As suggested by its name, the seat is centred on the market town of Horsham, also a commuter town for Brighton and London. It is well served by excellent communication links: the M23 and Gatwick Airport are within easy reach.
During Tudor times it was the centre of the Sussex iron-smelting industry, and was condemned as "full of dirt and myre", but with the decline of industrialism has gone the potential for Labour support and only the lightest of industry is found today.
Horsham has a substantial number of office workers. Royal Sun Alliance is the town’s biggest employer, and the headquarters of the RSPCA are also sited here.
The surrounding area is full of the kind of rustic charm and beauty associated with Merrie England, with small villages, while the majestic 1476 ft railway viaduct at Balcombe is a prime example of how architecture and countryside can fully complement each other.
Warnham village, just outside Horsham, was the birthplace of the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley.