East Grinstead
East Grinstead shown within West Sussex
Population	29,000
OS grid reference	TQ395385
Parish	East Grinstead
District	Mid Sussex
Shire county	West Sussex
Region	South East
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	EAST GRINSTEAD
Postcode district	RH19
Dialling code	01342
Police	Sussex
Fire	West Sussex
Ambulance	South East Coast
European Parliament	South East England
UK Parliament	Mid Sussex
List of places: UK • England • West Sussex

Coordinates: 51°07′44″N 0°00′25″W / 51.129, -0.007

East Grinstead (archaically spelt Grimstead^[1]) is a town and civil parish in the northeastern corner of Mid Sussex, West Sussex in England near the East Sussex, Surrey, and Kent borders. Settlements Most settlements in West Sussex are either along the south coast or are situated in the M23 corridor In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using Latitude and Longitude A civil parish in the United Kingdom is a unit of local government. The districts of England are a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government Civil parishes Within the District are the following civil parishes Albourne Ardingly Ashurst Wood Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties are one of the four levels of Subdivisions of England used for the purposes of Local government outside Greater London Settlements Most settlements in West Sussex are either along the south coast or are situated in the M23 corridor The region, also known as the government office region, is currently the highest tier of local government sub-national entity of England, with only one South East England is one of the nine official Regions of England. Constituent country is a phrase used often by official institutions in contexts in which a country makes up a part of a larger entity or grouping England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland This list of sovereign states, alphabetically arranged gives an overview of States around the world with information on the extent of their Sovereignty. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located A post town is a required part of all postal addresses in the United Kingdom, and a basic unit of the postal delivery system UK Postal codes are known as postcodes. UK postcodes are Alphanumeric. The, also known as the Redhill postcode area, is a group of twenty postal districts in Surrey and Sussex, which are subdivisions of eight Post towns The UK Telephone numbering plan, also known as the National Telephone Numbering Plan, is the system used for assigning Telephone numbers in the United There are a number of law enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom. Sussex Police is the Home Office police force responsible for policing East Sussex, West Sussex and City of Brighton and Hove in southern The fire service in the United Kingdom operates under separate legislative and administrative arrangements in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and The West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service is statutory fire and rescue service for the county of West Sussex, England. The South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb is the NHS Ambulance Services Trust for south-eastern England, covering Kent (including Medway South East England is a Constituency of the European Parliament. This is a list of the 646 constituencies currently represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, as at the 2005 general election Mid Sussex is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. A Gazetteer of place names in the United Kingdom showing each place's County, Unitary authority or council area and its geographical coordinates List of places --> List of cities in the United Kingdom List of towns in England Lists of places This is a list of cities, Towns and Villages in the ceremonial county of West Sussex, England. A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. A civil parish in the United Kingdom is a unit of local government. Civil parishes Within the District are the following civil parishes Albourne Ardingly Ashurst Wood Settlements Most settlements in West Sussex are either along the south coast or are situated in the M23 corridor England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. KENT (1400 AM) is a Radio station broadcasting a Adult Standards/MOR format In fact until 1974 East Grinstead was in the county of East Sussex but was moved, along with Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill during a boundary re-organisation. 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 Prime Meridian is the meridian (line of Longitude) at which longitude is defined to be 0° The Weald and Ashdown Forest lie to the south of the town. The Weald (wɪəld is the name given to a physiographic area in south-east England situated between the parallel Chalk Escarpments of the North Ashdown Forest is in the county of East Sussex, in South East England is an open area of of heathland together with pine birch and oak woodland in the High

