e main road from London to Lewes. Now in East Sussex, the county was just Sussex in those days and Lewes was the county town. Stage coaches stopped off in East Grinstead and disembarked their passengers at the local inns. This allowed the town to become prosperous and attracted new residents.
During the 19th century the railway arrived in East Grinstead and that drew new residents who wanted to work in London yet still live in the beautiful Sussex countryside. Today the town is still very much in the commuter belt.
Later in the 19th century, East Grinstead adopted modern conveniences that we now take for granted. Piped water and sewers arrived and the installation of gas lights must have been another big step forward.
In 1913 a cinema was built in the town centre and brought much excitement. Sadly, during the second World War the cinema was bombed, killing 108 people.
There are many ancient buildings in East Grinstead, not least in the High Street. It’s renowned for its timber-framed 14th century buildings amongst other historically noteworthy houses and St Swithun’s Church where John Mason Neale is buried.
East Court Mansion is an important local historic house, set in beautiful parkland. The house was built in the 18th century and is Grade II listed. It is now home to the East Grinstead Town Council, having been restored by them in the 1980s, and is a popular wedding venue. The Greenwich Meridian runs through the grounds.
The famous Guinea Pig club began at the East Grinstead Victoria Hospital. Set up to offer support to burns victims, the club enrolled aircrew who were treated by plastic surgeons at the famous hospital unit. It was here that many plastic surgery procedures were perfected.
It’s ironic that the railway brought such prosperity to East Grinstead, because one of its famous residents was a certain Dr Beeching. One of the victims of his cuts was the line between Three Bridges and Tunbridge Wells in the 1960s, meaning that East Grinstead became a railway terminus, which it remains to this day.
It's that time again. Is the sun is shining into your home, showing off your dirty windows and lurking cobwebs? Here are some ideas that might make things easier.
Spring cleaning is a revered rite of home ownership. However, for some people, spring cleaning conjures mental images of housewives in aprons scrubbing every nook and cranny with a toothbrush. While this deep cleaning has always been an arduous task, modern homes are a lot larger and have many more appliances than traditional homes. Therefore, as a proud home owner, you have to employ a few smart tactics to make spring cleaning a breeze. The following are some tips to follow to leave your house gleaming without making the process a drag.
Choose an approach
Depending on the amount of time and energy you have, you can choose an approach to take when spring cleaning. If you have a lot of time on your hands, you can create a specific block of time to clean your entire home. This could be a weekend or an entire week. This approach is beneficial because you can put spring cleaning behind you within a short amount of time. However, it can be straining, and you may be too tired to finish it!
The second approach is ideal for people who do not have enough time to clean. If you are in this category, you can break the process into smaller steps to be completed within a longer period of time. You can schedule different tasks for different weekends with the purpose of completing the entire project within a month or two. This process is more manageable, but you shouldn't stretch your cleaning schedule too much. It isn't spring cleaning if it takes you six or more months to do it.
Decide which areas you want to outsource and book appointments. For example you may want to call in a professional carpet cleaner to ensure your carpets and upholstery get the best attention.
Make a list and gather supplies
Create a list of all the things you have to do when spring cleaning, and group similar tasks. Create a schedule based on the available tasks to make it easier to transition from 