Cr@p Towns

ConversazioniBrits

Iscriviti a LibraryThing per pubblicare un messaggio.

Cr@p Towns

Questa conversazione è attualmente segnalata come "addormentata"—l'ultimo messaggio è più vecchio di 90 giorni. Puoi rianimarla postando una risposta.

1mlfhlibrarian
Nov 11, 2013, 12:16 pm

I live in Croydon, and have done for 30 years. The town made it into the first edition of Crap Towns and has the dubious distinction of having made the second edition Crap Towns Returns too.
http://www.croydonadvertiser.co.uk/Croydon-included-new-Crap-Towns-book/story-19...

Which towns in Britain, if any, should have been included in your opinion? And which are the best towns/cities to live in?

2Helenliz
Nov 11, 2013, 1:28 pm

I get to visit a lot of towns, as my husband's a bellringer, so I often have to entertain myself for 3 to 4 hours while he's ringing. Sometimes I have a wealth of things to see or do, and tea shops in which to have a nice cuppa and maybe some cake. I don't ask for much, give me an interesting museum, maybe a historic house, a lovely castle, a nice bit of architecture and a tea shop and that'll make my day.

Then there was Trowbridge.

I thought Trowbridge sounded quite nice, but it shut at about 3:30 on a saturday afternoon and has gone down as my nadir. I've told him if he ever goes back, he can go without me.

3mart1n
Nov 11, 2013, 1:31 pm

I used to live in Croydon. While it has its issues I considered it an improvement over where I grew up, which was Woking. Left when I was 18, have dome my best to spend as little time there since as possible. It's just a tedious sprawl of commuter belt with nothing to recommend it it all. Apart, I suppose, from a good rail link to London. And if the best you can say about somewhere is that it's easy to leave it for somewhere more interesting, then that says it all I reckon.

4mart1n
Modificato: Nov 11, 2013, 1:35 pm

On the more positive side, I've always rather fancied Exeter, which I've visited a few times but never lived in. A sort of cosy size of city - plenty going on by not too big; handy for nice countryside and seaside. Maybe one day...

5mlfhlibrarian
Nov 11, 2013, 2:51 pm

4>
Ooh, no - I went there with my daughter when she was sussing out universities, thought it was going to be nice but was very disappointed. She went to York in the end, which is my idea of the perfect city.

3>
I usually tell people 'when you drive south of Croydon you're in lovely countryside', lol
Actually, it used to be better than it was. About 20 years ago they built a cultural centre, with a new library which was state of the art at the time, and the David Lean Cinema. But the library has been dumbed-down, they've made librarians redundant and some of the items in the museum area are being sold off :( Croydon Council doesn't regard the arts as a priority.

6abbottthomas
Modificato: Nov 11, 2013, 6:22 pm

Croydon has quite a good tram, but if you aren't careful it will take you to New Addington - a fate worse than death.

7Booksloth
Nov 12, 2013, 5:35 am

#5 I love both, though I know Exeter somewhat better. Walsall, on the other hand . . .

8C4RO
Nov 12, 2013, 7:06 am

>7 Booksloth: ... at least has some good curry houses!

I would nominate Northampton as being a bit of an armpit.

9oldstick
Nov 12, 2013, 7:20 am

I'm sorry but I didn't like Nottingham but maybe I didn't stay long enough. Some towns that were OK look sad now they have empty shops. It's just hard for someone who doesn't live in a place to find their way around sometimes and if you find it difficult to park it makes a bad impression.
Also, the colour of the buildings influences how I feel about a place. There are some towns that might be fine but the architecture is overpowering and mainly black. Red or yellow brick is more welcoming. (or even white or pastel , like some seaside towns.)

10jbbarret
Nov 12, 2013, 7:31 am

The caption to the photo in the link from #1, "Does this look like a crap town?"
Yes, it does.
And I'm keeping quiet about the best places. But Frome is OK.
As for Hemel Hempstead, if God were going to give the Earth an enema, that's where he'd stick the pipe.

11mlfhlibrarian
Nov 12, 2013, 2:10 pm

6> yes, I love the trams, I'm in danger of becoming one of those old ladies who rides from one end of the route to the other :)

Hmm, New Addington - I'm sure it has its good points, but I can't think of them off hand. And it was home to a notorious child killer until recently :(

12mlfhlibrarian
Nov 12, 2013, 2:12 pm

I read recently that the office building in Slough which featured as 'The Office' has been or is about to be demolished. John Betjeman was right about that town.

13abbottthomas
Nov 12, 2013, 5:53 pm

>11 mlfhlibrarian: I am told that, if you look a bit north of east in New Addington, there is no higher ground until you get to the Urals. That may or may not be a good thing.

14LyzzyBee
Nov 13, 2013, 5:32 am

Tonbridge in Kent should be in there. As in "No, not Tunbridge Wells". I haven't been back for years but I can't think it's improved.

15mlfhlibrarian
Nov 13, 2013, 7:38 am

abbotthomas, you've really got it in for New Addington, haven't you? :)
It's no worse than any of the 60s estates, really. I know someone who has lived there since it was built, she says they were thrilled to move there from the two-up, two down they'd lived in before, and it felt like they were in the middle of the countryside (NA is a sort of island development surrounded by fields).

Now, have you ever been to Skelmersdale? That is a real eyesore :(

16abbottthomas
Nov 13, 2013, 11:05 am

>15 mlfhlibrarian: Skelmersdale in beyond my ken, I'm afraid. It does have a "Heritage" website - http://www.skemheritage.org.uk/videos/selmersdales-yesterdays/ - but I don't think I'll hurry up that way ;-)

18PossMan
Nov 13, 2013, 2:13 pm

Every town mentioned so far must take heart from the fact that that it must be zillions of time better than the dystopia known as Inverness.

19LyzzyBee
Nov 13, 2013, 5:13 pm

Inverness has a shopping centre. Tonbridge has the Angel Centre.

20oldstick
Modificato: Nov 14, 2013, 5:30 am

I like Tonbridge - it had all I wanted in a town, the river, the castle, the park,the shops, the station, the theatre, good schools and lovely countryside. What's not to like?

21abbottthomas
Nov 14, 2013, 8:03 am

I spent some of my formative years in Tonbridge - the one thing not to like was the frequent flooding. They do have an effective flood relief system now.

22LyzzyBee
Nov 14, 2013, 8:07 am

#20 the pound shops, the lack of a bus service, the lack of anything to do as a teenager, the "cinema" in the Angel Centre ...
#21 Ah yes - that's fine unless you live in certain bits of Hildenborough ...

23mlfhlibrarian
Nov 15, 2013, 2:34 pm

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2506917/Best-place-live-UK-Er-Solihull.h...

Don't worry folks, it's been decided - Solihull is the best place to live. And PossMan, Inverness is listed as the 4th worst :)

24jbbarret
Nov 15, 2013, 3:04 pm

Thank goodness for that. Solihull is far enough away for me not to be bothered by pilgrims.

25PossMan
Nov 16, 2013, 6:58 am

#23 Ah yes — but looking at that link it gets to that position (4th worst) by including Nairn, Moray, Badenoch and Strathspey. Suspect that if these other places were removed from the equation and Inverness had to stand on its own merits then it would move up a place or two.

26darrow
Nov 18, 2013, 2:39 pm

Worst town I ever visited was Cleethorpes. Fish and chip shops and litter everywhere. Avoid.

Iscriviti per commentare