What it's like to live in Pulborough

Across the Horsham council area, 72.3% of homes are owned outright or with a mortgage, 14.5% are privately rented and 11.5% are socially rented, below the England figure of 17.1%. Housing associations hold most of that social stock, at 10.2%, with council housing just 1.2%.

The biggest social landlord by far is Saxon Weald, with 4,799 homes, followed by Southern Housing with 1,176, Moat Homes with 457, Clarion with 436 and Hyde with 431. Average weekly social rents in 2024/25 were £115 for a one bed, £135 for two beds and £155 for three.

The age profile leans older: 22.8% of district residents are 65 or over, against 18.4% nationally, while 25 to 44s are under-represented. At 31 March 2025 there were 716 households on Horsham's housing register and 276 social homes were let through the council in 2024-25, which is why many tenants look at mutual exchange as a route in.

Pulborough sits in the Horsham district, where 17.7% of residents are under 16, just under the England figure of 18.6%. That tells you there are families here, though the area skews a little older than the national picture.

We do not hold details of the individual schools and nurseries serving Pulborough, so check the current options directly with West Sussex County Council before you commit. Village primaries can be small and popular, and secondary-age children in rural areas often travel, so ask about catchments, places and school transport as part of your planning.

What the countryside does offer families is space. Children growing up here get fields, footpaths and quiet lanes rather than a busy high street. Whether that suits yours depends on their age and how much ferrying about you can manage. Visiting with the children, on a normal weekday, is the best test.

Pulborough is a village, so getting around is different from town life. Distances to larger centres are real, and journeys need a little planning whichever way you travel.

We do not hold confirmed details of individual bus routes, train times or road numbers for Pulborough, and we would rather say so than guess. Before you agree a swap, check the local bus timetables yourself, look up the nearest railway station and its services, and work out how long your regular journeys would take. If you drive, test the run to Horsham and to the coast at different times of day. If you do not drive, that check matters even more.

On foot, a village of this size is usually walkable end to end, and the surrounding countryside is a genuine pleasure for anyone who likes being outdoors. Country lanes can be narrow and unlit, though, so sensible shoes and good lights are part of life here.

The honest answer is that Pulborough's appeal is the countryside around it. This is a rural part of West Sussex, with the South Downs to the south, and walking, cycling and simply being outside are the everyday pleasures.

We do not hold a confirmed list of Pulborough's pubs, cafes, sports clubs or community venues, so rather than invent any we would suggest a look round in person. Villages of this size usually have a handful of places to eat and drink and a village hall that carries much of the social life, and the noticeboards will tell you what is running.

For bigger nights out, cinemas, leisure centres and a wider choice of restaurants, Horsham town is the natural destination, and the Sussex coast is within reach for a day out. If you like your entertainment on the doorstep, be realistic: here you travel for it.

Employment figures below cover the wider Horsham council area, not Pulborough alone. They make good reading. Some 59.8% of adults are in work, above the England figure of 57.4%, and unemployment sits at 2.4% against 3.5% nationally. In September 2026, 2% of working-age residents were claiming unemployment-related benefits, half the England rate of 4%.

That suggests a steady local economy with work available for people who can travel to it. Horsham town is the district's main employment centre, and many residents of the district commute to larger towns and cities in the South East.

For a tenant moving here, the practical point is transport to work. Village life and a car-free commute do not always sit easily together, so check how you would reach your job, or the kind of job you want, before agreeing a swap. If you can work from home some days, Pulborough's quiet is a real asset.