To nominate as the country's worst town centre....

[moogster1a]

...Rochdale.
Good God it's a god forsaken place. There appears to be half a dozen payday loan shos, a few poundland things and some mobile 'phone shops.
It's got so bad that even maccy d's has shut down.
It's only redeeming feature is that Gabbots farm is still clinging on.

I was pleasantly surprised by peterborough

Newport
Goole
Croydon

But live in Swindon, so probably can't comment.

From Wiki. Hitler loved the Town Hall.

"Although it is not fully understood how it came to his attention, Rochdale Town Hall was admired by Adolf Hitler. It has been suggested a visit by Hitler in 1912?13 while staying with his half-brother Alois Hitler, Jr. in Liverpool, or military intelligence on Rochdale, or information from Nazi sympathiser William Joyce (who had lived in Oldham), brought the building to his attention. Hitler admired the architecture so much that it is believed he wished to ship the building, brick-by-brick, to Nazi Germany had German-occupied Europe encompassed the United Kingdom. Rochdale was broadly avoided by German bombers during the Second World War."

Ok I am from a place not far from Rochdale, have been to many northern towns in a previous job and have lived down south now for a considerable time so think I am pretty well placed to judge.

In order..

1.Barrow in Furness (shudder), you wouldn't go unless you had to, otherwise it would have lots more votes. It's a hole at the end of a loooong road. Seems like they are trying to stop people escaping.

1. Rhyl

1. Rochdale. It's bad but not a patch on the others. Whoever said Blackburn is having a laugh in comparison.

Oh and whoever said Eastbourne - leave the thread, you haven't got a clue!

Who mentioned Tooting Bec

There's the commons, the Lido, an gorgeous art deco cinema, hundreds of amazing restaurants, two covered markets, excellent schools, the butcher who can source anything for you (we've had fantastic game, plus springbok and crocodile from him)

And Putney! You're 'aving a giraffe mate....

Not sure who mentioned solihull but it's actually quite nice (for the west midlands).

I vote for Rotherham. Most depressing place on earth. Closely followed by Wakefield and Brownhills.

Bedford High Street is unbelievably awful; no parking, no decent shops, lots of charity shops. The town centre could be beautiful but the council and planners have done nothing over the past forty years except preside over its demise.

Chorley - Lancs, I ran away. It's a local law once you reach 15 you have to go to the pub. Start one end of the town and work your way to the Swan With Two Necks for last orders.
Every time I go home the council manage to make another part more ugly (Booths opposite the pretty bit by St. Lawrence's church and the old grammar. Market Walk - say no more. How about lets dig up the York paving outside Astley Hall and the ornamental lake and replace with tarmac - who's garden did they end up in!). Don't get me started on the pedestrian areas, weird by-passes and 'fun pool'. Lastly before I combust, how many Tescos/supermarkets does one area need?

Blackpool is definitely the worst town centre. Loads of shops in the town centre have closed down. It looks so scruffy and am ashamed of my home town. I was born and raised here and aside from 3 years living in Cyprus (God why did we come back!) have lived here all my life.

Dh is self employed and has a business here and at least rent on his business is cheap compared to other seaside resorts in the UK and has a longer season when dh earns bulk of his earnings but everywhere shuts for the winter and its all rather depressing. I dream of moving somewhere, anywhere, but here!

spuddybean - Stratford has a thin veneer these days.

Ooh ooh I forgot Gainsborough!

Think village of the damned....

I say Farnworth too, i live in Walkden and thats not much better.

Blackpool

Unless seeing drunk hen dos puking and dry humping at 11 in the morning is your bag :)

Cumbernauld

Linwood

Stratford is now our shopping destination of choice I'd never have imagined saying that 5 years ago (Discover Centre is lovely though).

Canning Town OTOH is grim grim grim. We got our cats from the rescue centre there and it's unspeakable - but still not quite as sad as some of the towns full of boarded up shop fronts mentioned earlier in this thread.

Newport Gwent, I'm torn on - cold, violent, ugly, everything's uphill. When I lived there the flat was so damp the matches for the stove went mouldy, and we used to go to Rocky's Burgers every week for a treat, even though we had a 25% chance of food poisoning. OTOH it does have some sort of life to it.

Wigan, Chorley, Farnworth, Leigh, Blackburn, Burnley, Walkden and nobody has mentioned the epicentre - the dump that is Bolton! My home town and I love it, pity DH isn't so keen.

itsSnowdarling that's my home dump too!

I don't like Bolton but neither do I hate it. By the sounds of the places on here better alternatives are few and far between.

Those who think Northampton is bad should try Wellingborough.

I would also like to defend lovely Tooting

However, I wholeheartedly agree about Mitcham - bland, run down and with an ever-present feeling of menace.
The common is beautiful but I would never venture there alone, any time of the day.

Coventry!!! Hardly any shops unless its £1land or 99p shop.

I think Bath is a dump, all that Roman stuff so last millennium or is it the millennium before?

Marlborough is chavtastic with a right rough school full of oiks.

Aldeburgh and Southwold - Meh too many seagulls.

shockers Fri 17-Feb-12 22:49:01
I went to Goole once (my Dad was born there, I was curious)
won't be going again
nuff said
I live in Goole, although im not originally from here

RogerSmellyOnTheTele
Im from a town outside of Castleford haha
Yes agree Castleford is a dump. Full of Charity shops, food places, Wilkinsons, £Stretcher, A dirty Burger King and a dirty smelling Shopping Centre called Carlton Lanes
What ever you do if you visit Cas Vegas Dont USE the toilets in Carlton Lanes. Im sure someone has shit themselves and places their knickers behind a radiator in the womens toilets as it constantly stinks.

Blackpool is a dump but i cant help but love it.
Its the place where me and DH fell in love

I used to think Crawley was a dump til I went to Stoke.
If there is worse than that I don't think I want to see it.

I haven't read the whole thread as I'm scared I'll see my home town and start crying but I wanted to defend Stoke on Trent- The few times I've been there, I am amazed by the unusual layout- Five towns, of which Hanley, the shopping bit, is one. I think it's quite unimaginative of anyone to find this is any way confusing, in fact it's pretty sad- Just because a town is not an identikit middle, suburbs, out of town model doesn't make it crap. In fact it's interesting and different. Also, Stoke market is amazing and the people are wonderful.