West Sussex has many period stately homes including Goodwood, Petworth House and Uppark and also castles such as Arundel Castle and Bramber Castle. Crawley is its largest town even though Chichester, with its fine cathedral, is the county town. There are large towns on the coast as well, including Worthing and Bognor Regis.

Crawley and the towns nearer London generally developed greatly during the 19th century when the railway arrived. Most often, these towns have some period properties but the majority of housing will have been built in the 20th century, particularly the 1920s to the 1950s, and often, much redevelopment will have taken place in the 1960s and 1970s. Newer developments either replace much older properties or are on the fringes of the towns' borders.

The seaside towns such as Worthing will have greatly expanded in the 19th century and the original Victorian detached houses, terrace houses and cottages will often still be standing. Development generally carried on steadily throughout the 20th century and into the 21st century.

You are more likely to find older period properties back to the medieval period in the smaller villages and hamlets, such as Hurstpierpoint, Lindfield, Pulborough and Storrington. New build developments tend to concentrate in the more urban areas.