Worst Towns in the UK

[Crewton]

2 hours ago, Alpha said:

Exeter has it right. It has all the more modern shopping bit but it's purposely kind of played down. Like they're not obtrusive, there's nothing to catch your eye. Just compliments the old. 

Exeter pre-1941 was a medieval gem, like Coventry. The Luftwaffe demolished a good part of the centre in the tit-for-tat Heritage raids. The rebuilding took place very soon after the end of the war and perhaps benefited from the fact that it was before the popularity of Shopping Centres. What they did instead was low key, as you said. 

[Wolfie]

4 hours ago, Alpha said:

Look either side of it. And look at the state of that. It's about as subtle and complimentary as Kenny Burns at a free buffet. 

Blimey. That looks like I designed it (I can't draw). But then mine wouldn't have silly wonky legs.

I haven't been into Derby city centre for probably 10 years.

[Turk Thrust]

5 hours ago, Alpha said:

Look either side of it. And look at the state of that. It's about as subtle and complimentary as Kenny Burns at a free buffet. 

What the hell is that? It looks if memory serves me correctly to be on what I remember as Tennant Street. Derby council has a lot to answer for. The Mayor’s parlour stood there. Built in 1483 it was unnecessarily demolished in 1948. Check photos of it on Google. A beautiful building. Was replaced I think by bus stops to Chaddesden. And I remember in the early 1960s the lovely old 15th century half timbered Nottingham Castle pub was pulled down next to St Michael’s Church along with the old Wesleyan Chapel to make way for a car park! And don’t get me started on St Alkmund’s Churchyard! Thank goodness the 1839 Midland Railway workers’ estate near the station was reprieved from demolition along with the Brunswick pub. Shame about the frontage of the original station though.

[GboroRam]

I don't know about Grimsby. I think it looks very continental. 

[Boycie]

Is that a ground floor flat?

[Mucker1884]

17 minutes ago, Boycie said:

Is that a ground floor flat?

It’s about time you put a stop to all these puns. Tread carefully, else the axle fall. 

[Boycie]

4 minutes ago, Mucker1884 said:

It’s about time you put a stop to all these puns. Tread carefully, else the axle fall. 

I’ll try and remould my posting style, soz duck.

[Van der MoodHoover]

Weymouth is pretty grim these days. Where did @Davidsay he was going on a break?

?

[Boycie]

He’s had all summer to go away.

Hope he’s not missing a game. ?

[Alph]

If anyone watched F1 on Sunday I think we now know who to blame for Sainz extra long pit stop

[Bob The Badger]

I'll only comment on towns I've spent at least five days in working, meaning I've also stopped overnight, otherwise it's often tough to tell.

But as I spent 20 years in sales traveling around the entire UK and almost 5 years was with Yellow Yages where we'd be  in towns for extended periods, so I have seen some horrors.

5th =  Slough and Staines. Both complete concrete jungles that if you put me. in either I'd not wager more than a fiver I knew which I was in. It was 25 years ago though, so I could have merged them and one maybe much worse than the other

4th - Rotherham - bad, but I think their accents would make Antigua feel slummy, so tough to tell

3rd - Stockport - spent a year there and it's basically the A6

2nd - West Bromwich - spent a year there too <shudder>. The Black Country accent is utterly impenetrable and even after a year couldn't understand a damn word anybody said to me. 

1st - Scunthorpe - The overwhelming champion.  Literally no redeeming feature whatsoever, other than you can get out of it quickly onto the M180 and back to civilisation. Possibly the whitest large town I have ever stayed in.

Sheffield has some rough ares, but it has some really nice areas too and I'd say the same for Nottingham

Somebody mentioned Redruth, which for Cornwall is nasty and it is the town of choice to get murdered in in this county, but come on, it's not even close to any of the above. Derby is worse than Redruth.

I've been told by colleagues that Boro is very bad, but only been there once to watch Derby.

 

[Boycie]

17 hours ago, Bob The Badger said:

I'll only comment on towns I've spent at least five days in working, meaning I've also stopped overnight, otherwise it's often tough to tell.

