A medieval town in West Sussex has been home to several celebrities like Tom Cruise and Peter Andre who have even lived in the same house.
Situated 20 minutes from Gatwick Airport and an hour from both London and the South Coast, East Grinstead is an ideal base from which to explore the counties of Kent, Surrey and Sussex.
With Ashdown Forest, home to Winnie-the-Pooh and a wealth of famous houses, gardens, sporting activities, vineyards, fine dining and country hotels nearby, there is truly something for everyone.
The town boasts charming cottages and medieval buildings – but tucked away are some incredible multi-million pound properties.
Over the years, many secluded mansions have been snapped up by huge stars, from Hollywood actors to A-list singers.
In 2017, singer Adele splurged £4 million on an 18th century manor house in the town.
The Someone Like You singer was already well acquainted with the county. In 2011, she rented a £7million mansion in Partridge Green, a village in Horsham.
In East Grinstead, she decided to downsize, purchasing a secluded eight-bedroom property, featuring a tennis court and set on 48 acres of land.
After divorcing Simon Konecki, the 31-year-old put the eight-bedroom mansion up for sale in 2019.
The town was also in the news after John Travolta was refused a table at local KFC when he called up a branch in East Grinstead and asked to book a table. The incident happened in 2011 when Danny Zuko’s rep was told he’d have to queue like everyone else.
The KFC worker who took the call refused to be named, probably because he didn’t want to be hassled by the press while he’s doing his GCSEs, but said: “To me, customers are customers, no matter who they are.
“The lady who called didn’t give me her name, she just said it will be for a Mr Travolta. That threw me a little bit.
“I thought it might be a load of nonsense, but she seemed pretty serious.”
The area has other magnificent features a Historic High street that is full of timber framed Tudor and Medieval buildings with an interesting mix of independent shops, bars and cafes.
East Grinstead Museum houses important collections from the Queen Victoria Hospital museum including work by plastic surgeon Sir Archibald McIndoe.
The Bluebell Railway runs preserved steam trains from East Grinstead to Sheffield Park Station, a return journey covering 20 miles through the beautiful Sussex countryside. It takes about 15 minutes to walk into the town centre from the Bluebell and mainline stations.
