Er is een stad in Engeland die East Grinstead heet. Het is een rustige, bescheiden stad met een prachtige kerk en een rij vakwerkhuizen uit de Tudorperiode in de hoofdstraat. Het is alles wat je zou verwachten van een schilderachtige, middenklasse stad. En toch is het de stad die niet staarde; de thuisbasis van alternatieve religies in het VK. Van de Scientology Kerk tot Opus Dei, druïden tot Mormonen, East Grinstead heeft het allemaal. Maar waarom? In ‘The Town That Didn’t Stare’ legt Nick Hilton de eigenaardigheden van zijn Zuid-Engelse geboortestad East Grinstead bloot. Twin Peaks, maar dan echt gebeurd.
There is a town in England called East Grinstead. It is a quiet, unassuming town, with a beautiful church and a row of timber framed Tudor houses on the high street. It is everything you’d expect from a quaint, middle-class town. And yet, it is the town that didn’t stare; the home of alternative religion in the UK. From the Scientologists to Opus Dei, druids to Mormons, East Grinstead has it all. But why?
Praise for The Town That Didn’t Stare:
“Arch and funny, but… deeply serious in trying to understand the peculiar history of the town” – Financial Times
“Facinating… mysterious, it really hooks you in” – BBC
“Brilliantly arch” – Sunday Times
“Hilton is an engaging narrator, tip-toeing the lines between nostalgia, comedy and truth-telling” – The Big Issue
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East Grinstead, the home of Scientologists, Mormons, Rosicrucians and more; a nexus for ley lines, a perfect Prime Meridian settlement and Britain’s most haunted town. But why?
Why is East Grinstead, this little town in Sussex, so strange? What happened to make East Grinstead this unstaring town? Is this a question that can ever be truly answered? And do we really want to know the answer?
The Town That Didn’t Stare is written, produced and presented by Nick Hilton.
Intro and incidental music by George Jennings.
End credits music by Matt Payne and Ollie Lloyd at Shipyard Audio.
Podcast artwork by Tom Humberstone.
The interviewees on this episode were: Ian Sellar, Eileen Barker, Jack Valero, Jon Ronson, Jonathan Parrett, Jack Tindale, Tim Bale and Itiel Dror.
This is the final part of a 6-part series available on all good podcast platforms. You can find out more about the show on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook – just go to @thetownpod – or visit www.thetownpod.com for episode notes and more information.
The Town That Didn’t Stare is a Podot podcast, for more information visit podotpods.com. For sales and advertising, email nick@podotpods.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
