Not far from London, within easy reach of Gatwick and within the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, East Grinstead is the gateway to Sussex, with a medieval High Street and lots of things to do.
Visit the East Grinstead Museum
Start any visit here with a trip to the museum. It’s free to enter and the staff are helpful, welcoming and informative. Starting with dinosaur discoveries, and the history of the town, its industries, and people, the museum also has lots of information about East Grinstead’s pioneering hospital, the role it played in WWII and the Guinea Pig Club. There’s also a small section on local art and artists. A visit here will give you a good understanding of the town. You’ll find it on Cantelupe Road, and it’s open from Wednesday to Friday (but check first as it has been closed for restoration work).
Explore the Medieval High Street
A short walk from the museum is the High Street with one of the longest continuous rows of 14th-century timber-framed buildings in England as well as an interesting church and various other buildings. It’s well worth a visit and you can read more about it here: East Grinstead High Street. You should also walk down to East Court to see the Millennium Stone, some great views, and then stand astride the Meridian Line that runs through the town. And don’t forget to play a game of chess outside the old bookshop in the High Street or try one of the town’s Heritage Trails.
Enjoy the arts
East Grinstead has the Chequer Mead Theatre and a cinema. Both venues have a year-round and ever-changing programme.
For urban cool, great local beer and live music, look out for The Engine Room just off London Road.
Local walks and cycle routes
East Grinstead sits at the cross roads of Worth Way and Forest Way, both green routes along disued railway lines. That means you can cycle or walk to Three Bridges and Groombridge off road.
To the south of the town, the Sussex Border Path skirts along Weir Wood Reservoir, although if you want a circular walk, rather than a linear one, you can walk all the way around the reservoir. It’s wellsigned as it about 10 km via a mix of footpaths and cuontry lanes. Alternatively, head to the nearby William Robinson Gravetye Estate.
Within this gorgous ooded estate, are a series of marked trails while in the heart of the estate is Gravetye Manor, a prestious hotel and restaurant.
Stone Farm Rocks
Stone Farm Rocks is a Site of Special Scientific Interest just south of the town, and a short walk from the Kingscote Vineyard. The area spans 200 metres in length, overlooks Weirwood Reservoir and Ashdown Forest and is managed by the British Mountaineering Council and is popular with climbers.
Standen House
Not far from Saint Hill Manor is Standen House, a country house owned by the National Trust. You can explore the grounds here and in the summer they host sculpture exhibitions. They also have an award-winning plant collection, as well as an orchard, kitchen garden, rosery and secret paths. The grounds have some stunning views and paths that lead to Ashdown Forest. The house is an example of Arts and Crafts workmanship, with Morris & Co. interiors. It was built between 1891 and 1894. They also host exhibitions here and you can see how the house would have looked as a family home.
Kingscote Estate and Vineyard
A short drive from East Grinstead towards Turners Hill and you’ll find this fabulous Sussex vineyard. It has a wine shop and cellar door, a bar and kitchen, a wine garden and they offer tours and tastings. It’s a family-owned estate with 160 acres, and you might just hear the sound of a steam train from the Bluebell Railway which runs right past it.
The Bluebell Railway
The Bluebell Railway is a heritage line with a magnificent collection of vintage steam trains and carriages. And the last stop of four on the line is East Grinstead! It’s well worth visiting the Bluebell Railway station where you’ll find interactive exhibitions, staff in period clothing, original working signal boxes, and piles of vintage luggage. They organise lots of special events, and if you’re at the station, Sheffield Park is just across the way.
The Priest House
Owned by The Sussex Archaeological Society, the Priest House once belonged to Henry VIII, Thomas Cromwell, Anne of Cleves, Mary I and Elizabeth I in turn. It is now furnished with 17th & 18th century country furniture and domestic objects. Culinary, medicinal & household herbs are planted in the garden and the curator gives tours of the house and garden on request. It’s in West Hoathly.
Forest Way and Ashdown Forest
Hire a bike from On Your Bike in East Grinstead and head off down the Forest Way. It is a 16 km disused railway line to Groombridge via Forest Row and runs through the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Alternatively, head out to Ashdown Forest which is 2,472 hectares (9.5 sq mi) of ancient heathland with a windmill, stunning views, and home to Winnie the Pooh’s Pooh Sticks Bridge!
And one extra: Saint Hill Manor
Best known for being home to the Church of Scientology, Saint Hill Manor has quite a backstory in its own right. Saint Hill dates back to 1567 but the construction of a Jacobean house on the site was completed in 1733. In 1792, construction of the current house began. Saint Hill Manor is Georgian style and may have been in part designed by Benjamin Henry Latrobe (who designed the US Capital building and the White House).
In the late 19th century, the estate was expanded with the editions of two new wings, a north and south lodge, and a lake. Since then it’s had an interesting history including becoming the home of the Maharajah of Jaipur, India in the late 1940s. L. Ron Hubbard acquired Saint Hill Manor and some 60 surrounding acres in March 1959 and since his death in 2011, there have been considerable renovations and restoration work. They have a year-round calendar of events and are open to the public by appointment.
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