Brighthouse was a notorious rent to own company, accused of targeting the "poorest, most desperate families" and operating in the "most deprived areas" of the UK, charging exorbitant interest. Not a great loss to any high street!

@antonycharnock2993

7 ай бұрын

Same with Perfect Home. They were both in Rotherham but have closed. No great loss at all. Back before everyone got credit local furniture/home shops would sell things "on tick" or HP monthly payments without the high interest rates. It was the only way poor families could afford to buy things. I remember my mum going into a shop called Pecks in Rotherham to make her payments

@terrapyn99

7 ай бұрын

So happy to see the derelict premises of this dodgy company. The goods that Brighthouse sold were classed as 'graded', meaning they were customer returns, many of which had intermittent faults.

@thisperson5294

7 ай бұрын

Absolutely. Glad to see it go.

@sarahtaylor2492

7 ай бұрын

@@antonycharnock2993 perfect home were awful, apparently they have gone into liquidation.

@audie-cashstack-uk4881

7 ай бұрын

Have you heard seen 50 shades of chav a poem based on bright house 😂😂😂😂 uk birthdates collapsed when bright house closed Down many a single mum on benefits couldn’t entertain tyrus or declon on the courner suit

Greg's closing down has got to be the nail in the coffin for any town. 😂

@antonycharnock2993

7 ай бұрын

Someone call the UN. A humanitarian disaster is happening in Slough. It's a pasticide.

@dcallan812

7 ай бұрын

That really is a sorry day Gregs turning off the sausage roll oven. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

@ian-fm2xc

7 ай бұрын

Gregs prices have skyrocketed anyway

@seanrm

7 ай бұрын

To be fair, sausage rolls could never be a big seller in Slough

@Strange_Club

7 ай бұрын

​@@seanrmWhy's that? Do the people of Slough not like pastry? 😇

I live in Slough and you've down a good job in telling Slough's story. A couple of things, the giant Debenhams was also large M&S next to it. Both gone. Even Poundland has closed. The Shopping Centre is supposed to be bulldozed and turned into flats. But that is apparently a 20 year(!) development. Glad you highlighted the big supermarkets and what they have done to the town centre. The Horlicks factory development is one of the few bright spots on a pretty depressing place. The bus station which cost £11M and didn't protect you from the weather, was burnt by vandals. No one seems to want to fix it. Also Slough is just a 5 min drive from the King and his castle in Windsor. The two towns are a perfect example of the wealth gap in the UK

@pinkmandymoo

7 ай бұрын

Yep! I remember finally earning enough to move to Windsor. Moved away from the area completely now, but fond memories of both towns

@limyrob1383

6 ай бұрын

I do agree about the Tesco and Salisburys, they killed the town centre. Salisbury (it was a Tesco site they were forced to sell) stands on the old Greyhound Stadium that hosted many live events and brought a lot of people into the town on Friday nights.

@johnkean6852

6 ай бұрын

Yes DLR London. Apart from getting workers in and out of the centre (was closed much of the time out business hours) it was a Flu and Hypothermia breeding ground as it was so cold. Being next to the River which is 10 times COLDER than other parts of London protected by buildings. How the developers got away with that is a puzzle as it cost a pretty penny for girders and glass.

@robertwatson9940

6 ай бұрын

​@@limyrob1383You should ask Aldi and Lidl to open stores.We have both and they sell things much cheaper.

@danielcunningham6727

6 ай бұрын

You know a place is screwed when even a poundland can't survive

I drove a delivery van for an electrical company around that area in the early 90's. I was stunned when I arrived at an address in Slough to deliver a fridge and the owner took me through the garden to what was initially a large garden shed. This owner had converted the garden shed into two separate living quarters that he was letting out to tenants. I've since learned this is very common in the area. The local council even pay Housing Benefit to some landlords for claimants to reside in these "huts" which I find absolutely disgusting.

@chrisf9377

6 ай бұрын

In 2013 (I think) the council hired a company to fly a plane over the town and they identified 6350 "suspicious" sheds or garages that were emitting heat. I remember cycling down numerous residential roads in Slough in the 80s and there being very few cars parked on the road in the evenings. If you do the same now then there are a lot of cars parked on the road despite there being no obvious reason (No nearby shops, offices, train station or new homes built / House has a big drive way with 2 or 3 cars parked on it). We've always suspected that this was going on and that the council (Labour) ignores it.

@begforrit7731

6 ай бұрын

@@chrisf9377 This country (The UK) has gone to heck and there's no sign of it improving regardless of which political party happens to be in power. Tories dont "fix" any of the wrongs Labour did, and vice versa. I've a sneaky suspicion they (the hidden elite) are ramping up for a huge reset and population cull of the surplus "breathers" and "eaters" that they feel are surplus to requirements going forward into their new paradigm. Good luck and stay safe. Our future was never our own.

@matthowardtv

6 ай бұрын

That sounds odd, with reports of slaves (modern, and domestic) it may be likely a few were taking advantage of an already strange situation, but, if a guy can "rent" at the bottom of a garden, for safety, in a time when dodgy landlords do worse, who's to blame him for asking, or trying?

@docastrov9013

5 ай бұрын

And the shed inhabitants work in Heathrow.

@redmeth07

5 ай бұрын

Hey!! I live in one of the mini apartments which you refer to as “ Huts “ hmm they aren’t that bad besides landlord Greg said I maybe getting a bucket this year so I can finally have a toilet.

Who would have thought that allowing a supermarket to build the worlds biggest Tesco adjacent to the town centre would result in the closure of all the smaller shops.😮

@Steve-ix2un

6 ай бұрын

It is NOT the worlds biggest Tesco

@davidk1644

6 ай бұрын

@Steve-ix2un oh well, disregard my post then, the store had obviously nothing to do with the demise of the town centre.

@GrantHarri

6 ай бұрын

Welcome to George Orwell 1984 and the WEF smart cities

@curtisducati

6 ай бұрын

Mental council paid back handers to allow it , one makes a billion a year profit other shops gone in the area , idiots.....

@THEPete_

6 ай бұрын

Same thing happened up here, Tescos opened and killed the town

The "Americanisation" of Britain, with ever larger shopping centres (many out of town) and best accessed by car, is not a good fit for a much smaller, compact country. It has happened in other parts of Europe, too - but nothing as bad as in the UK.

@Blackadder75

7 ай бұрын

it's their own fault , for electing Trump wannabees like boris . but just as in the US I feel sorry for the other half of the population who didn't vote for those clowns

@newfoundland3238

7 ай бұрын

Hardly malls are empty here as well in NYC skyscapers are empty in NYC becoming apartments for a cool 4500 dollars a month.A lot of people work from home.If they hare American things then why is there a market for them in UK?

