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.

Oi! Croydon is not a dump

We have Surrey St market, all the Asian and Turkish minimarts down London Road, the clubs and restaurants in OldTown, the trams, Dubstep...

Sirzy St Helens - I am actually there often, but haven't been in the town itself for years. I lived there for a short while as a child and my memories of it are tinged with grey and poverty and Pimm's Pies.

Mum's family all live there so we visit most weekends, but it's Parr/Sutton so I don't venture into the town itself.

Crawley - who defended Crawley???? Grrr. I lived in Maidenbower(actually) in joke Soul-less, Crawley town centre was just a 1960's designer's wet dream (although the Debenhams mall was good)

I see nobody defending Northampton

No Stockport's fab compared to Roccy. It's shops aren't all boarded up for a start.

Suprised it took seven posts for St Helens to be mentioned - tis but a collection of poundshops, pie shops and charity shops.

Wellington, Telford. Very depressing

What's the deal with Colechester?
I haven't been their for years.
Has it really hit the skids?

No one's mentioned Calne, Trowbridge, Warminster or Westbury.

This surprises me........!!

I went to Goole once (my Dad was born there, I was curious)

won't be going again

nuff said

OP, I just knew this was going to be Rochdale. I have the pleasure of living in the next town over, and avoid it at all costs.

The town hall is nice.
Hitler liked it.
Rochdales claim to fame....

Thornaby, Billingham, Stockton on Tees in that order.

Nothing nimby about that at all. I am generalising about Whitworthians in the same way you are generalising about Rochdale, just on the basis of what you think you see, not what is actually going on.

And I know it was on telly because of my job, not because I make a habit of watching telly in the morning. Not that it makes me posh, or anything.

Rochdale has got an amazing town hall and lovely friendly people, but it is grim.

Hitler liked the town hall?

sabire i love thornton heath! it makes me laugh so much i love the flamboyant brocade nehru collared suits!

Norwood high street is less fun and even more fried chickeny if possible!

Farmworth
DH just pointed out it's not technically a town
It is, however, a dump - Home Bargains seems to be the pinnacle of its offerings

Oldham and Middleton.

Solihul was pretty grim. We took a canal boat through there once; the high spot of the visit was avoiding the bloated corpse of a large dog, while a gang of ribald schoolkids urged us to "'it it wiv yer boat mister...ram the fucker and make it pop"

oooh is Aldershot still a dive?

BrianCox You're Pound Hill & you know it.

'I see nobody defending Northampton' thats because you can't

if your going shopping near northampton, go to corby instead

Pimbletts closing was a sad day for st Helen's, the "pimmies" you can get now just aren't the same.

Farnworth
bloody iPod

Clearly none of you have been to Hull....

Hucknall is the dive of all dives.

VeryLittleGravitas I hate West Croydon with a passion. Thornton Heath too. I don't mind other parts of Croydonia, it's west I find is a dump.

BrianCoxHasScaryHair I defended Creapy Crawley. It's not as bad as some people make it out to be. Broadfield isn't nice but the other parts are ok. The town itself isn't bad. At least you can go shopping and actually come out with bags of purchases.