A great park to visit
Horsham Park Map
Horsham Park is situated in the middle of town and extremely close to the railway station. With 60 acres of open grassland, mown parkland and a pond, the park also boasts of about 2500 trees which are a mixture of native and exotic species – including some impressive heritage trees.
There is something for everyone here and we have provided some helpful links on this page to help you explore, especially if you are new to the area. We were given special permission to create a one-off video taken using a drone taken early one summer morning – watch the video above to give you a sense of how much there is to do in the Park.
Why not try a Virtual Day Trip to Horsham Park? Click the link to find out more!
If you are a club using Horsham Park and are not listed here please contact [email protected] so that we can provide a link to your activities.
Getting here
There is easy pedestrian access from the train station and by bus. Further, four perimeter car parks and plenty of parking at Swan Walk town centre car park offers a short walking distance from the park via a subway.
For children
There are some fantastic facilities for children – and of course many of them free. What do you fancy doing?
- Hang, swing and climb in the extensive playground
- Show off your tricks at the skatepark
- Get lost in the maze and find St Leonard’s dragon at the centre
- Visit the ducks at the pond
- Explore our link to plants in the Human Nature Garden
- Follow the family tree trail – download it Here or get a free copy at Horsham Museum and Art Gallery
- Complete the A-Z wildlife search – download it Here
- Find ‘Stickman’ at Poets’ Corner and other poems written by children
- Swim and enjoy soft play at Pavilions in the Park (admission fee)
- Climb and challenge your head for heights at High Places climbing centre (admission fee)
- Enjoy the free entertainment shows at the Podium during the summer holidays
- Play tennis (pay-to-use) Park Tennis
- Kick or bounce a ball at the ball court (free to use)
- Play table tennis by the cafe (bring your own racket and balls)
- Go roller skating at The Rec (admission fee) The Rec
If you live nearby, there are some clubs for children operating in the park:
- North Horsham Soccer Academy NSSAHorsham
- Wildcats football for girls Wildcats
- Tennis coaching for kids Tennisforkids
- Junior parkrun on Sunday at 9.00 Junior parkrun
Sport facilities, clubs and bootcamps
The park offers many ways to keep fit.
- Use the two outside gym pods
- Walk or jog around the 1840m perimeter path
- Skate, BMX or scoot at the skatepark
- Play football
- Play table tennis by the cafe (bring your own racket and balls)
- Play tennis Park Tennis
- Learn or improve your tennis with coaching Hawkicoaching
- Play basketball or football in the winter on the multi-sports court
- Join an exercise class, the gym or swim at Pavilions in the Park Pavilions
- Get fit gardening with the Wednesday morning volunteers – see our Get Involved page
- Join the lawn bowls club Parkbowlsclub
- Go roller skating at The Rec
- Run with others at the Parkrun on Saturday at 9.00 Parkrun, note during winter months this transfers to Southwater Country Park
- Join the Boxing club Boxingclub
- Get fit with Friendly Fitness
Quiet spaces to escape from it all
Mental well being is as important as physical fitness . Get your nature therapy from walking in the park or enjoy contemplative spaces:
- The sensory garden in front of Park House has quiet seating areas
- The Human Nature Garden is a dog free area with attractive planting
- Poets’ Corner is a quiet seating area for small groups and the nature poems may inspire you
Connect with nature
- The park is home to some wonderful trees. Download the Tree bark discovery trail, the Redwood Tree Trail, the family-friendly Horsham Park tree trail
- Download our A-Z Wildlife Search
- For a 1997 guide on the trees in Horsham park published by the Horsham Society but no longer in print download a copy: Horsham Society Trees Horsham Park. There will have been some changes but many of the trees are decades or hundreds of years old, so it is a starting point for tree lovers who want to know more about the trees in the park.
- Visit the Human Nature Garden – the planting explores our link with plants for food, medicine and clothing
- Visit the pond
For dog walkers
Dogs are welcome in the majority of the park except for the following dog-free areas: Human Nature Garden, Gated Pond Area, Children’s Play Area, Tennis Courts and Bowling Green. Water for your dog is available at the cafe and at the water bottle filling station
We ask all dog owners to consider the 4 Cs
- Control – Always ensure your dog is in sight and comes back when called. If you are not totally confident of your dog’s recall, use a lead
- Care for wildlife– Never let your dog approach or chase wildlife in the park.
- Consider Others – Never let your pet approach other park users or dogs uninvited. Not everyone is comfortable around dogs
- Clean Up – Always bag and bin your dog’s waste.
Entertainment
- Check our Events page for events taking place in the park Events
- Take advantage of free summer concerts on Sunday afternoon at the Podium
Art in the park
- Visit Poets’ Corner to read poems by local famous writers and the winners of a poetry writing competition
- Create your own sculpture trail by finding the following sculptures in the park
- 1991 Sungod (sundial) by John Skelton in Park House sensory garden. The numbers are inscribed on stone blocks that are set onto the base. Notice the motto inscribed on the face of these stone blocks: Horas non numero nisi serenas which means ‘I only count the hours that are happy’.
- 2000 St. Leonard’s Dragon in bronze by Hannah Stewart in the Millennium Maze
- 2003 Waterforms by Claire Morris sited by the pond
- 2012 The Light Tree by Steve Geliot sited at the Jubilee entrance to the park
- There are also wooden sculptures in the Human Nature Garden, in the children’s play area and in the central copse.
Refreshments
Pack a picnic or take advantage of the various outlets for drinks and food:
- Water bottle filling station (on the path between tennis courts and Human Nature Garden)
- Kaya: The Cafe in the Park serves teas, coffees, lunches
- Pavilions in the Park has a cafe
- The Rec has a cafe
- Horsham town centre has plenty of cafes, restaurants and pubs
Barbecues are permitted in the park, but please ensure your barbecue is not placed directly on the grass, to avoid scorching, and that all food and other rubbish is cleared away afterwards.
Toilets
There are toilets at the Pavilions. Nearby Swan Walk also has toilets including those with disabled access.