Working Class Towns

[Settle59]

Inspired by another thread - and being a Sociologist (after a fashion..) -
thought I'd start this thread.

OK here goes:
Luton
Slough
Blackburn
Corby

Tonbridge / not Tunbridge Wells 🙄
Chatham
Maidstone
Heathfield

But how exactly is a working class town defined? What makes a place middle or working class? Lots of areas have "posher" parts, and "rougher" parts so I'm not sure towns can be neatly pigeon-holed into either category. Of course some places so fit neatly, but I'd argue most don't.

As a child we moved house frequently. We'd spend hours looking at the estate agents' pages in the local papers. My mum would dismiss anywhere close to a council estate. She will have got that attitude from my grandparents who were horrified when the Manchester overspill estates were built in our lovely little town. My grandparents who were from what are now pretty rough areas Still makes me laugh.

Coalville

Maidstone isn't really WC. Well, Tovil is, the rest of it not so much.

Isle of Sheppey
Romford and basically the whole of Havering borough
Ditto Bexley borough.

Telford

Tunbridge Wells
Stroud
Wells
Bath
Cheltenham
York
Durham

User well I am sure many people earn a wage, a high one granted, but they still go to work daily........

Wythenshawe. The people I know from there always apologise for being from there like it's something to be ashamed of.

I grew up in (well near, but I went to school there) a lovely very middle class town.
It frequently comes up on here in ‘lovely places to live’ threads.
I’ve lived all over and now live in a town that often comes up on threads like this and has been mentioned.

In the nice middle class town you can’t get a decent cup of coffee, buy anything practical like clothes pegs or knickers and get funny looks if you ask for something exotic like vegan or vegetarian food in a cafe.

In my working class scumsville town we have practical shops, affordable clothes shops as well as countless independent coffee shops, two of which roast their own coffee, three vegan cafes and a host of restaurants to suit everyone.
It might be working class and have it’s scummy bits but I can afford to live here in a nice bit in a nice house.

My town gets a mention 😂. Tbh I think most seaside towns.

Flamingo I'm sure the class of people is better where you are!

Humberside area - loads of wc type towns there: scunthorpe, grimsby, barton, hull, goole. Doncaster not far away too.

OP Why are you interested?

This is a weird thread though, what inspired it?

Redcar
Driffield

Actually I was doing some pretend online house hunting and wondering why some very lovely houses were extremely cheap.

There's working class and then there's dangerous. I'll take WC every time, practical places with practical people.

Managed mis

How do you mean, piles? A stately home isn't a town.

'Chaventry', 'Furrock' and 'Stan-no-hope' - what a sneery thread. I grew up in a predominantly working-class town (although I haven't seen it named here yet) and now I live in another one. I hope looking down on these places makes you feel better 🤷‍♀️

Indon't get why people say thread is goady. What's wrong with a WC town? Most of us are from them.

@Hadenoughfornow yep most people are from WC towns, that's why I think there seems to be a bit of an 'undercurrent' about this thread. I don't know why it would be a point of interest to anyone enough to start a thread about towns that a majority of people come from. You might as well just name random towns.

The fact MC towns are always described as lovely says all you need to know.

This is the most British thread I have ever read. Wakey wakey, it's 2020, class is a construct that we need to dismantle. A black woman from a very humble background is number 4 on the UK rich list. In fact, number one is a Scouse who happened to be very good on the guitar. Why perpetuate this bullshit?

I wouldn't describe Slough as working class. Maybe in the past but not now. It's very prosperous, full of head offices and tech companies. Not the prettiest place, mind you!

www.independent.co.uk/life-style/slough-best-town-city-work-uk-job-hiring-affordable-employee-satisfaction-a8599161.html

I live in a town that is thought of locally as quite scuzzy. The east of the town is very deprived

The title of the thread is working class towns, not scuzzy or deprived towns. Oh, but I forgot - they're one and the same in many MNers' minds.

Vile thread.

**Boudicabooandbulldogs
Sheffield is a city not a town, it also has some very affluent middle class areas.
It is very divided though, the West generally much more affluent than the East of the city.

As a sociologist OP, I'd have thought you would be looking for something a little more scientific than just a list of perceived shit holes.
What exactly is the aim of your thread?

Yes to working class/'scuzzy' being one and the same here.
Ofc Slough is a 'working class ' town there is lots of work. Ditto Bracknell.

If you mean 'post industrial with high unemployment ' you should say so.

But going on like this is quite insulting.

Esp when it's the traditional tradesmen (working class!!!) Who are raking it in these days.

@AgeLikeWine ... I'm from the East Midlands too and currently live in one of the towns on your list. Yes, it's a down to earth for sure, but it has a lot going for it in other ways - good transport links, affordable property and great countryside all around, to name a few.

Has anyone mentioned Sutton in Ashfield and its neighbour Kirkby in Ashfield?

Feltham
Staines
Stanwell
Ashford (Middx)
Hounslow