Places of Interest

East Grinstead High Street

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 by John Mason Neale. Sackville College is a Jacobean Almshouse in town of East Grinstead, West Sussex, England Sandstone is a Sedimentary rock composed mainly of Sand -size Mineral or rock grains. Almshouses are charitable Housing provided to enable people (typically elderly people who can no longer work to earn enough to pay A Christmas carol (also called a Noël) is a carol ( Song or Hymn) whose lyrics are on the theme of Christmas, or the winter " Good King Wenceslas " is a popular Christmas carol about a king who goes out to give Alms to a poor Peasant on the Feast of Stephen John Mason Neale ( January 24, 1818 - August 6, 1866) was an English divine scholar and hymn-writer On the A264 to Tunbridge Wells, there is a historic house called Hammerwood Park. Hammerwood Park is a Country house near East Grinstead, Sussex, England at and Grade 1 listed of historical interest 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. Standen is an Arts and Crafts house located near East Grinstead, West Sussex, England. The English country house is generally accepted as a large House or Mansion, once in the ownership of an individual who also usually owned another Great The Arts and Crafts Movement was a British, Canadian, and American Aesthetic movement occurring in the last years of the 19th century and the East Grinstead House is the headquarters of the (UK and Ireland) Caravan Club. The Caravan Club is an organisation representing caravanners in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.

Local attractions include Ashdown Forest (where the Winnie-the-Pooh stories are set) and the Bluebell Railway, a preserved heritage line with steam locomotives. Ashdown Forest is in the county of East Sussex, in South East England is an open area of of heathland together with pine birch and oak woodland in the High Winnie-the-Pooh, commonly shortened to Pooh Bear and once referred to as Edward Bear, is a fictional Bear created by A The Bluebell Railway is a heritage line running for nine miles along the border between East Sussex and West Sussex, England. The town is also the site of Queen Victoria Hospital, where famed plastic surgeon Archibald McIndoe treated burns victims of World War II and formed the Guinea Pig Club. For the former Queen Victoria Hospital in Melbourne Victoria, now partly demolished and converted into a women's centre see Queen Victoria Hospital Melbourne Plastic surgery is a medical specialty interested in the correction of form and function Dr Sir Archibald McIndoe CBE FRCS ( May 4, 1900 - April 11, 1960) was a pioneering English plastic surgeon who World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The Guinea Pig Club was formed of patients of Archibald McIndoe at Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead, Sussex who underwent reconstructive

During the Second World War, the town was a secondary target for German bombers who failed to make their primary target in London. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. During the evening of July 9, 1943, a Luftwaffe bomber became separated from his squadron, and made an attack on the town. Events 455 - Roman military commander Avitus is proclaimed Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. ( German 'luftvafe is a generic German term for an Air force. One of his bombs fell on the Whitehall Cinema in the High Street. 108 people were killed, including many children who were watching the matinee. This was the largest loss of life of any single air raid in Sussex. Strategic bombing is a Military strategy used in a Total war with the goal of defeating an enemy nation-state by destroying its economic ability to wage war rather Sussex is a historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex.

In 2006, the East Grinstead Town Museum was moved to new custom built premises located in the historic centre of the town, and successfully re-opened to the public. Chequer Mead Arts Centre includes a modern 349-seat purpose-built theatre, which stages professional and amateur plays and music (local rock groups to chamber music orchestras), opera, ballet, folk music, tribute bands, and talks. A musical ensemble is a group of two or more Musicians who perform instrumental or vocal Music. Chamber music is a form of Classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber Opera is an art form in which Singers and Musicians perform a Dramatic work (called an opera which combines a text (called a Libretto Ballet is a formalized form of Dance with its origins in the French court further developed in France and Russia as a Concert dance Folk music can have a number of different meanings including Traditional music: The original meaning of the term "folk music" was synonymous A tribute act is a Music group, Singer, or Musician who specifically plays the music of a well-known music act often one which has disbanded or ceased The centre has a large art gallery for temporary exhibitions. An art gallery or art museum is a space for the exhibition of art, usually Visual art.

