The quiet West Sussex town of East Grinstead recently found itself at the centre of a Hollywood-style spectacle as the Church of Scientology hosted its annual Patrons Ball, attracting an estimated 7,000 guests including its most famous devotee, Tom Cruise.
A Star-Studded Affair in a Tudor Town
For local resident Diane Juchau, the sight of a global superstar on her high street is becoming a recurring event. "I saw him a couple of years ago walking past Iceland," she remarked. This time, however, Cruise's presence was part of a much larger gathering at Saint Hill Manor, the UK headquarters of Scientology, purchased by the organisation's founder L Ron Hubbard back in 1959.
The scale of the event was impossible to ignore in a town with a population of just 26,000. Paul Oliver, 53, and his wife Vanessa, 54, witnessed the preparations firsthand. "It seemed like quite a do," Paul said. "We went for a walk when they were setting up. We could hear them testing out the band. They spent a few quid – their car park was massive." According to church videos, attendees were treated to an evening of live performances, flowing wine, and a stage production rivalling primetime television shows.
A Complicated Local Relationship
Despite the glitz, East Grinstead's relationship with the Church of Scientology is far from simple. The organisation, founded in 1954, has been shrouded in controversy for decades. In 1968, the British government banned Hubbard from entering the UK, with then-health minister Kenneth Robinson labelling Scientology "a potential menace to the personality and wellbeing of those so deluded as to become its followers."
These controversies have tangible local effects. Critics regularly protest outside Saint Hill Manor, and a sign near the railway station pointing to the manor as a historic sight was recently removed. Diane Juchau expressed her unease, noting Scientologists have been "putting their pamphlets in charity shops" since she moved to the town in 1998 and claimed they sometimes preach on local buses, an allegation the church denies.
Celebrity Links and Local Tensions
Tom Cruise is the most prominent of several celebrities connected to the town through Scientology. He previously owned an 11,331-square-foot mansion near Saint Hill Manor before selling it to Peter Andre. In 2011, John Travolta made headlines when his team reportedly tried to book a table at a local KFC, only to be told he would have to queue like everyone else.
The event's scale and the organisation's controversial history ensure that the Patrons Ball remains a topic that divides local opinion, a glittering yet contentious highlight in the calendar of a town often dubbed the UK's Twin Peaks.