But as I spent 20 years in sales traveling around the entire UK and almost 5 years was with Yellow Yages where we'd be  in towns for extended periods, so I have seen some horrors.

5th =  Slough and Staines. Both complete concrete jungles that if you put me. in either I'd not wager more than a fiver I knew which I was in. It was 25 years ago though, so I could have merged them and one maybe much worse than the other

4th - Rotherham - bad, but I think their accents would make Antigua feel slummy, so tough to tell

3rd - Stockport - spent a year there and it's basically the A6

2nd - West Bromwich - spent a year there too <shudder>. The Black Country accent is utterly impenetrable and even after a year couldn't understand a damn word anybody said to me. 

1st - Scunthorpe - The overwhelming champion.  Literally no redeeming feature whatsoever, other than you can get out of it quickly onto the M180 and back to civilisation. Possibly the whitest large town I have ever stayed in.

Sheffield has some rough ares, but it has some really nice areas too and I'd say the same for Nottingham

Somebody mentioned Redruth, which for Cornwall is nasty and it is the town of choice to get murdered in in this county, but come on, it's not even close to any of the above. Derby is worse than Redruth.

I've been told by colleagues that Boro is very bad, but only been there once to watch Derby.

 

I used to hate the yearly call from the yellow pages sales team, some how no matter how happy you were with the work generated from the ad last year it always needed changing or making bigger,  weird.?

[Bob The Badger]

2 hours ago, Boycie said:

I used to hate the yearly call from the yellow pages sales team, some how no matter how happy you were with the work generated from the ad last year it always needed changing or making bigger,  weird.?

We weren't well liked.

Having said that, we made no commission on ads being changed as there was only a nominal artwork charge to the customer and a bunch of paperwork for the rep. So I doubt anybody was trying to get you to change an ad without increasing the size too.

Literally the hardest job I ever had. I always worked 60+ hours a week, sometimes over 70 and the pressure was intense and constant.

 

[alanmarklewis]

On 31/08/2022 at 21:13, Van der MoodHoover said:

Jaywick is truly dreadful. Me and mates nearly rented there at uni in the 80s so went back a few years ago for a nostalgia peek and it was awful. 

Hastings was very deprived when I was last there about 20 years ago. 

And some of the old mining towns in Cornwall like Camborne Redruth and St just are nasty. 

If you want grim Southern towns then aldershot should be high on your list.... 

 

I live in Camborne, it really isn't that bad, neither is Redruth or St Just. Plus with the gorgeous Cornish coast it's far better than the majority of places in the U.K ?.

[Van der MoodHoover]

33 minutes ago, alanmarklewis said:

I live in Camborne, it really isn't that bad, neither is Redruth or St Just. Plus with the gorgeous Cornish coast it's far better than the majority of places in the U.K ?.

When I saw Camborne I thought of Ripley...... 

[Frogram]

Back in the 80's I was accosted by a prostitute in Middlesbrough ; 2pm , in the main street . I made my excuses and left !

Being ex Merchant Navy , I've been to some really rough ports , but that place is the pits .

[PistoldPete]

44 minutes ago, Frogram said:

Back in the 80's I was accosted by a prostitute in Middlesbrough ; 2pm , in the main street . I made my excuses and left !

Being ex Merchant Navy , I've been to some really rough ports , but that place is the pits .

I had similar in Liverpool.. and she may have been more to Wayne Rooney's taste I think. At least Liverpool has some saving graces in fact the buildings on the Pier Head are called the graces. 

[Gee SCREAMER !!]

58 minutes ago, PistoldPete said:

I had similar in Liverpool.. and she may have been more to Wayne Rooney's taste I think. At least Liverpool has some saving graces in fact the buildings on the Pier Head are called the graces. 

I had the same in the line at Western Taxis on The Spot about 20 years ago. 

[Alph]

I need to write down these locations

[Van der MoodHoover]

My mate was offered a 2 for 1 deal on prostitutes on the strip in magaluf a couple of years ago, whilst escorting his "tired and emotional" son back to his hotel. 

Must make it dead rough..... ?