visiteastgrinstead.com

Tourism information for visitors to East Grinstead

Town Guide & Information

Welcome to East Grinstead - the capital of the historic High Weald. Our ancient market town with its wealth of architectural heritage is surrounded by some of the finest countryside in the whole of the South East of England. This is where the River Medway rises and the vast swathes of Ashdown Forest begin. Here you can ride the steam trains of the famous Bluebell Railway, drift among the treasures of the National Trust's Standen or celebrate the famous Christmas Carol of Good King Wenceslas in the quadrangle of Sackville College.

Truly, East Grinstead has something for everyone. Friendly restaurants, pubs, bars and coffee shops are waiting to bid you welcome. Cosy accommodation in one of our hotels or bed and breakfasts is available through the year. The town also has self-catering facilities and nearby campsites.

Through the years buildings such as Sackville College have been lovingly maintained and still serve as almshouses giving homes for the town's elderly.

This is where the famous East Grinstead carol 'Good King Wenceslas' was written, you can visit the building and take a tour from mid June to mid September each year.

In keeping with East Grinstead's location as a hub for four counties, for this is the only place where East and West Sussex meet Surrey and Kent, the Greenwich Meridian also runs through the town. The prime meridian that separates East from West is celebrated at East Court, the 1768 mansion set in its own parkland within the town.

The tower of St Swithun's church dominates the skyline and has been a landmark for miles around. The church very much reflects the town's associations with iron making in the surrounding countryside and contains the graves of the Sussex Martyrs, victims of past religious intolerance.

Just on the southern outskirts of the town lies Standen, the National Trust's flagship Arts and Crafts country house. Internationally known for its William Morris wallpapers, textiles and contemporary fittings, the house was designed in the 1890's by the architect Philip Webb. Open to the public from March to November the house also boasts acres of gardens with sweeping views over the Medway Valley.

Kingscote station just outside the town is the present northern terminus of the Bluebell Railway. From here you can journey through the unspoilt heart of the Sussex countryside to Sheffield Park the headquarters of the Railway. Here you can see the biggest and most historic collection of locomotives and rolling stock outside of the National Railway Museum. There is a restaurant and shop as well as the Bluebell's own Golden Arrow Pullman train, a unique railway dining experience!

Now available online is the official Town Guide.