Home Counties Cruise as newlyweds buy home in Sussex

First it was the silent Scientology birth. Then came the no-expense-spared Scientology wedding.

Now Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes have splashed out £2.5million on a home in West Sussex - the county where the controversial religion has its UK base.

The six-bedroom house, on a private estate, has an indoor swimming pool, underground garage, sports pavilion, games room and a state-of-the-art greenhouse. There is a high-tech security system and a cottage for staff. The newlyweds also have homes in Beverly Hills and Colorado.

Scientology leader, David Miscavige, who was 44-year- old Cruise's best man at his wedding ceremony in Italy last week is thought to have inspired the purchase.

Scientology's founder, L Ron Hubbard, lived for seven years at Saint Hill Castle in East Grinstead, now the UK headquarters.

Revealing the purchase, the American magazine U.S. Weekly said it was not known when Cruise and 27-year-old Dawson's Creek star Miss Holmes will spend their first night at the property. Last night estate agent Simon Lillicrap, of Howard Cundey and Co, said the Mission: Impossible star had been attracted to properties in the area in the past.

He said: 'Tom was looking at houses a couple of years ago while he was still with Nicole Kidman. But they didn't buy anything.

'The houses where he has bought are very exclusive. They range in price from about £500,000 to £2.5million - but for what they would be getting it is quite a buy.

'The park, the road and all the hedges are maintained by the residents - it is a completely private estate and the houses are lovely.'

Cruise is a devoted convert to Scientology. Within weeks of declaring his love for Miss Holmes, whose parents are Roman Catholics, he revealed that she had switched to Scientology.

And when Miss Holmes gave birth to the couple's daughter, Suri, in April, she adhered to the faith's doctrine that labour must be performed in total silence.

Last night a spokesman for Cruise said he was 'not aware of the purchase' of the house.