Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

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

787 replies

moogster1a · 17/02/2012 22:15

...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.

OP posts:
porcamiseria · 19/02/2012 10:00

YY for Hayes, fucking shit hole

OBface · 19/02/2012 10:02

Corby should take the mantle. No doubt about it.

Boomerwang · 19/02/2012 10:15

qo when I went to Hartlepool with some friends of my then boyfriend (said friends looked odd too - and frankly so did my boyfriend) we perched ourselves on a bridge overlooking the street below and did some people watching (read: stone broke can't buy anything) and every other person either had a funny limp, a weird outfit on such as luminous stripy leggings with white stilettos or a ripped hat pulled right down so the crown of the head poked through or someone dressed in an outfit worzel gummidge would have been proud of...

There were gurning faces, old ladies under 4 foot 6, a child of approx 4-5 running around town BAREFOOT... basically there was something not quite right about a lot of people.

HillyWallaby · 19/02/2012 10:20

Spuddy I feel exactly the same way - I just cannot bear to be anywhere that feels even slightly menacing. I am a nightmare to be in a club or a pub with on a 'lively' night - I'm a bag of nerves!

HillyWallaby · 19/02/2012 10:23

Arf at Boomerwang. Grin I must admit I've always found Maldon in Essex a bit like that. It's quite a pretty, quaint town centre with some nice shops and some lovely countryside around it, but a worrying high proportion of the people just seem.....peculiar. It's all a bit Duelling Banjos. Confused

dawntigga · 19/02/2012 10:28

But none of you have seen Winsford or Northwich town centre in Cheshire. There are rivers running through them that could be developed and made nice etc. and ALL the shops have either their backs to the rivers or are up a hill.

Ashton-Under-Lyne has no redeeming features except for an Asian 'supermarket' that might not still be there.

ItWouldHaveTakenASmallAmountOfPlanningTiggaxx

HillyWallaby · 19/02/2012 10:31

Funnily enough someone was telling me all about Winsford the other day. They weren't exactly selling it to me. Grin

Original poster
moogster1a · 19/02/2012 10:31

You cannot possibly include Northwich with the likes of Rochdale and Hartlepool. I'd love Northwich to be my local shopping place. far fewer mutants in lovely Cheshire.

OP posts:
upahill · 19/02/2012 10:49

I went to Barrow in Furness once with work.
The only place that seemed open was a cat charity shop.
A transvestite that helped out there tried to sell me some fresh duck eggs.

IvanaHumpalot · 19/02/2012 11:27

SquidgyBiscuit

Yey for the tapas in Rochdale. Down a scary alley to tapas heaven.

BodaciousTatas · 19/02/2012 11:30

Hilly Greenslade is considered the posh bit of plumstead. People who live there always say they live on Plumstead Common. My ex MIL always used to tell people she lived in Shooters Hill when she lived there.

arghmyear · 19/02/2012 11:32

hartlepool

I know someone from there. He emigrated.

Original poster
moogster1a · 19/02/2012 11:34

is the Tapas really good? I've never braved the smelly looking alleyway

OP posts:
MrsChemist · 19/02/2012 11:41

Barrow in Furness is indeed a massive hole.

McHappyPants2012 · 19/02/2012 11:43

Another vote for newport ( shitport)

ronx · 19/02/2012 12:01

What about PENZANCE?

We went there on a day trip from St Ives. Never again.

You leave the grim, grey train station and step into a grim, grey town. Penzance has a big crime and drugs problem because a lot of wrong uns end up there. The high street consists of miserable pubs and betting shops. There is a path along a miserly beach but you have to dodge piles of dog mess.

dontaskwhereIlive · 19/02/2012 12:01

Scarborough

Gawd. It's 50 miles from a city - even a small one. It has nothing there. Just a few rubbish chains (small M&S, small Boots, Argos and card shops) and any number of pound shops and the only saving grace being Waterstones.

Oh God we are probably moving there too. It's so shabby and bleak. I hated it Sad the centre made me feel depressed.

I'll really miss pottering around nice shops.

Oh and it was full of drunk people, people with angry dogs and really depressed looking children in depressed looking pushchairs. Occasionally all 3. Everyone looked so scruffy and miserable.

Sorry to be so judgemental but there it is. That's what I felt.

Shugochara · 19/02/2012 12:04

Did anyone check out the Can House in Hartlepool? That's what it's like, I swear. Interestingly my DH left at 18 and never went back.

HillyWallaby · 19/02/2012 12:19

Where is Hartlepool? I have no idea!

KenDoddsDadsDog · 19/02/2012 12:23

North East England.

DilysPrice · 19/02/2012 12:30

Is that an answer to Hilly's question Ken, or a rather broad nomination?

D0oinMeCleanin · 19/02/2012 12:35

Hartlepool is in Teesside, NE coast of England and they don't all talk like that, honest Blush. Some of us are educated Shock

Although it is very possible we all drink like that Wink.

Besides which Billingham and Thornaby are far worse. Hartlepool is cosmopolitan compared to those two dives.

D0oinMeCleanin · 19/02/2012 12:37

I'm surprised it's taken to page 26 to be mentioned though Grin

McHappyPants2012 · 19/02/2012 12:39

newport song

McHappyPants2012 · 19/02/2012 12:44
another pisstake of newport :)