Horley Things to Do

Although I had briefly visited London for a day during a 1974 return trip to Canada from Zambia, it was not until my 1979 visit to Horley that I actually had a chance to finally savour what it was like in England outside the 'big city'. This colour-challenged photo (it has travelled to too many hot climates itself) shows me admiring a typical scene in Horley during that first trip, on Hevers Avenue, not too far from where we were staying with Sue's parents.

I really enjoyed the pretty little flower gardens in front of each of the row houses - everything seemed much more orderly than in Canada. It was also strange to me to see how the houses butted up against each other as opposed to the more widely-spaced conditions that I was familiar with. The variety of English architecture, and the beautiful countryside, never fails to impress me as we take our various driving routes through this amazing country.

The first documentation of Horley was in 1371 as a result of an iron works. However, it blossomed into a town in 1841 when the railroad arrived - we used to take the train into London from here on our earlier visits. The original town centre was based on the ancient St. Bartholomew's Anglican Church, which happens to be located beside our favourite pub - Ye Olde Six Bells (see my 'Restaurant' tips for details on that!).