Shithouse Sussex Outposts - East Grinstead

[Juan Albion]

As we seem to have ventured outside of Sussex I’d like to nominate Jersey Shore – now that really is the armpit of the US

I think it most appropriate for us exiles to hijack a few threads from time to time.

I'm thinking Flint, Michigan.

 

[Billy Mays]

Question for Lyndhurst - what is Long Island like? I always imagine it to be the NY equivalent of Essex. Since it's mainly the north getting bashed here I should offer that Callahan and Middleburg are not really outstanding parts of NE Florida. St Augustine on the other hand is very nice.

 

[Juan Albion]

I was disappointed with Key Largo.

 

[Billy Mays]

That's a long way from me. Never been to the Keys.

 

[The Tassie Seagull]

Will be venturing home to EG in Sept - first time for about 3 years. Parents still live in AWood and keep me up to date with the desolate place is has become

 

[gullshark]

The arcade machine was right next to the steps down to the lowered Pool table area.

An awesome pub, I really do feel the village is a lesser place for its absence.

Can't claim to have met a girlfriend in there but I certainly met some nice young lasses who were good fun

I don't remember any stairs to the pool area, just a regular walk through - the arcade machine wasn't there when I used to go, was a fruit machine!

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Back on topic, Hurstpierpoint is much nicer than Hassocks. It's a proper old village dating back hundreds of years, whereas Hassocks only exists because of the railway line. I think when it was built it was supposed to go through Hurstpierpoint but the locals rejected it, saying it would never catch on .

That said, the station in Hassocks is useful for nights out in Brighton. Or away
games. But it's only a few quid or a shortish walk back to Hurst.

Hurst wins every time

 

[jakarta]

Surely for this thread to have any credibility it's my duty to mention that Littlehampton is easily the biggest shitehole in the universe , never mind Sussex? Worthing is a close second. Used to be a nice place but is now a chav infested hellhole.

Wick in Littlehampton is proof that cousins should NOT marry

 

[Tubby Mondays]

No mention of Crowborough yet? All of the attractions of EG, except less so. Unable to buy a CD or DVD anywhere? Check (except charity shops of course with which Crowborough is a world leader). Appalling choice of what few shops are there? Check. i could go on but whats the point?

 

[Tubby Mondays]

Correction, WAS, until they stopped selling Harveys.

Yeah thats so difficult to get hold of in the Sussex area.

 

[Insel affe]

I think it most appropriate for us exiles to hijack a few threads from time to time.

I'm thinking Flint, Michigan.

Your not wrong, there sunshine its terrible. Then again inner Detroit is just as bad, guess thats what happens when you buy jap cars

 

[the wanderbus]

I crossed stinkers bridge at blacklands farm, just outside of East grinstead,

its in the middle of nowhere so Im quite chuffed about it

!!!!!!!!!

 

[Paddy B]

Surely for this thread to have any credibility it's my duty to mention that Littlehampton is easily the biggest shitehole in the universe , never mind Sussex? Worthing is a close second. Used to be a nice place but is now a chav infested hellhole.

Is the correct answer, thread closed

 

[West Hoathly Seagull]

Yes, East Grinstead has gone a long way downhill. We've been in the area since 1975, though I am partly based in London now (moved down from Kew when I was 6). Back then it had some good speciality shops, most of which have closed down, including, sadly, Wickendens which is a sweet shop that has been going for over 100 years. The owner is retiring and his family do not want to carry it on (same as Hanningtons as I understand). The High Street is still okay, apart from losing Wickendens as I said above, and the old HSBC bank (I think a wine bar got turned down as we've got too many), but London Road, the lower part of the town centre, is a complete dump, with the old Woolworths and various decaying charity shops - yet another one opened up in the old Gamleys toy shop - another useful shop that went. Part of the problem is that the town comes under Mid Sussex District Council, who basically couldn't care less about it, being far more interested in Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill. It was far better off when EGUDC ran the place. They had some plan to rebuild the town centre (same firm as for HH and BH) but that appears to have run into the ground. For some reason, the council spent years battling against Martells, one of the few decent family-owned firms in the town to try and kick them out to rebuild the precinct. However, Martells did themselves no favours, as they had a scheme drawn up and then the firm they contracted went bust. My parents go to Tunbridge Wells whenever they want anything other than the usual supermarket stuff. Others are right - shutting down the railways was a big mistake. At one time, I could have got from West Hoathly to Brighton. Now you have the hassle of catching a bus, which is a mile from my house, to Three Bridges and changing, so I usually drive to home games. As for the bypass, it will probably never get built, as it was dependent on the developer of 2500 homes paying for it. Those have been thrown out, so no bypass. In any case, it would have had to go through the High Weald AONB, so no real prospect of it getting passed. There was some talk of a Southampton to Ashford motorway being built which would have gone past East Grinstead, but I don't think that idea got far.

The town does have some things in its favour though. There is an excellent travel agent, Hallmark, who sorted out a trip to Australia for me brilliantly, the hospital is rated among the best in the country and it has the highest church tower anywhere in the South East (can be seen for miles around - a very prominent landmark).

Sorry for the long essay, but as a local, this got me going.

 

[West Hoathly Seagull]

And while we're on America, how about East Rutherford, New Jersey? I went there with a mate to the U2 concert at the Giants' Stadium. What an absolute hole (the area, not the stadium). And if you think public transport doesn't work well here, try it there; complete chaos!!

 

[The Tassie Seagull]

And EG does have a decent family run Jewellery shop (Majors) which has also been there for over 100years. That will probably go the same way as Wickendens as it is unlikely that there will be anybody in the family to carry it on.

That is also the reason for my trip back in Sept as I am best man at the wedding of their eldest son - who is a chemist in Cambridge, I suppose he could made some diamonds!

 

[Stinkers Bridge]

....i could go on but whats the point?

That doesn't usually stop you.

 

[bhaexpress]

Question for Lyndhurst - what is Long Island like? I always imagine it to be the NY equivalent of Essex. Since it's mainly the north getting bashed here I should offer that Callahan and Middleburg are not really outstanding parts of NE Florida. St Augustine on the other hand is very nice.

The Essex equivalent of New York is in fact, New Jersey, especially the north of it.

 

[West Hoathly Seagull]

And EG does have a decent family run Jewellery shop (Majors) which has also been there for over 100years. That will probably go the same way as Wickendens as it is unlikely that there will be anybody in the family to carry it on.

That is also the reason for my trip back in Sept as I am best man at the wedding of their eldest son - who is a chemist in Cambridge, I suppose he could made some diamonds!

Keith has retired, but Nicholas, his brother, is carrying it on (as far as I know - I hope so, as they are repairing a watch for me!!) Very good for wedding rings, anniversary jewellery, etc, and very long standing business - Jack, the uncle used to repair clocks for us. Keith used to run the West Hoathly drama group, the Stoneland Players, which my dad acted in, but that seems to have gone quiet as well.

 

[MJsGhost]

No mention of Crowborough yet? All of the attractions of EG, except less so. Unable to buy a CD or DVD anywhere? Check (except charity shops of course with which Crowborough is a world leader). Appalling choice of what few shops are there? Check. i could go on but whats the point?

I seem to remember a newspaper article a good few years back suggesting Crowborough was the heroin capital of the uk. Something to do with a lot of it arriving through Newhaven and then onto London through a network based in Crowborough...