@Steve31000

7 ай бұрын

Ireland also has become totally Amercanised. The 24/7 work and hustle culture has been indoctrinated into the general public due to all the American multi-national HQs based there and neo-liberalism on steroids. Rural Irish towns have become run down like many UK towns, small businesses and pubs simply can't survive. I live abroad and when I return home, my country has become largely unrecognizable.

@justbreakingballs

7 ай бұрын

Simplistic drivel.

@drscopeify

6 ай бұрын

I think that shopping using a car is less about Americanisation and more about people having more money, higher income jobs and so they can afford the money to buy cars, and choose easier life over tradition. Also the population getting older might be part of reason. It is not easy to carry all shopping by hand to home when age 60+

Sainsbury’s used to be slough greyhound and football ground , I loved Slough back then , I grew up there from 8 to 20 years old -) in the 70s , great place to grow up back then ! Such a mix of people all getting on , I left in 1980 , now I am French and live in a village over looking the sea in Corsica , not bad for a kid from Slough ,

@christineayres7199

6 ай бұрын

I was born there too we Slough natives are very clever in a Del Trotter way LOL I managed to escape the town too , seems like all my friends i went to school with either ended up working in Dubai or another foreign nation or they live in posh parts of the UK nowadays , no one in their right mind ever stays living in Slough its as if God placed us all there as a test to see how many could escape but saying this back in the 90s i enjoyed living on Long Readings Lane number 28 it was brilliant we had 2 dogs a 3bed home own garage with it and my dad at the time was earning ok money and had a car , sadly when my mother died in October of 1998 thanks to the incompetence at Wexham Park Hospital my dad moved us all away from Slough as he kept seeing my late mum Patricias ghost round every street corner , that Wexham park is still a bad place it should have been closed down years ago in my opinion as most people who go in there never came out alive.

So yeah, we had a perfectly good bus station in Slough, the council in it's infinite wisdom then decided it needed to be completely flattened to allow for offices, the new bus station was built (the monstrosity you found) only to be set on fire in a reported arson attack back in 2022. Slough was a once great high street with two bustling shopping centres, many places to eat etc, unfortunately over the course of the past 15-20 years it has just got worse and worse year on year. I am 35 and after 32 years of living in Slough moved away in February 2020, my only regret was not doing it sooner!

I moved to England in 2015 and although many aspects are good, I was massively surprised at the squalor, and how run down places can be here

@JoolsUK

7 ай бұрын

Switzerland it is not! England has always had smog and dirt.

@jaw2112

7 ай бұрын

Where from?

@michaeljohndennis2231

7 ай бұрын

I moved to Manchester from the Republic of Ireland in 2002 and initially this was my experience too

@Muzhskoy

7 ай бұрын

I moved from Estonia in 2010 and although Estonia is no paradise, seeing the decline of the country I’ve come to as a young man to study has been shocking. I love this country so much and I want it to thrive but there seems to be nothing the regular folk can do to help lift it up. It all comes from those above us, in the Parliament…

@simonrhurst

7 ай бұрын

Welcome to over ten years of Tory rule

I grew up in Slough, walked home from school everyday via the High St, through the late 90's and mid 2000's. Definitely used to have a heck of a lot more going for it. Loads of great shops back then - HMV being my particular favourite. My folks still live there and it really is quite sad whenever I go back to visit them. That Tesco definitely was one of the final straws for the retail sector there - especially, as you highlighted, its criminal proximity to the High St. And yes that burnt structure was the spanking new bus station - lasted I think less than a year before that fire destroyed it. Slough Council declared bankruptcy in the last couple of years - it's clear to anyone how poorly managed the town has been for so long. Very sad, but not a unique story, as your excellent series is documenting. If you were down in the area for another day I'd have suggested taking the train one stop to neighbouring Windsor and walking through Peascod St (the name of their High St) for an example of a High St that is the complete opposite. Thriving like mad. Being opposite Windsor Castle might have something to do with that. Compared with being opposite a different type of Castle (Tesco).

@pimpozza

7 ай бұрын

Thanks for posting this very interesting comment..👍 I think it's great when people who know an area take the time to explain in more detail..

@mrsthatcher9815

7 ай бұрын

it was great in 80s - remember 'our price' next to marks?

@Electricdreams21

7 ай бұрын

Shit. I remember when the station was built, it was a big deal for Slough

@daydays12

7 ай бұрын

It is mainly not poor management but the strangling of local authorities by the central government with their austerity 'cuts'. The " Return to Victorian England". The councils are going bankrupt mainly because central 'government' stopped financing them as much. The Institute for Government reports: "Local authority ‘spending power’ - the amount of money authorities have to spend from government grants, council tax and business rates - fell by 17.5% between 2009/10 and 2019/20, before partially recovering. However, in 2021/22 it was still 10.2% below 2009/10 levels." That is without taking inflation into account. In real terms the local authorities have suffered a near 40% reduction in revenue with a large increase in needs. The institute for Government: "The fall in spending power is largely because of reductions in central government grants. These grants were cut by 40% in real terms between 2009/10 and 2019/20, from £46.5bn to £28.0bn (2023/24 prices)." No local authority, especially those with a poor, deprived population, could survive such cuts. Slough and its like is what the Central ( Conservative ) government wanted... a return to a small entitled, privileged rich group and a servile poor deprived majority with local authorities unable to help or cope. But councils have been short sighted and ignorant by encouraging shopping malls and by ( driven by lack of money) increasing business rates to unsustainable levels.. They are also not 'green'. People love trees, parks, green spaces..'nice places' to come to. If the councils had greened and made town centres pleasant, attractive to visit, and provided good cheep public transport to those places people would have come into town...and shopped! Where I live the council has a policy of 'nature in town'..and people flock to the centre where' nature' is everywhere plus a variety of cafés, restaurants, places to live too, makes a huge difference. Instead of "shopping malls" there is decent in town housing ...which means shoppers are already in town..etc etc. The public transport is good and cheap and free on weekends ..which means on Saturdays the centre is booming. The town where I live has also brought one or two what they call commercial 'locomotives' to the centre and housed one of them ( a major electronics outlet) in a gracious, previously municipal building. This has massive footfall and is surrounding by greenery, cafés and cinemas..plus night clubs and many little shops and is serviced by a tram stop...etc etc Another great move by the council is to initially finance a very innovative art project in the centre which now boosts tourism to the town which previously was not a tourist destination. Another initiative is to have made the centre walkable and cyclable with many many very large trees....etc etc

@mrsthatcher9815

7 ай бұрын

nah - its because of foreigners taking over@@daydays12

I feel like your channel could dovetail nicely into how car dependency and lack of walkability in these places destroys communities and doesn't foster a sense of "third place". The gentleman on the bike touched on that when he mentioned he just goes to an off license and takes his beer home because the pubs that have remained aren't places you'd want to visit. We need places besides home and work (which is the same for some) to unwind and socialize and places like pubs, parks, the high street, and generally places that aren't next to noisy, busy streets help foster a sense of community. The US is in the middle of a loneliness epidemic in part thanks to poor city planning and infrastructure which has prioritized cars over livable spaces. As always, I wish you and your channel nothing but success. You've been doing such great work. Love the new logo with the black and yellow jacket :)

@Alger0us

6 ай бұрын

This is spot on - UK massively underserved for third places. Most countries in Europe do this a lot better

@lindaolivova2698

6 ай бұрын

@@Alger0us Absolutely agree.