Religious Institutions

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

• To the north of the town is the Mormon London England Temple. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the fourth largest Christian denomination in the United States and the largest and most well-known The London England Temple (formerly the London Temple) is the 12th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
• Opus Dei and the Rosicrucians both own property in the town. Opus Dei, formally known as The Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei, is a part of the Roman Catholic Church that teaches the Catholic belief that everyone The term Rosicrucian (symbol the Rose Cross) describes a secret society of mystics allegedly formed in late mediaeval Germany, holding a doctrine "built on
• Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses
• The UK headquarters of the Church of Scientology are at Saint Hill Manor. Kingdom Hall is the term for the meeting place for Jehovah's Witnesses. Jehovah's Witnesses is a restorationist, millenialist Christian denomination The Church of Scientology is the largest organization devoted to the practice and the promotion of the Scientology belief system. Saint Hill Manor is a Country house at Saint Hill Green near East Grinstead, West Sussex, England that serves as the location of the

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. Channel 4 is a public-service Television and Radio broadcaster in the United Kingdom centred around a television channel of the same name which began 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 religious 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. St Swithun's is a church in East Grinstead, West Sussex England Near the entrance to the church, three stones mark the supposed ashes of Anne Tree, Thomas Dunngate and John Forman who were burned as martyrs on the 18th of July 1556 because they would not renounce the Protestant faith. The term martyr ( Greek μάρτυς martys "witness" is most commonly used today to describe an individual who sacrifices their life (or personal freedom Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation.

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; New Life Church (a New Frontiers evangelical charismatic church) and a United Reformed Church in the town. Anglicanism is a tradition of Christian faith Churches in this tradition either have historical connections to the Church of England or have similar beliefs Saint Barnabas (1st century born Joseph was an early Christian convert one of the earliest disciples in Jerusalem. Luke the Evangelist ( Hebrew: לוּקָֻא Greek: Loukás) was an early Christian leader who is said by tradition to be the author of Baptist is a term describing individuals belonging to a Baptist church or a Baptist denomination. Methodism is a movement within Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations New Frontiers redirects here New Frontiers program is a NASA space program to explore the solar system Evangelicalism is a theological movement tradition and system of beliefs most closely associated with Protestant Christianity, which identifies with the Gospel An unrelated American church of similar name is the United Reformed Churches in North America.

Redevelopment

The longest row of 14th century timber framed buildings in England located on East Grinstead High Street.

The East Grinstead Town Centre Master Plan was adopted on 10 July 2006 as a Supplementary Planning Document (SPD). ^[2] The scheme arranges regeneration of the town centre in association with Thornfield Properties PLC. As of September 2007 Thornfield Properties has submitted plans to the council for the start of an ambitious development of the Queens Walk and West Street area. It is expected that other redevelopment companies will fulfil targets outlined in the SPD over the next 20 years. Landowners and developers are being encouraged to put forward plans achieve the vision set out in the SDP. The Master Plan is part of a larger scheme which will also see the redevelopment of the Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill town centres. ^[3]

A legacy of 1970s buildings followed by decades of low investment and short term planning have left the town with outdated retail spaces. The plan envisions a complete reconstruction of large parts of the town centre with a new town square as its focal point, a mix of commercial retail space, increased active shop frontage, and over 600 residential properties. The clear priority as stated by Mid Sussex District Council is the regeneration of the town centre, Queensway car park, Queens Walk and West Street.

The problems the town faces have directly affected the volume of trade and the town's economic well-being. Residents do most of their non food shopping out of town, which has resulted in retailers in the town centre closing down and commercial premises being left vacant as they cannot compete with the more attractive shopping centre in Crawley with its better transport infrastructure and larger shop areas. ^[4] No public money is being spent, with the SPD being a guide for private developers and landowners to pursue the ideas. The SPD helps this in that it in essence shows locations in town that have been given an arbitrary planning permission for projects as long as they fulfil the guidelines set out in the SPD.

