• 1860 - Horsham Mechanics' Institution closed.
• 1866 - Corn exchange and water company formed in Horsham.
• 1875 - Local government board formed.
• 1892 - Horsham hospital opened.
• 1900 - Population of 10,000.
• 1902 - Christ's Hospital school moved to Horsham.
• 1902 - Electric street lighting placed in Horsham.
• 1910 - Horsham cinema opened.
• 1920 - War memorial built.
• 1925 - Town Hall library opened.
• 1928 - Carfax branch opened.
• 1929 - Horsham Museum opened.
• 1934 - St Mark's Church Hall.
• 1935 - Horsham swimming pool opened.
• 1936 - ABC cinema (now the Capital) is opened in North Street.
• 1939 - Unitarian Library closed.
• 1940 - Worst bombing raid in Horsham. Seven people died.
• 1945 - Unitarian Library books give to town library.
• 1957 - New Library building by the Black Jug.
• 1958 - Heaviest hailstone recorded in the UK falls
• 1963 - Stockland House tower block is opened and Pearl Insurance move in.
• 1970 - Work begins to clear away an old gas works between Springfield Road and London Road, along with a row of Victorian houses for the construction of Albion Way bypass.
• 1973 - The Swan Pub in West Street is demolished to make way for an entrance for Swan Walk Shopping Centre.
• 1974 - Construction begins on the new lower school for Tanbridge House School on Worthing Road.
• 1974 - Work begins on the construction of Swan Walk Shopping Centre and Multistory Car park.
• 1976 - Swan Walk Shopping opened.
• 1983 - Odeon Cinema with a rocket sculpture sign outside is demolished to make way for Sun Alliance offices called Stains Court that eventually opens in 1987.
• 1983 - The original Capital Cinema that was surrounded by Swan Walk Shopping Centre is demolished in February 1983 to make way for the new M&S store, the proceeds from the sale of the land goes towards the purchase of the ABC Cinema in North Street that was to be transformed into Horsham Arts Centre in 1984.
• 1986 - The new Tesco's building in Broadbridge Heath is opened along with the new sports centre beside it.
• 1987 - Tesco on Worthing Road closes the building is then converted into Mc Donalds, Argos and Fads, the old Tesco Carpark behind the building is then used as a council carpark.
• 1987 - The Construction of Broadbridge Heath flyover on the A24 is begun, this replaced the previous ground level roundabout.
• 1988 - St Marks Church is demolished in North Street to make way for the new Sun Alliance building that is built over Albion Way.
• 1988 - The building of a new St Marks Church on North Heath lane is started on fields north of horsham that is to be surrounded by new housing.
• 1988 - The construction of the A264 is begun and is completed in 1989.
• 1991 - The new Sun Alliance building is opened.
• 1991 - The old Pearl Insurance tower block, Stockland House in North Street that was built in 1963 is demolished to make way for the new Sun Alliance building (now WSCC HQ).
• 1992 - Horsham Carfax is partially closed to traffic and the bandstand is relocated along with the installation of new paving and gas fired street lamps.
• 1993 - The construction of the new Tanbridge House School is commenced on land beside the A24 next to the Broadbridge heath flyover.
• 1994 - The old Tanbridge House School is closed and the building is converted into flats and the playing fields become Tanbridge Park housing estate.
• 1994 - The old Tanbridge House School lower school (school years 7-9) that was built in 1975 is demolished and a new Sainsburys is built in its place.
• 1994 - The new Tanbridge House School is opened two weeks behind schedule in late Sept.
• 1994 - New Sun Alliance building is opened in the place of the demolished Stockland House.
• 1989 - Current library building opened.
• 1989 - Swan Walk Shopping Centre refurbished and enclosed under a glass roof along with an extension called Springfield Court.
• 1996 - Rising universe sculpture created (locally known as Shelley's Fountain).
• 1999 - Brewing industry ended in Horsham including the closure of the national chain of brewers, King and Barnes and their factory in Horsham.
• 2003 - Pavilions in the Park opened in Horsham.
• 2003 - The Forum opened by Queen Elizabeth II.
• 2003 - The Capitol Theatre and Arts Centre was opened by Queen Elizabeth II
• 2005 - Chesworth School is closed and Kingsley Primary school opens in its place.
• 2008 - Population of 55,657 recorded.
• 2009 - Finance ministers and central bankers of the G-20 met at South Lodge in Horsham on 14 March, for a meeting to prepare for the London summit of 2 April.

Major housng developments to the South-West and North-East of the town have been progressing in recent years.