@stevetaylor1657

6 ай бұрын

We vote with our wallets

The chimney you touched was the Mars factory. Used to be able to smell the chocolate when you walked passed

I used to work in slough 20 years ago in an officially sad building as all the windows were tinted, No matter how sunny it was outside it looked miserable and grey from the inside. That's when I took up smoking so I had an excuse to go outside.

All those giant, empty spaces and we still can't seem to offer the homeless a roof over their heads and some warmth for a night.

@mrsthatcher9815

7 ай бұрын

they all go to the mosque

@CAMSLAYER13

6 ай бұрын

Abandoned buildings arent warm

@chrisc9421

6 ай бұрын

@@CAMSLAYER13 probably better than being outside in freezing conditions though.

@chrismcgrory1691

4 ай бұрын

All the homeless need to go to france and come back on a din ghy

The Three Tuns Pub was one of the original coaching Inns for the London to Bath run. The area out back were stables for the horses. The Herschel Pub was a lively Irish pub. Sad to see such decay. The chimney in the Trading Estate is for the independent power station. Slough Estates Ltd owns the entire land there. From an old ex-Slough person.

@Alvsyn

6 ай бұрын

Thanks, I wonder when The Three Tuns poured it's first pint.

@deejohn1659

6 ай бұрын

I remember The Three Tuns Pub. Was brought up in Britwell Estate and would regularly visit the Burnham Village shops, once each an individual trade..Bakers, Electrical, Shoe Shop Butchers, Bike shop etc and all killed off by the Village Supermarket. I also remember a posh Department Store in Slough called Seuters..or Suters. And as School kids we'd often go to the back of Mars Factory where some of the factory girls would give us some reject bubble gum.

@juliee.7072

6 ай бұрын

Old ex Sloughie here too. Loved my home town back in the day. Sad to see The Three Tuns shut. I can still recall the sweet smell of the Mars factory, and the swings in Lascelles Park, Suters department store and the indoor market, and trips to London and Windsor with our mum on the train. The Golden Egg cafe. Brunel Bus Stn. Sad to see the March of so-called progress sucking the heart and soul from everywhere.

@deejohn1659

6 ай бұрын

@@juliee.7072 ...Sounds just like my old Slough. And yes I remember the lovely sweet smell coming from the Mars factory on a windy day. I keep promising myself a trip out to Burnham Village where as a kid I would regularly buy a sack of fresh straw from the Pet Shop for our rabbit....carrying the straw on my back in all weathers across fields that seemingly no longer exist, looking at Google Street View...new houses everywhere.

@christineayres7199

6 ай бұрын

Surprised its not been knocked down and turned into an Indian restaurant yet as thats what happened to the Yew Tree and the Crown Pubs from what my uncle who lives there told me , only 3 pubs left in the whole of Sloughdonistan LOL

I think it comes down to that fact that many UK town centres were decimated during the 20th century with awful architecture and terrible town planning. The shops were the ONLY reason to visit many, and now the internet has allowed people to say away from these god awful places. Whenever I find myself in a vibrant high street or town centre in the UK they all have once thing in common; they are actually pleasant places to be and spend time even if just passing by because they have some beauty and character left.

@matthowardtv

6 ай бұрын

absolutely true, but disorganisation finds itself a problem everywhere, the notion renting or buying is ok for anyone, anywhere is leading to disintegration and division, people need to know what to go for (and why) to make retail, leisure, pleasure, and other sectors of the economy to make sense

@NZealandKiwi

6 ай бұрын

Then finished off with diversity. Thank you, politicians.

You need to do a series on the bankrupt councils of England. Would be a big hit, look into the incompetence of council members in places like Woking

@colincampbell4261

7 ай бұрын

And 13 years of tory grant cuts, but you know that!

@tommypip

7 ай бұрын

And Croydon!

@davethompson247

7 ай бұрын

lifetime's work there my friend 🤣

@JoolsUK

7 ай бұрын

Theres a limit to how much enthusiasm you can portray a subject, I think such a drab subject may not get many views

@ZenosOsgorma

7 ай бұрын

lol no more like Badly spent money on Regenerative projects but not solving the core issue of Costly business property. @@colincampbell4261 my home town has had Millions spent on it , tidal barrier etc some of the older Grade 1 shop fronts fixed up but No shops can afford the rates and Rent the Non-local landlords are asking because the Good chunk of the stores on the front are either owned by a corporation (shopping centers) or its property owned by some Foreign tycoon.

My son was thrilled to bump into you last weekend at the local tip!

@wanderingturnip

7 ай бұрын

Oh yeah was that at tod tip? I’m always there as I can’t be bothered with the bin men 😂

@Nickelodeon81

2 ай бұрын

Are you sure it was the tip? It could have been Slough.

It's definitely getting more like a Post Apocalyptic movie out there. I worked on the Sluff Trading Estate for about 9 months 30 years ago. It was a busy place and I remember the Observatory shopping centre being a new extension to the older Queensmere. Another historic brand name from Slough was Dulux paint. UK High streets are in a death spin and I can't see a solution. Even changing to housing will only make things slightly less bad. No shops, no jobs, no shoppers etc will just leave town centres as dead centres. At least in Slough they will have an enormous Tesco in town rather than out of town for all the apartment renters who won't be able to afford a car or a drink in a pub.

The US mirrors this in its abandoned shopping malls and acres of empty parking lots. Thank you for taking us with you. You brighten up the blight.

@matthowardtv

6 ай бұрын

yes, but america is haphazard in its investment, too, it doesn't understand itself, either, american businessmen don't understand what america is, they only vote and donate for tax dollars

@matthowardtv

6 ай бұрын

yes, but america is haphazard in its investment, too, it doesn't understand itself, either, american businessmen don't understand what america is, they only vote and donate for tax dollars

@michelewiese48

6 ай бұрын

@@matthowardtv America has always been everyone’s yet no one’s somehow. “The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind” -BD

@neville132bbk

6 ай бұрын

First dead shopping centre i visited was when our daughter, teaching in a nearby city, took us through one in Nihama, Shikoku island..... due to population decline, presumably....in 2012

I grew up in Slough and the high street was buzzing with all the usual brands. Soo many memories in BHS, Littlewoods and C&A bored while my mum shopped! Its dead now and not very safe.

