Area Guide to East Grinstead
Those who live in East Grinstead are proud of its friendly bars and coffee shops, restaurants and history as an ancient market town. With conservation areas, the characterful architecture of its high street, and its mix of modern and historic homes, there’s a real feel of a traditional English town about it – a lovely place to live.
A Brief History of East Grinstead
From Saxon village beginnings, East Grinstead has grown steadily over the last thousand years, mainly as a market town, but later as a stop on the stagecoach route from London to Brighton. A small town of just a few thousand people until the 1900s, the arrival of the railway saw East Grinstead grow in strength and importance in the region to its current size with a population of over 20,000.
Travel and Transport
Road
- The A22 runs through East Grinstead to London in the north and Eastbourne in the south.
- The A264 runs east to Royal Tunbridge Wells and west to the M23 and Crawley.
Rail
- East Grinstead station offers a regular service in and out of London.
Air
- Just a 20-minute drive away is Gatwick Airport with flights destined for the four corners of the globe
Schools and Education
East Grinstead has some excellent schools – five primary and three secondary schools are currently rated as Outstanding by Ofsted, and there are many more in the area, including independent and special needs schools.
Lifestyle and Entertainment
As trusted local experts it would be wrong of us to ignore a ‘where to go’ section to our area guide, so here it is, a brief introduction to things to see and do in East Grinstead.
- Green spaces. Wakehurst has formal gardens, talking totem poles, woodlands and wildlife. Ashdown Forest is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty full of wildlife and perfect for long walks, and Worth Way is a wildlife corridor with seven miles of footpath and bridleway walks.
- Culture and Kids. Hever Castle is a fabulous day out for the whole family, a stunning castle with tours and views, lovely gardens, jousting tournaments and fun activities for the kids. Bluebell Railway is a Preserved Heritage Line with steam trains, vintage carriages and interactive games, Deers Leap Park has 240 acres of mountain biking trails. There’s also the British Wildlife Centre and so much more to enjoy.
