Published by The Daily Mail on Sunday 21st December 2025
By Emily Cooper
The British headquarters of the controversial Scientology church is at risk of losing its alcohol licence after noise complaints from locals about their loud bagpipe music.
The church played traditional Scottish music to drown out protestors as Scientologists arrived at Saint Hill Manor in East Grinstead for a fundraiser in November.
Among them was Tom Cruise who flew to the Grade-II listed country house in a helicopter.
In exclusive pictures obtained by the Daily Mail, Cruise was spotted wearing an aviation headset as he landed.
The Top Gun star, 63, dressed in a navy suit, was seen staring at his phone after stepping out of the chopper as he steered clear of angry locals.
The three-day event attracted more than 7,000 people from around the world and is the biggest fundraiser in the Scientology calendar.
In a bid to drown out protesters who chanted and held placards calling for an end to abuse in the church, loud bagpipe music boomed out of a large speaker.
A complaint to the local Mid Sussex District Council could see the Scientologists lose their booze and events permits.
The application for the review claims the fundraising event causes ‘considerable disruption’ to the local community by causing congestion and excessively loud noise.
It asks the council to consider limiting the scale of events held on the property and proposes measures to safeguard vulnerable people.
In November, one East Grinstead resident who wished to remain anonymous described the three-day fundraiser as ‘very disruptive’.
‘For six to eight weeks they were laying down pallets in the field to make a car park, so we had the disruption and noise of that, with lorry after lorry coming,’ he said.
‘Then they made all the neighbours listen to bagpipe music on a loop all day.
‘In the evening, they had two generators to power floodlights in the car park, and we could hear the generator no more than 60 yards from our back door.
‘One didn’t go off until 1am and the second generator stayed on all night, so all night an empty car park was lit up.
‘Scientology say they’ve cleaned up their act, but they still have the same boss and I don’t really believe they have changed their spots.’
Another resident said: ‘It’s an endless stream of people and so much noise – the infrastructure isn’t built for it so it ends up being chaos.
‘Then you’ve got Tom flying over in his chopper and it causes a right old racket.
‘To top things off, a minibus ended up having an accident with another driver, which meant one of the roads ended up being closed.’
The church made a request for a Public Space Protection Order in July 2024, saying protests held outside its premises caused ‘harassment, disturbance and alarm’ to its members.
Mid Sussex District Council’s cabinet was due to make a decision – recommended for refusal – on June 30, before the church withdrew the application.
A spokesman for the Church of Scientology in the UK said: ‘The Church of Scientology’s annual celebration at Saint Hill, East Grinstead drew over 7,000 attendees from across the UK and around the world.
‘The weekend featured traditional bagpipe performances, community festivities, and a gala charity concert supporting local causes.
‘The event was a resounding success, generating significant cultural and economic benefits for the area and warmly welcomed by residents.’
Cruise has been a member of the church since the 1990s.
The fundraiser was not the first time the actor has visited Saint Hill Manor, a country house built in 1792 and the former home of Scientology’s founder Ron Hubbard.
The American actor is even said to have spent time on a luxury wing of the estate as his ‘lockdown sanctuary’ during the Covid pandemic.
Hubbard, an American science fiction writer, moved into the estate in 1959 and it served as the Church of Scientology’s worldwide headquarters until 1967.
It is still owned by the church and now operates as the British headquarters.
A premises licence is granted by the council and permits venues to carry out a range of different activities, such as selling alcohol, hot food and drinks overnight, putting on entertainment or hosting events.
The review is open to public consultation until January 8 next year.
Alex Barnes-Ross, a former member and employee of the church, organised last month’s protest at Saint Hill Manor.
He said: ‘Since Scientology properties were designated “places of public worship” after a 10-year legal battle with HMRC, which ended in 2023, they are exempt from Business Rates.
‘This, in addition to the burden their events place on council resources and emergency services, means Saint Hill’s events come at a considerable cost to the local taxpayer.
‘The event causes severe disruption to the local community and there are serious concerns about the protection of children from harm, working conditions and the public nuisance it creates.
‘It’s about time the Council intervene to minimise the disruption.’
The Church of Scientology has been approached for comment.