@matthowardtv

6 ай бұрын

folks also don't realise everything else is pretty much retail, including banking, hotels, air flights/holidays, even recruitment, it's all customer service when there's a transaction involved, we need more competition, as well as sense to see it all

@christineayres7199

6 ай бұрын

Woolworths on Farnham road i have the best memories of as that store had everything and quick memory test do you remember the Safeway on Farnham road and C and A in Slough high street ? that was back in the 90s when the town had a community spirti and was majority Irish and Welsh community in that time before the 00s when it seems like all of India took over the town lol

When I was at University in Preston (a long time ago now), the brands on the highstreet were complaining about the rates, and one by one they all started to close. It seems like there's a simple solution - lower the rates, which will lead to more stores being open, enticing more footfall. Why would anybody want to visit a highstreet that just has charity shops and boarded up shops? It seems that the people in charge of the highstreets just haven't got a clue, or don't care.

@GorillaHashstash

7 ай бұрын

Do you think part of the problem could be people don't support there local stores anymore they prefer to buy stuff from Amazon or supermarkets

@calderdale6795

7 ай бұрын

Also the shutdown of nearly all bank branches has reduced footfall significantly in my market town. The banks are making more money whilst destroying any semblance of customer service. Slough was an awful place even 40 years ago.

@MamaRebelle

7 ай бұрын

In my town, Gosport Hampshire, most of the buildings in the high street are owned by big corporations for hedge funds. They charge massive rents to the usual high street retailers and as they close down don’t seem to care. So it’s a double whammy rent and rates.

@sparagmos4748

7 ай бұрын

As stated here Slough's Council effed up, so my guess is that they either couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery or there was significant corruption. Probably a combo of the 2😟, I'd bet a significant amount that the companies involved have names in common with the council.

@antonycharnock2993

7 ай бұрын

Problem is business rates aren't set by local councils. They're set by central government. And who owns all the buildings and land? Investment companies who are owned by rich elites and Tory supporters.

Although I’m a UK citizen, I find your videos thoroughly entertaining. You’re almost doing what I wish bald and bankrupt would do - poke around the UK a bit more! High street has been doomed to fail since the early 10s in my view, a shame but you can understand why. Especially with the points you raise about hyperstores and the obvious online shopping.

@xb2856

6 ай бұрын

A lot less sex tourism too!

I used to drive through Slough to get to the motorway and was so glad I was only going through it!

12:34 you make me laugh “wow, is that a chimney?” It’s like you’ve found your oasis in the middle of Slough!

@BeccaAl

7 ай бұрын

19:13 TU is Sainsbury’s clothing brand. Like Asda has George and Tesco has F&F- Five nights at Freddie’s… 😂

Ironic, the "Shopping Centre" that killed the high street, has now died too

@am_pm.17

Ай бұрын

I don't think that counts for all shopping centres. At least the really big ones like Trafford, Metrocentre, Westfield, Meadowhall, they remain very active with a ton of footfall and business. It's mainly in smaller towns where these complexes are struggling.

Another fact about slough, was back in the early 1980’s, two computer giants of the time had their UK offices in Ajax Avenue. They were Commodore and Atari!

What is sad is those small independent shops like sport shops, shoe shops, camera, electronics,etc where you could try things before you buy and have some experienced sales person give you advice. That is what we have lost.

William Herschel was also a renowned composer, best known for his 24 symphonies. The Guy was multi talented

@mauk2861

6 ай бұрын

And his sister Caroline? as well

@cosmoshfa88savant66

6 ай бұрын

Talented Family @@mauk2861

@DanWall-xq3ed

3 ай бұрын

??

@DanWall-xq3ed

3 ай бұрын

You aving a laugh😂

I live in Slough and been here for the last 14 years and I have seen the town go from high to low. Back in late 2000s, the town's high street was booming. There were full crowds and during weekends it become very busy. There were numerous shops within the mall and outside which attracted numerous crowds. And now when i walked the high street just last week i was sad to see Slough become a ghost-town.

@christineayres7199

6 ай бұрын

I remember Slough in the 90s the early 90s was cool , I went to St Anthonys and then St Josephs high school and we used to have proper disco parties and all sorts of events with other families at the schools , used to meet up with friends to go shopping on Farnham road or in central slough at the Queensmare the M and S was a nice store as was Debenhams etc now all gone , I remember all the old pubs too as my late father used to go to them often , like the Crown , the Red Lion , the Lynchpin and Jolly Londoner sadly to me it is like someone erased my childhood from existence , change is not always a good thing , what was good was the old ways of the force as they would say in Star Wars lol

My mum lives in slough, i live in Lincoln. I have to visit that dump 3 or 4 times a year. Talk about depressing, each time i go it gets worse, we used to go to the all you can eat chinese restaurant ( closed since covid )next door to the boarded shopping centre in your vid was the odeon cinema, the regeneration has stalled due to council bankruptcy, the site of the indoor market was sold to a indian/Pakistani businessman who buggered of with all the cash. He raised the rents on the stallholders, drove them out, drove down the price of the property, sold at inflated price and hasn't been heard of since. The bus station is a joke that just isnt funny, the library curve an eyesore, all of it just reeks of a town ready to give up the ghost. Behind the bus station, you get the train station , this is a little gem however shame you missed it. The opening credits of the British office show Slough in its glory, where the curve/ bus station are situated was the old roundabout just opposite brunel University which you missed also ( literally spitting distance from library/bus st) bulldoze Slough and start again from scratch.

Who remembers when the Queensmare had a water fountain outside the entrance and everyone in Berkshire and Buckingham came to slough to go shopping. This hightstreet didn’t die, it was absolutely killed. They sold it to a Saudi developer who’s now in jail for money laundering. They big brands who were there couldn’t renew leases and no one knows what will happen to the land now. A total destruction for the economy of the town. That ping pong parlour was a GAP store and there was a massive marks and Spencer, every big brand you can name was in the 2 shopping centres but now it’s a ghost town 😭

@itsallrigged7295

2 ай бұрын

I didn’t until I saw your comment I really never thought I’d be fondly reminiscing about how slough high street used to be

Another honest episode of the decline of the High Street! I was there in Slough today and it is as bad as you have depicted! We walked the length and breath of the High Street, past The Observatory and Queensmere Shopping Centres and there was rubbish, pigeons and dirt everywhere, most shops were shut down, and the car park was dark, damp, dingy, poorly lit, with lifts not working on all 6 floors. The bus station, the victim of arson a few months ago adding to the terrible squalor, forlorn and dejected look! It was awful!

