West Sussex

West Sussex is an administrative area in southeast England that stretches from the English Channel to the chalk hills of the South Downs, connecting coastal plains with gently rolling inland countryside. The region includes several towns and villages linked by a network of country roads, with larger centers like Worthing and Horsham serving as transport hubs.

The region was a Saxon kingdom from 477 before becoming part of Wessex in the 9th century and maintaining its administrative structure through the Norman conquest. The medieval division into six areas influenced land use and settlement patterns well into modern times.

The name comes from the West Saxon settlers who arrived here after Roman times, and the county still preserves place names and traditions from that early period. Visitors notice the regular landscape patterns created by centuries of farming, with field paths and hedgerows that trace back to medieval land divisions.

The main towns lie along the coast and railway lines running south from London, with major roads providing connections between settlements. Visitors reach most attractions by car or regional train, with coastal locations often more accessible than rural areas.

Several place names here end in -ham or -ing, indicating very early Saxon foundations that often predate the 7th century. These names show how far the original settlers pushed inland, long before larger kingdoms formed.