A new bypass is planned to ease congestion. A projected increase in population from new housing developments and an increase in tourism from the proposed linking of the town with the heritage Bluebell Railway will service the plans to regenerate the town centre. The Bluebell Railway is a heritage line running for nine miles along the border between East Sussex and West Sussex, England. These plans have been welcomed by many although various public consultations made it clear that any development must retain the town's character. The railway station will also be redeveloped as its simple concrete construction is seen as unattractive and a bad gateway into the town, along with the dilapidated state of the Railway Approach road that leads into town. |}A train station, railway station, railroad station, or station yard is a facility at which Passengers may board and alight from Trains The current station was built to replace a grand wooden Victorian-era railway station that was sold and moved to the USA. Culture The Victorian fascination with novelty resulted in a deep interest in the relationship between modernity and cultural continuities Public transport has also come under criticism for being badly linked and of poor quality, resulting in many residents using private cars to move around, further increasing congestion, with limited public car parking space in town.

Other parts of the plan require new car parks, a larger supermarket and a new public library among other improvements to the town. A public library (also called circulating library) is a Library which is accessible by the Public and is generally funded from public sources (such

Crime

Crime rates in East Grinstead are lower than the national average. ^[5]

Transport

A map of East Grinstead from 1946

Rail

East Grinstead has been a railway terminus since the 1960s, after the lines to Lewes, Three Bridges, and Royal Tunbridge Wells were closed under the Beeching Axe, a reorganisation of British Railways based on a report by Richard Beeching. East Grinstead railway station serves the town of East Grinstead in West Sussex. Lewes railway station serves the town of Lewes in East Sussex, England. Three Bridges railway station is located in the Three Bridges district of Crawley, West Sussex, England. Tunbridge Wells railway station serves Tunbridge Wells in Kent, in England. The Beeching Axe is an informal name for the British Government 's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system See also Rail transport in Great Britain, National Rail, Network Rail This article is about the defunct entity "British Railways" Richard Beeching Baron Beeching ( 21 April 1913 - 23 March 1985) commonly known as Doctor Beeching, was chairman of British In the late 1970s the town's inner relief road was built on the line of one of the closed railways and named "Beeching Way". It is rumoured that this road, which runs through a cutting, was intended to be called "Beeching Cut", but that the name was altered at the last minute in the interests of formality.

Bluebell Railway connection

A part of the Lewes line may be reinstated by the Bluebell Railway,^[6]a nearby preserved standard gauge railway. Lewes (ˈluːɨs Lewis) is the County town of East Sussex, England and gives its name to the Local government district in which it The Bluebell Railway is a heritage line running for nine miles along the border between East Sussex and West Sussex, England. The standard gauge (also named the Stephenson gauge after George Stephenson, or Normal gauge) is a widely-used Rail gauge. 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 railway network. A new railway station is to be built just south of the main-line station.

Road

The town is within commuting distance of London by road; the A22 and A264 roads pass through it. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. The A22 is one of the two-digit major Roads in the south east of England. The A264 is an east-west road in southern England that runs from Pembury in West Kent to Five Oaks in West Sussex.

Twin towns

The town is twinned with the towns of:

• Bourg-de-Péage, France
• Sant Feliu de Guíxols, Spain
• Mindelheim, Germany
• Schwaz, Austria
• Verbania, Italy

The village of West Grinstead is located some 25 km to the southwest. Bourg-de-Péage is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Sant Feliu de Guíxols is a Municipality in the ''comarca'' of the Baix Empordà in Catalonia, Spain. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Mindelheim is a city in the German Bundesland of Bavaria. The town is the Capital of the Unterallgäu district Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Schwaz is a city in Tyrol, Austria. It is the administrative center of the Schwaz district ( Bezirk) Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich Verbania is a city and Comune (commune on the shore of Lake Maggiore, Piedmont in northwest Italy. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest West Grinstead is a small Village and Civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England.