@michaeljohndennis2231

7 ай бұрын

It’s especially galling when one sees the bank branches closing down, that were getting taxpayers bailouts doing the aftermath of the credit crunch of 2008/2009 and now all these banks have moved online - the saddest part is that these areas were only beginning to recover from 2008/2009 in 2019, then Covid hit in 2020 with all of these gains being wiped out - we are even beginning to hear rumours that despite its recently changed ownership/management, despite its building extension programme, the Trafford Centre in Manchester is in financial trouble yet again - if any more of its anchor tenants move out, let alone any smaller stores, this could very well mean the end for the Trafford Centre and many other “out of town” shopping centres - even the old Clerys Department Store in Dublin’s O’ Connell St has been boarded up since before Covid and no-one knows what will happen to this beautiful listed building opposite the GPO - other rumours about Easons bookshop and the Arnotts Department store on Dublin’s Henry St abound as well, so no-one yet knows what will happen to there as well as Brown Thomas on Grafton St, even M&S here in the U.K.

@mister_M.

7 ай бұрын

Town of the year

@Bingo-zd1gp

25 күн бұрын

​@@mister_M. Towns of the year is tipton West Bromwich and Walsall in the West Midlands

@mister_M.

21 күн бұрын

@@Bingo-zd1gp waht a tip

It's nice to see a perspective from someone outside. Being born in Slough, I take it for granted and don't realise how dead the high street is. Slough was somewhat vibrant 10 years ago, but now it's really just a town designed to keep everything in close proximity. Tesco near the train station, high street with barely anything left, and apartment blocks everywhere designed to be as close to the train station as possible so people can leave at their earliest convenience.

@jayjayf9699

7 ай бұрын

I’m in slough all my life , it’s fucking dead , you don’t get numb to it

@mrbeast85

7 ай бұрын

Its interesting you should point out that a decade ago Slough seemed a more vibrant place. I'd argue one of the major causes of the recent decline in highstreets is 13 years of austerity and stagnating wages. Covid and to a lesser extent, Brexit, have also played their part, but this trend predates both of those. High streets were already facing challenges from online shopping and the proliferation of out of town retail parks. But the recession of 2008 and the disastrous policies that stemmed from it have really destroyed many town's high streets. Street view on Google Maps is a very good tool for tracking this decline. If I look at images of my own town on there (incidentally, Bolton, the subject of a recent Death of the High Street video) the appearance of the town in 2008, just on the cusp of the global financial crash is significantly better than now. If you take money out of people's pockets for 10+ years its unsurprising that they spend less and less of it on the high street.

@lenkiewiczlover7256

6 ай бұрын

Was there 10 years ago and quite liked it!

@propagandaisnottrue2121

6 ай бұрын

Burnham is the only part worth anything.

@matthowardtv

6 ай бұрын

That's interesting, all i heard about Slough was it had office space, but i don't think even with office space or whatever, a town thrives post-industry here, in my view, it may be a multitude of businesses, and industries, and media/creative things of craft and other ways/traditions, and a lot else that makes it even worth seeing/being there for, as many of us don't share in the same thing, like office workers, who have their own things, too, even with a vibrant, or "busy" area, how much is there for you to go between? i or you may only like a few places, shops, to go to, surely?

It was lovely to see Slough, obviously modern day Slough, it is cleaner than I thought it would be but it is lovely. I was born in Slough 1956 now in New Zealand

@le_chat4911

5 ай бұрын

Soon 70 years old, for sure you'll not go back to slough 😂

In the 70s I taught in Slough at the Licensed Victuallers’ School, my first job. First pay slip was £80 - a month (emergency tax code). The school was right next to the beautiful railway station (which you missed). Where’s the school now? In Epsom. Sold the land to Tesco so that store could be built. Thanks for the video. Well done.

I was in boarding school in Slough. They sold the grounds to Tesco to build that huge one. There was a preservation order on the old cedar trees, but they 'accidentally' knocked them down. Back then (late 7os) the High Street was very busy. I used to know Slough by its pubs back then, the best ones were off the High Street though.

@PeterHD-hj6bi

7 ай бұрын

Remember pubs called Swans and The Lynch Pin?

@sadjaxx

6 ай бұрын

Funny how big old trees get "accidentally" knocked down. /s

@johnmccormick1648

4 ай бұрын

Licensed Victuallers if I remember it being called.

@Jules_Pew

4 ай бұрын

@@johnmccormick1648 That's the one

The big Debenhams was formerly two stores: Owen Owen (formerly Suters) and, to the left of that, Marks & Spencer. Lived in Langley for 30+ years and my Mum worked in Suters/Owens for over 20 years. The council overspent their way into insolvency a few years back. Tesco's was the old Slough bus station and LV private school. Haven't been to Slough in over 15 years now, so it was interesting to see such a decline

@mrsthatcher9815

7 ай бұрын

it was great in 80s - remember 'our price' next to marks? and the man busking in the queensmere?

@marklee2648

7 ай бұрын

@@mrsthatcher9815 I think the oldest 'original' building (a business that has been in the same place for the longest time) is WHSmith (but not the Post Office bit). Spent a lot of time (and money) in Our Price. There was also a great record store in the old covered market at the top end of the High Street

We were recently in Norwich, and it is thriving. All of the shopping streets and shopping centres were busy, with a huge variety of businesses. Lots of pubs, cafes etc too. We walked around on a Tuesday afternoon and everywhere was busy. So refreshing to see, and I can see why people would want to live there.

@staedlerok

6 ай бұрын

MUST BE MAJORITY WHITE THATS WHY

@SiL-uj2zl

6 ай бұрын

I moved to Norwich 4 years ago from London and love it there is a real ethos of shopping local and independent...that said the old Debenhams right in the centre is a real eyesore and I wish tge council would hurry up renovating the gardens by the Primark!

@charlottem5686

6 ай бұрын

Yess moved to Norwich a year ago and it's incredible. I would love for him to come to Norwich to show somewhere that's managing to still thrive and explore why that is, have no idea how its always so busy

I'm an American who lived in Blackpool some years back. I know- it's a long story, but I really enjoyed seeing your updates on that area. It's been in decline for years. It's kind of depressing to see so many businesses closing. Blackpool would be ok if it did have too many beds and breakfasts. A few nice hotels with entertainment would make Blackpool a decent place.

@CAMSLAYER13

6 ай бұрын

Blackpool has been a depressing shit hole for decades

I love your videos mate. And I love your love for chimneys! Hopefully in ten years time you'll be doing a series on the successful regeneration of these towns... Who knows! ❤

@MrsBasaran

7 ай бұрын

Slough was miss managed, they sold the whole high street off to one developer and he’s in jail for money laundering. All the big brands couldn’t renew leases and that’s that, dead high street.

