West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering East Sussex (with Brighton and Hove) to the east, Hampshire to the west and Surrey to the north, and to the south the English Channel. Chichester in the southwest is the county town and only city in West Sussex, with the largest towns being Crawley, Worthing and Horsham.
West Sussex has a range of scenery, including wealden, downland and coastal. The highest point of the county is Blackdown, at 280 metres (919 ft). It has a number of stately homes including Goodwood, Petworth House and Uppark and also castles such as Arundel Castle and Bramber Castle. Over half the county is protected countryside, offering walking, cycling and other recreational opportunities.
Although the name Sussex, derived from the Old English 'Sūþsēaxe' ('South Saxons'), is from the Saxon period between AD 477 to 1066, the history of human habitation in Sussex goes back to the Old Stone Age. The oldest hominin remains known in Britain were found at Eartham Pit, Boxgrove. Sussex has been occupied since those times and has succumbed to various invasions and migrations throughout its long history.
West Sussex (formally the Western division of Sussex) was a parliamentary constituency in the county of Sussex, which returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the bloc vote system.
It was created under the Great Reform Act for the 1832 general election, and abolished for the 1885 general election.
Coordinates: 50°54′11″N 0°24′23″W / 50.90298°N 0.40634°W / 50.90298; -0.40634Washington is a village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It is located five miles (8 km) west of Steyning and three miles (4.8 km) east of Storrington on the A24 between Horsham and Worthing. The parish covers an area of 1,276 hectares (3,150 acres). In the 2001 census 1,930 people lived in 703 households, of whom 820 were economically active.
The village lies at the foot of the South Downs escarpment. The Anglican parish church is dedicated to St Mary. There is one pub, the Frankland Arms, a primary school and a village hall with an adjoining sports field. The hamlet named Rock lies to the north of the A283 road.
Chanctonbury Ring, a hill fort based ring of trees atop Chanctonbury Hill on the South Downs, lies on the border of the parish and the neighbouring parish of Wiston. Chanctonbury Hill is a Site of Special Scientific Interest as an uncommon woodland type on a chalk escarpment, providing habitat for many species including the protected Great Crested Newt.