East Grinstead : England

East Grinstead is a town in West Sussex County, England, with a population of about 30,000, and sits about half way between London and the South coast. The Greenwich Meridian, where East meets West, runs through the village and right through the historic East Court, a 1768 mansion and home of the Town Council. East Grinstead's historic High Street reflects 800 years of Sussex heritage with some buildings dating back to the 15^th and 16^th centuries. The tower of St. Swithun's church is a famous town landmark, and contains the graves of Sussex Martyrs. Sackville College, founded in 1609, as a home for the poor of the parish, is a golden sandstone building that still stands today and continues to serve the poor. The well known Christmas Carol of Good King Wenceslas was written by a warden at the college in 1853.

East Grinstead is famous as a center of pioneering plastic surgery as many emergency procedures and techniques were tried here at Queen Victoria Cottage Hospital during World War II , with patients forming  The Guinea Pig Club. The town is also know as home to the setting for Winnie-the-Pooh stories by A.A. Milne who lived on the edge of Ashdown Forest.

Today, East Grinstead is one of the wealthiest towns in Sussex, with many residents communting about 30 miles to London for work. Picture of 14th century row of timber framed buildings in East Grinstead courtesy of Wikipedia and Bill at English Wikipedia(public domain); photo of St Swithun's Church courtesy of Wikipedia and The Voice of Hassocks(public domain).

The median sale price in East Grinstead was 510,737 pounds, or close to $800,000 in US dollars.

East Grinstead is full of history with architechture dating back to the 15^th century. There are many parks within the county and London is nearby.

East Grinstead has high housing costs, traffic gets congested on the small roads with many commuters going to London and Crawley.

Those wanting to live in a historical town, close to both London and the shore, with a walkable downtown that offers shops, restaurants and pubs, may enjoy retiring here.

Health care, Business and Tourism

January's average temperature is 47, July's average is 72.

Chequer Mead Community Arts Centre offers theatre and exhibits; East Grinstead Museum features exhibits, events and activities, and tells the history of the Guinea Pig Club; Standen House is a estate built in the 1890's, tells the story of family life in the 1920's and features gardens, trails and a 18^th century barn; Historic High Street is a mixture of mediaeval buildings and courtyards; Sackville College, considered the city's architectural gem, is open during the summer months for guided tours of this home for the poor, built in early 1600's.