The chimney is Slough's redeeming feature 🤣

I had to spend two weeks to attend a course in Slough in 2017 and it was run down then but, wow, this is an eye opener. You can tell what kind of place it was as one night I went into the Nandos on the high street to get some tea and parents were bringing their kids in Trick or Treating

Online shopping was the death knell for so many high streets in the UK and the future, if there is one, lies in independent specialist retail outlets where you can buy something genuinely different to whatever the giant chain stores offer but you need a thriving, monied middle class for this to work.

I grew up, went to school and worked round this area many years ago. I also remember the Three Tuns pub, which in my day, was never without custom. Incredible to see it like it is now. Seriously man, there was a time when Slough was something; really mate.... just so, so busy. Many of the UK's, even World's, biggest companies had bases in Slough. Fun historic fact... Before trains, Maidenhead (next town west of Slough) was a far more of an important place simply because it was the farthest a set of horses and carriage could travel from London without a need to stop. When horse and carriages were replaced by trains, Slough, with it's proximity to London yet cheap land prices, offered a great place to set up factories. The Welsh connection comes directly from the GWR traveling from Cardiff to London. Slough would have been a great place for young Welsh folk to come and earn a living without going down a mine. It also meant that goods from America, landed on the Welsh coast by ship, could be quickly conveyed directly to London overnight ! As for Slough now... well, you can see what happened to the High Street but there's still plenty of jobs in the area. Never had a chance to say before but thanks for all your videos.... totally mind blowing from my 'old duffer's' perspective ! Things have changed so, so much.

@philluckwell617

6 ай бұрын

My father was a young Welsh lad that you referred to. He came to Slough with his family in the late 30s and lived in Upton Lea.

@omgpickle

6 ай бұрын

so the real question should be: how come a pub that is never without custom shuts down.

Slough is forever engrained in my mind, the place that they filmed Road Wars

@leebosley5984

7 ай бұрын

lol, that came to my mind too :D

@a6703

7 ай бұрын

Pat & Carl!!

@Anon1370

7 ай бұрын

episodes of road wars still get aired on pluto tv to this day 🤣alot of old shows on there to watch

@danhaworth6967

7 ай бұрын

A friend and I got pulled over by Pat and Carl! We (unknowingly) had a brake light out, it was hilarious.. "Excuse me sir, I've pulled you over as you have a..." "OH MY GOD! YOU'RE PAT FROM ROAD WARS!!" "HOLY S**T! ARE WE ON TV?!!" 😂 sadly wasn't, but they were good chaps. Probably more impressed that these two 20 year olds had a proper spare bulb kit in the boot of our complete banger lol

@christineayres7199

6 ай бұрын

My late dad met Pat and Karl at a petrol station in Slough , you know the one on the trading estate where the bowling alley used to be ? he had a good chat with them there in the late 90s my dad had similar car 2 litre Vectra and they had an Omega he just talked with them for a few mins about the cars and doing 140mph in his lol not the best idea to tell a cop you speed like that haha

Check out Croydon town centre, it's like a post apocalyptic wasteland. Only Primark and M&S keeping it just about alive (bear in mind I haven't been there for a year but doubt it's improved too much since then!). Edit; Interesting that so many things originated in Slough. The Horlicks factory looked great. Amazing how modern architecture inspires zero fantasy or positive emotion, as if it's all designed to keep people depressed.

I used to live in Slough between 2008 and 2016. It was a pretty lively place then, looks flipping awful now! So strange to see the Queensmere all shut up like that. The big shop with the lockdown instructions used to be a BHS, another huge loss to the high street. It seems all department stores are doomed to fail.

Omg u did my request of slough !!!!! I’m in slough right now

What a cracking video. I went to Slough in the very early 80s, thriving but even then, utterly depressing.

Lived near Slough for several decades, and never once felt the need to enter the town centre, let alone shop there. It was a dreary poorly-planned mess even in the 1970s.

The Tesco carpark still isn't big enough sometimes! There are large Tescos and Sainsbury's in Taplow and Maidenhead which are less than 4 miles away. There are quite a few Parks in "Greater" Slough. The big chimneys you saw first are the power station. There are lots of Poles, Irish SE Asians, Eastenders and Welsh and have been since 1945. Slough Trading Estate was the biggest trading estate in Europe (I had 4 jobs and 2 holiday jobs in there over the years ) I think I saw it made 2Billion pounds a year at one point. Many pubs in Slough and outlying villages have closed... probably over half now.

And people have the cheek to say it's grim up North ... I totally get you're Mill Chimney interest. Railway bridges do it for me 😊. All the best from the East Riding .

I don't recognise this country anymore and to be honest I'm glad my life is nearly over because I hate what the UK has become.

@MamaRebelle

7 ай бұрын

That’s so sad, but I do understand your sentiment. There are still lovely places out there though

@thomasglover7937

7 ай бұрын

I feel ya…

@Diana.Darling

7 ай бұрын

That's such a sad comment but I get it 😢

@Anon1370

7 ай бұрын

well all i will say is i don't wish i was a teenager or young years anymore i once wished it but not anymore!

@antiwoke6888

7 ай бұрын

Because NO ONE even in these comments are honest about why Slough is a Sh1thole now ... we all know it BUT no one says it.

“The inventor of the zebra crossing, somewhere around here is a warehouse full of black and white paint”, just spat out my tea 😂😂

@neville132bbk

6 ай бұрын

Haven't seen an electric Belisha beacon here in NZ for years..all done with super fluoro orange discs.

Born in Slough in 1966 and moved to Ireland in 1996, the high street was brilliant in the 1970s and 1980s

Honestly, yours is the best channel on here. I've told so many people to watch your videos, and they all love them. Such essential viewing for anyone who wants to know what day-to-day Britain is like. Thanks as usual!

It is sad to see all these Towns so desolate mate, yet another interesting video.

@Anon1370

7 ай бұрын

ay yeh and more and more becoming desolate till one day every town outside london will be desolate...

Tesco is on the site of the Licensed Victuallers School, and Sainsbury's is on the site of the Greyhound Stadium. Slough high Street was buzzing in the 80s. Sad to see what's happened.

Great content again mate. Doesn’t say a lot about main stream tv when a lad with a camera phone is making better content than they could ever do!

@wanderingturnip

7 ай бұрын

Ah thanks for that mate 😀

Something folks may not realise is that by the (accessible) entrance to Queensmere there is a paved area with a poem written on it. To the left of that there used to be a big multi screen cinema and event centre (The Fulcrum). There is an old pub (The Kingfisher) that is literally buried below the area with the inscribed poem. Unless they dug it all out before putting that paving down the pub was left intact and they just covered the entrance with a concrete slab

@chrisbardell

6 ай бұрын

I just posted a reply about exactly that 😁

@marklee2648

6 ай бұрын

@@chrisbardell Used to visit the Kingfisher for lunch when I worked down the bottom end of the High Street (better food than the Pied Horse). At night things changed in there and it got a lot more stabby but I did see a few bands in there

@chrisbardell

6 ай бұрын

@@marklee2648 Only ever went in there lunchtimes, myself - days off-shift when I was wandering around the shops, bored. Always thought it would make a great little music venue; there was a slightly elevated stage area on one side of the seating area, if I remember rightly. Cheers for the memories!

