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 15th and 16th 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; picture of Cyclists Crossing Ashdown Forest courtesy of Wikipedia and Darford Warbler; picture of The Imberhorne Viaduct of the Bluebell Railway in East Grinstead courtesy of Wikipedia and Simon Carey. |