Who on here grew up on a council estate/still lives in one?

[DrNortherner]

I did.

What is your experience? Good/bad?

Made me laugh on the education thread where arabella whats her name boasts about her kids walking through a council estate to get to school.

Tough we could have a discussion.

That is awful mamazon.

I lived on a council estate for a few years, then moved to a notorious road full of temporary housing that was worse than the estate to be honest.

I never thought about it growing up until a friends mum said to me after I had fallen out with her " I have never liked my dd knowing you because you live on that estate" When I lived on the estate I can just remember it being a bit miserable and no friends coming over as no one else lived near me, I went to a school in the next town.

When I moved to the dodgy road I was always on the edge of real trouble and am amazed I did not end up a drug addict, or get raped. One of the reasons I have just moved os because I do not want dd havng to come into contact with any of this.

At the age of 10 we moved to a council flat in the second worst estate in the town. Was a shock to the system as my newly seperated mum and us had been living in a detached new build in a "nice" town. Was only 15 miles away but the accent was so different they thought I was English. (Scottish towns) I learned to change that very quickly.

We had druggy accross the landing, did a bit of dealing so druggies in the close.
Prostitute downstairs, well I say a prostitute but I think she was so pissed most of the time she didn't charge. She had a little baby. If you have ever seen trainspotting it was a bit like that in her flat, my Mum babysat once because she knew she would leave the baby alone anyway. It was horrific in there.

It was proper scummy with abandoned settees in the back greens going mouldy all summer with kids bouncing on them anyway, washing stole off your line, tiny kids out playing at all hours, gangs roaming about etc.

Anyway yes it was all a bit crappy shitty but I managed to get O grades and Highers then went to college and all that.

Only a handful of flats were bought out of hundreds, about 50% of the houses in the other half were bought up though. It was proper scummy with abandoned settees in the back greens going mouldy all summer with kids bouncing on them anyway, washing stole off your line,

I now live in an ex-council in a small village that used to be very working class, but has suffered the invasion of the executive villas. I would say the council houses are 50% bought up. Great little place where everyone says hello even the youths hanging around the shop at night. Is a bit of a divide between those in the council/ ex council and the big new houses though. None of them are local and they have taken over the PTA .

I was born in a house that had been built in the 1860's until I was 6, It was one-up, one-down with a scullery, and a trapdoor down to the outside toilet. When it was built it overlooked the iron-master's house so had no windows on the back in case the plebs should glimpse their betters. This had been rectified but it was still really basic.

I can remember moving to a newly built council house and the sheer joy of a bathroom upstairs, (with a separate loo, there's posh!!)I had my own room and we had a front room for high days and holidays.

My childhood seems like something from the distant past, my grandparents were real Victorians and had lots of influence on me.

Our neighbours were the salt of the earth and were quite proud when I passed the 11plus and went to Grammar School, though I was picked on a bit by the kids. You had quite a reputation if you grew up there which served me well, even though I am a pacifist-lefty wuss!!

When I got married the women in the street got together and swept all the broken glass and crap up so I could sweep down to the car in style.

My god, I feel like Frank McCourt or something, pass me violin!!

The estate has been knocked down now, drugs and the sell off of housing stock meant it was not a nice place to live in the last 20 years.

I've recrated myself and my life but remember it with gratitude.

Recreated

mamazon you can come live near me id like to have more fairy lights

Ex-p grew up on that notorious estate too Mamazon (we've spoke about it on MSN before). His parents still live there. DS and I are on the other big estate in the same town.

My estate is HA, so same thing as council I think. I grew up in a rented house in an area where most homes were owned, and I hated that. My mum always thought that the rest of the neighbours would look down on us for renting so we had to pretend that we had a mortgage

I actually like living here, but I hope I've moved on before DS hits his teens. I worry that he'll be either lonely or he'll get in with the 'wronguns' (not sure which I'd hate most).

Yes LTH I have fond memories of my childhood too. I suppose it was a bit rough, nobody really had anything, but as a kid you don't realise that do you? We played out all day, riding all over on our bikes, playing in the back alley quite safely cause hardly anyone had a car.

As kids we had a certain amount of freedom that my ds does not have.

We all walked to school from about aged 8 and it was the done thing. I was very resposnible but just a little street wise too. Our kids don't get that do they when they are being ferried around here, there and every where.

I grew up on a council estate and i have quite happy memories of it. There were loads of kids to play with, street parties every year, great community.

We own our flat that we live in, but I don't live on a council estate now. It is pretty hard getting hold of a council property nowadays.

Arrabella whats her face got on tits with the tone of her article. I hate the way she thinks she is doing the "commoners" a favour by sending her DCs to the local scum bag school. Found the tone of the article very patronising.