Your Town

Midhurst is a vibrant market town steeped in history. Set in an area of outstanding natural beauty the town is surrounded by quintessentially English villages, privately-owned country estates, open heath and common land, and a wonderful stretch of the Sussex South Downs.

Midhurst itself dates back to medieval times and exhibits architectural features from throughout the ages. Today, the town is home to a thriving population and serves a number of rural communities.

A gentle walk around the town takes in some of its most notable features including the fortified Norman castle on St Ann's Hill , the core around which Midhurst developed. The foundations of the original castle, built in 1102 but abandoned by 1317, have been excavated to reveal the outline of the buildings.

It was replaced by Cowdray House built in the early 16^th century by Sir David Owen. In the late eighteenth century, Cowdray Park was landscaped by Capability Brown.

Cowdray House was destroyed by fire in 1793 leaving the ruins we see today which have been immortalised in the paintings of JMW Turner. Cowdray has been the subject of a major conservation project and opened to the public in spring 2007.

The Parish Church of St Mary Magdalene and St Denys was once the only permanent building within Midhurst's Old Market Square; now the heart of the town and lined with residential and commercial properties.

The Old Town Hall, an early 19^th century building on the South side of the square, is now an attractive coffee shop. In an alcove beneath the steps on the outside of the building you can still see the town Stocks and Pillory, last used in 1859.

The Old Market Hall, a 16^th century timber and brick building which stands in the middle of the road, once housed the original grammar school, founded in 1672. The school later moved to its current site, where HG Wells was among its best known former scholars.

The easy pace of life, rural culture and strong sense of the past make it easy to forget that Midhurst is less than 50 miles from London and within 30 minutes' drive of the historic naval city of Portsmouth. The combination of accessibility with the feeling of complete escape make Midhurst the ideal choice for a short break. To find out more about the town please visit the Midhurst Tourism Partnership website or contact the Town Council.

We would like to thank the Midhurst Tourism Partnership for their help in preparing this page.