@timflatus

6 ай бұрын

I used to drink down the Kingfisher when I was at school.

@marklee2648

6 ай бұрын

Those that remember Slough from the late 60's early 70's might recall that it once had 2 cinemas. A lot of people might remember the old Granada cinema at the very top end of the High Street but at the other end, past the Observatory, there was an old department store called Isaac's. A couple of doors down from there, opposite what used to be the old Co-Op was another, much smaller, cinema

Seems as though everything is falling apart everywhere.

@nanostar6138

7 ай бұрын

Liverpool seems to be thriving

@norman7527

7 ай бұрын

It is, thanks to our corrupt and very cheap to buy politicians

@Anon1370

7 ай бұрын

@@nanostar6138 well i've seen videos on youtube of the night life and that doesn't appear to be suffering 🤣🤣🤣

@christineayres7199

6 ай бұрын

Erasing the British culture from existence is what's going on and turning the UK into a Banana Republic we may as well have Fidel Castro running the UK now if he was alive LOL

Back in 2012 I worked in the B&M & it was a bustling busy area full of every shop throughout the high street, nowadays it resembles 28 days later, deserted & abandoned.

Incredible, inspirational and a great and important record of how our high streets are changing. I love that you relate in the historic elements and that gives the whole series a feeling of being in another “middle phase of evolution”. Will we come out the other side? I hope we live to see it..

Great that you are documenting this decline. Biggest shock is the 2 town centre pubs gone. Hope there are some others close by

@bujler

7 ай бұрын

Wetherspoons.

@pinkmandymoo

7 ай бұрын

I wonder if the longbarn is still open, that was my fave about 10 years ago

@bujler

7 ай бұрын

@@pinkmandymoo the one in Cippenham? As far as I know it's still open.

@robertmills6497

6 ай бұрын

There is probably still a 'spoons. There once was a time when you could start at one end of the high street and have a half in each pub you passed. You would not make the full length of the road. Now however it's dead.

@matthowardtv

6 ай бұрын

i'd rather drink a pint than give 10%

Tu is Sainsbury's clothing brand. The same as Tesco's F&F, Asda's George and Poundland's Pep&co

been a year since the station burned and they still haven't even bothered to clean the glass up

@wanderingturnip

6 ай бұрын

That’s mad

I grew up in Slough in the 50s and 60s. It was a fine town. I lived right near the Three Tuns as a small child. Boots and W.H. Smith have survived since then, in the same locations, I think. The chimney at 12:20 - I'm pretty sure that's the Horlicks factory seen from a distance. (We don't call them mills in the South.) I last visited in 2013. Can't believe the closures that have happened since then, and how desolate the place is now. So sad.

Seeing the state of Slough is an eyeopener.I know about declining town centres around Leeds and Manchester but didn't expect to see that in the Home Counties.Watching the film I wondered if they had a big out of town retail park near Slough but then you vsited the huge Tesco right in the town centre!

@Redsleather

6 ай бұрын

You should come and see what desperation, depression and anger there is in the air in plenty of Home Counties towns within a 30 mile radius of London. Overcrowding, underfunding and falling living standards haven’t helped, but look at Luton, Stevenage, Hatfield, Harlow, Basildon, the Medway Towns and Thurrock if you want to see ‘the beautiful south’. You’ll never be as happy to drive back up the M1!

I’m pretty sure Slough has gone bankrupt, meaning it’s Council has

Most of the towns in England are in the same situation since covid-19 people have been shopping online and seem to be managing and saving money at the same time ...

South places I’d like to see you go to: Margate; Bognor Regis; Great Yarmouth.

@thisperson5294

7 ай бұрын

Yarmouth is seedy I agree, but it hasn't declined as much as poor old Blackpool. You would never get an old hotel in GY for 60K. Probably due to being closer to London.

I spent quite some time in Slough in the 1980s, worked on the trading estate. The town was quite a busy place then. Stunned to see what it has become. Come down to Kent, there’s a lot of high streets that have died there too, including Canterbury, which is now vape shops, mobile phone case shops and cafes for the dwindling numbers of tourists.

@matthowardtv

6 ай бұрын

vape and mobile shops are ok, everyone needs to innovate, though, coffee shops are the same, loads of them, and not everyone likes coffee, so where are the innovations, and why can't they keep slotting in? that's the idea, right?

Very good film, by the way, that was Marks & Spencer's old store on the left hand side of that big closed down

Im actually from slough but moved to london about 15 years ago, I am pretty sad to see it like this, I remember better times and the high street was awesome in the 90's to early 2000's. It really was awesome then. The cinema was huge and tons of places to eat, some cool places to drink.

@christineayres7199

6 ай бұрын

Finally seems ive found someone else who knows the work of Yngwie Malmsteen lol and yeah i was born in Slough too in the late 80s it was great but by the end of the 90s had turned into Silent Hill , Junkie zombies everywhere and gangs of hooded youths with Pitbull dogs roaming the streets lol Britwell i grew up in and its a lot worse now than back in the 90s thats for sure

_"Depressing, disheartening..."_ - then, *"WOW!"* 😍 Said Turnip whilst wand'ring through Slough.. A brick chimney he'd spied Punching tall, full of pride! He thinks the town's wonderful now! 😆

@davidore2176

7 ай бұрын

Great poem, but would 'spied' fit in better as 'espied'?

@katewolfspirit6722

7 ай бұрын

Very good...👍

@pimpozza

7 ай бұрын

@davidore2176 😁 Thanks, David! 👍 So appreciate you commenting on my little limerick.. I agree, "espied" is a better word, but the line would them have one syllable too many and I'm soooo fussy about that.. I know this is far from my best humorous verse as I wrote it quickly after the upload, but I read so many limericks which don't "flow" and it drives me nuts.. I'd even change some of Edward Lear's work if I could.. 🤭🤷🏻‍♀️ What am I like! Thanks again!

@pimpozza

7 ай бұрын

@@katewolfspirit6722 Thanks, Kate.. 🤗 I love humorous verse..

@boo-la-la_666

6 ай бұрын

Love it!

How depressing to see this place now. My partner used to work for Sun Chemicals in Slough 18 years ago or so on that big industrial estate you walked through. I remember you could get an amazing all day all you can eat breakfast in the local cafe for local workers for a few quid. The best thing about going to Slough was the Mars factory had a shop where you could buy a huge cardboard box of reject or defective choc bars and other Mars products , for like a £5. Nothing wrong with them, just miss shapen or hadn,t passed quality control. Perhaps they still have the shop now. But I think the cafes have gone.