Famous Residents Past and Present

Houses and shops in East Grinstead

• Johnny Waldron
• Louise Redknapp
• Right Said Fred
• Ted Hutt
• Jane Leeves
• Andrew Sullivan
• Neil Gaiman
• Dr. Johnny Waldron, born in East Grinstead, Sussex on 12th January 1951 (Boxrec Louise Elizabeth Redknapp (born Louise Elizabeth Nurding, November 4 1974) is an English singer and Television presenter, known Right Said Fred are an English pop band formed in 1989 by brothers Richard Fairbrass and Fred Fairbrass from East Grinstead, as well as Ted Hutt is a Music producer and Musician. He was the original guitar player and one of the founding members for Flogging Molly, but he left the band and Jane Leeves (born April 18, 1961) is a Screen Actors Guild Award winning English actress best known for her work as Daphne Moon Andrew Michael Sullivan (born August 10 1963 is a prominent Blogger, author and Political commentator. Neil Richard Gaiman (ˈgeɪmən (born November 10, 1960) is an English author of Science fiction and Fantasy short stories and Richard Beeching
• Rev. Richard Beeching Baron Beeching ( 21 April 1913 - 23 March 1985) commonly known as Doctor Beeching, was chairman of British Dr. John Mason Neale
• Sir Archibald McIndoe
• Sir Patrick Moore (lived at Glencathara, Worsted Lane, 1929-1965)
• Tom Morton-Smith

East Grinstead in Literature

East Grinstead is the destination of the adulterous lovers Norman and Annie in Alan Ayckbourn's trilogy of plays entitled The Norman Conquests. John Mason Neale ( January 24, 1818 - August 6, 1866) was an English divine scholar and hymn-writer Dr Sir Archibald McIndoe CBE FRCS ( May 4, 1900 - April 11, 1960) was a pioneering English plastic surgeon who Sir Alfred Patrick Caldwell-Moore, CBE, HonFRS, FRAS (born 4 March 1923 in Pinner) known as Patrick Moore, is Thomas Edward Morton-Smith, (born January 5, 1980) is an English playwright Sir Alan Ayckbourn CBE (born 12 April 1939 is a popular and prolific English playwright It was chosen because Norman, after some effort, couldn't get in at Hastings. In the 1978 BBC-TV version of the trilogy, Norman and Annie were portrayed by Tom Conti and Penelope Wilton. Year 1978 ( MCMLXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar) Tom Conti (born 22 November 1941) is a Scottish Academy Award -nominated and Tony Award -winning Actor, Theatre Penelope A Wilton OBE (born 3 June 1946) is an English actress.

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. Christopher Fowler (born 1953 in Greenwich, London) is an English thriller writer The town of New Invicta was later used by Jo Amey in Heist as a safehouse

East Grinstead is mentioned in the lyrics to British musician Robyn Hitchcock's song, Listening To The Higsons. Robyn Rowan Hitchcock (born March 3, 1953) is an English Singer-songwriter and guitarist ("The Higsons come from Norwich, but I prefer East Grinstead. ")

East Grinstead is the home of Harry Witherspoon, one of the lead characters in a musical comedy by Flaherty and Ahrens called "Lucky Stiff".

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 formed in 2004
• East Grinstead Rugby Football Club
• East Grinstead Ex-servicemen and Women's Club. (C&IU)Affiliate. The Working Men's Club and Institute Union (CIU or C&IU is a Voluntary association of private members' Clubs in Great Britain & Northern Ireland
• East Grinstead Athletics Club
• East Grinstead Town Football Club formed on May 8, 1890
• East Grinstead Hockey Club who now compete in the English Hockey National League Premier Division.
• Dunnings Mill Squash and Health Club
• Felbridge Lawn Tennis Club located just outside East Grinstead
• 1343 (East Grinstead) Sqn Air Cadets. The Air Training Corps ( ATC) is a cadet organisation based in the United Kingdom. Often seen parading in town on Remembrance Sunday, Mayday and other Events.

References

External links

• East Grinstead Town Council
• East Grinstead Community Website
• East Grinstead Tourism and History Guide
• East Grinstead Museum
• East Grinstead WeRelate Wiki for local history and genealogy
• St. Swithuns Church Website
• Trinity Methodist Church
• Meridian FM, the local Community Radio Station