East Grinstead

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East Grinstead (archaically spelt Grimstead[link]) is a town and civil parish in the northeastern corner of West Sussex in England near the East Sussex, Surrey, and Kent borders. The large civil parish covers an area of 2443.45ha and had a population of 23,942 persons (2001 census).

It is located on the Greenwich Meridian. The Weald and Ashdown Forest lie to the south of the town.

Contents

1 Town History
2 Religious Links
3 Transport

3.1 Road
3.2 Rail

4 Twin towns
5 Famous Residents Past and Present
6 East Grinstead's Claims to Fame
7 East Grinstead Sports and Social Clubs
8 External links

Town History

The High Street contains the longest continuous run of 14th-century timber-framed buildings in England.

Other notable buildings in the town include Sackville College, the sandstone almshouse built in 1609 where the Christmas carol "Good King Wenceslas" was written.

On the outskirts of the town is Standen, a country house containing one of the best collections of Arts and Crafts movement furnishings and fabrics.

Local attractions include Ashdown Forest (where the Winnie the Pooh stories are set) and the Bluebell Railway, a preserved heritage line with steam locomotives.

The town is also the site of Queen Victoria Hospital, where famed plastic surgeon Archibald McIndoe treated burn victims of World War II and formed the Guinea Pig Club.

Religious Links

A number of important religious sites are located in East Grinstead.

L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology, lived at Saint Hill, to the south of the town, and the manor is the British headquarters of the Church of Scientology.
To the north of the town is the Mormon London England Temple.
Opus Dei and the Rosicrucians both own property in the town.

The strange co-incidence of such a number of religious organisations being headquartered in the town prompted a documentary in 1994, Why East Grinstead?, which was produced for Channel 4 by Zed Productions and directed by Ian Sellar. The documentary didn't come to any definite conclusions: the explanations ranging from the fact that East Grinstead sat on the convergence of ley lines to the more prosaic idea that the various reglious inquirers had settled there because they liked the views.

One of the most impressive buildings in the town is St. Swithun's church which has been on its present site since the 11th century. The building was struck by lightning in 1772 and rebuilt to designs by Wyatt. It was opened in 1789. There are also three other Anglican churches (St Barnabas, St Luke and St Mary); West Street Baptist chapel; Our Lady and St Peter Roman Catholic church; Trinity Methodist church; and a United Reformed Church in the town.

Transport

Road

The town is within commuting distance of London by road (the A22 and A264 roads pass through it)

Rail

Dr Richard Beeching

It has been a rail terminus, since the 1960's after the lines to Lewes, Three Bridges and Forest Row were closed following Dr. Beeching's report into the future of British Railways. In the late 1970's the town's inner relief road was built on the line of one of the closed railways and named Beeching Way, after the author of the report that closed so many railways and happened to live in the town.

A part of the Lewes line will soon be reinstated by the Bluebell Railway, the first preserved standard gauge railway in the world, with its line of steam locomotives. Work has now actively started on the final push to the north towards East Grinstead where the line will once again join to the national rail network. A New Station is to be built just south of the main-line Station.

Twin towns

The town is twinned with the towns of:

Bourg-de-Péage,
Sant Feliu De Guíxols,
Mindelheim,
Schwaz,
Verbania.

The village of West Grinstead is located some 25 km to the southwest.

Famous Residents Past and Present

Houses and shops in East Grinstead

Louise Redknapp
Right Said Fred
L. Ron Hubbard
Jane Leeves
Andrew Sullivan
Neil Gaiman
Dr. Richard Beeching
John Mason Neale
Sir Archibald McIndoe
Sir Patrick Moore [lived at Glencathara, Worsted Lane from 1929-1965]

East Grinstead's Claims to Fame

East Grinstead is the destination of the adulterous lovers Norman and Annie in Alan Ayckbourn's trilogy of plays entitled The Norman Conquests. It was chosen because of the dubious impression that no reasonable person would consider vacationing there and therefore they would not be discovered. In the 1978 film version of the trilogy, Norman and Annie were portrayed by Tom Conti and Penelope Wilton.

East Grinstead also features in Christopher Fowler's novel, Psychoville (1996), in which the town features as harbouring the fictional Invicta Cross, as well as the eventual New Invicta.

East Grinstead Sports and Social Clubs

East Grinstead is well served by local sports clubs and has a King George's Field in memorial to King George V. The clubs include the:

[East Grinstead Lacrosse Club] was formed in 2004 making it the only lacrosse club in Sussex. During EGLCs 1st competitive season they have come 2nd in the South of England East Division and won the South of England minor flags (cup) competition. EGLC are expanding rapidly and will be entering 2 men’s teams into the league next season and have a growing women’s section. A youth section is planned for the future.
East Grinstead Ex-servicemen and Women's Club. (C&IU)Affiliate.
East Grinstead Athletics Club,
East Grinstead Wasps football club,
East Grinstead Hockey Club who now compete in the Premier 1 Division of the National League.

External links

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