@matthowardtv

6 ай бұрын

diets divide us, buying different things (for weight loss), and trusting people to tell us everything to do with our lives, and it changes year to year, find a good idea and stick to it

A Greg’s closing down! That’s a first! Great video again pal! Love seeing what you find and love the history you give us. Who knew we had slough to thank with being able to cross the road and chuck rubbish out!

I married my 1st husband in Slough in 1958. Many streets had Welsh name. Whenever you went into somebody’s house you knew if they worked in Mars factory by the loads of sweets they had on their sideboards. Regret to say it always was a miserable town. We went to live in Windsor. Bet that town isn't much better now. Now live in a small Devon seaside town that only recently let in a small Sainsbury's. Our little high street is buzzing with small businesses. Will fight to keep out any other supermarkets.

@ninagill1407

6 ай бұрын

Windsor is still lovely.

Aww man! I grew up in Slough but haven't been back in 30 years. I hope the Wheatsheaf is still going!

@danhaworth6967

7 ай бұрын

Was that down near Herschel park, next to the hospital? I'm pretty sure it is, have a friend who goes in there quite often. Was always the Herschel Arms for me though so didn't pop in that often (the arms was on my walk back from work so was the quickest post work pint 😂)

@stephenwride5695

7 ай бұрын

Pied horse for me great pub

@WaddedBliss

6 ай бұрын

The Wheatsheaf is still going, and The Red Cow. They're pretty much the only places to watch bands now.

@JanSobieski3rd-kp2fw

6 ай бұрын

The Kingfisher pub in the High Street was a great pub for a rave up back in the day under the street it was

“There’s a few plants over there” That reply is both funny, and sad!

Great video, great story telling and all very accurate. It made me very emotional watching this because when I was a kid, Slough High Street was so vibrant and a great place to spend your weekend, all the big shops were there, and seeing what it is today is so depressing.

WT, another fantastic video. When you saw the chimney, it literally made my day. Such joy in your eyes ❤. Sad to see those old pubs closed. You would have thought they could be a destination for those working in Slough, or living there and commuting elsewhere. The old church is beautiful.

The best thing about Slough is the poem about Slough...

I grew up near Slough and the town centre actually had a purpose to go to but as time went on it became more and more grim. That fire was the bus station and the chimney you didn't like was by the Mars factory. The cost to regenerate now is so high as it has been so unloved for years. The only potential is because Windsor, Marlow, Gerrards Cross, Beaconsfield etc are nearish so there is money in the areas surrounding it

@Electricdreams21

7 ай бұрын

Maidenhead high Street is almost as bad but it's a true commuter town so the suburbs are generally still very nice and it's going through a massive Regen itself. In 10 years maybe Slough will start to get some investment

@matthowardtv

6 ай бұрын

​@@Electricdreams21investment is a "same old story", where does the money go, and is it good money?

I lived and worked in Germany from 1980 to 1984 - when I came I came back to UK, I lived in Wokingham - Berkshire, - I took back from Germany the first Wheely Bin - Now I see them all over UK

Oh dear. Yes poor old Slough. I work there. Strange thing is, despite this high street decline, the population continues to grow.

That Debenhams used to be an allders. Been a while since I last went to Slough (10/15 years), I’m surprised how much it has gone down. The Council there has also gone bankrupt recently. Other southern High Streets in a dire state include Croydon, Wood Green and Dartford

@JoolsUK

7 ай бұрын

Where does it go from here? Empty shops and bankrupt council. Will Rishi help if we give him 5 more years? I suppose thats government policy..

@matthowardtv

6 ай бұрын

i see the "high street" as everywhere, but the better ones are closer to the centre

Enjoying your videos - I find it interesting how the UK has changed so much - and no one really has a solution to all these empty spaces. So many people are based at home now, drive to the supermarket, work from home and order online. Offices are all in out of town spaces but a large percentage work from home. The only solutions I think would be small pockets of communities taking over the empty shops with a mix of housing, education, entertainment, workspaces and local shops but then the places have so much blight, road noise and lack of green space.. it would take too much vision and money to do... and your still in competition with big housing estates, cars and supermarkets.

@Electricdreams21

7 ай бұрын

It's every developed country unfortunately. I wonder what we'll do with all the retail space when everything we do is online...

@Electricdreams21

6 ай бұрын

@@muffinman4544 that makes too much sense for the people in power unfortunately

Glad you set the record straight about north vs south! And yeah, it IS a universal problem. Just travel over the Atlantic to my neck of the woods and tour some of the "lost towns" of the U.S. There are lots.

The three tuns was well popular 15 years back or so when I was at college people used to talk about it and go there all the time. Quite legendary.

@coniferclose

7 ай бұрын

Tough pub twenty odd years ago.

I'd love you to go to Bradford town centre on a Sunday morning and see the state. So many nutters, beggars, homeless, drunks, angry people knocking about.

@wanderingturnip

7 ай бұрын

On my list 👍

I know slough very well, it's always just been a big sprawling industrial estate going right back to the eighties. The Mars factory used to be there, not sure if it still is, but a few times every week the whole place used to smell like mars milk or opal fruits, now called starburst. I just know it as the point to get onto the M4. So it's always been how it is seen in the Office, Ricky Gervais did an excellent representation of it, but I think he came from Reading which is also close. Just remembered one of my first jobs a young chap newly out of school was as a labourer building a car park in slough lol

@danhaworth6967

7 ай бұрын

I grew up in Uxbridge, just a stone's throw away and fondly remember leaving for school in the 80s and the smell of mars chocolate in the mornings! That aroma travelled far if the wind was in the right direction! 😂

@neville132bbk

6 ай бұрын

When I went to school in Dunedin (NZ) ..some time ago... if we had an easterly wind we got the heavenly wafts of chocolate from the now demolished Cadbury's factory on Cumberland St about 1km away... and the smell of used mash from the Speights "Pride of the South" brewery just 200 m down Rattray St... and that 2 mins walk to the bottom of the hill, turn left and there was station 4XD,,, which radio station opened very shortly before 2LO London.

The chimney you touched that whole complex is Mars

@wanderingturnip

7 ай бұрын

No way I got so close

Great walkabout as ever, WT! I really like the fact that you do your research and look into the history of places, and present that information to us. It's so sad that towns have been reduced to a mass of empty carbuncles. My town just outside London, for hundreds of years, was full all sorts of industry (and chimneys!) All gone now. Just housing. Cheers👍 Btw, did you see the stuffed dog in a glass case at Slough Railway Stn?

At some point you have to start considering that it's deliberate. The people in charge of these units on the highstreets would rather they sit derelict making no money than lowering their rates to entice new businesses to open up. My guess would be they're just waiting till a time that they can sell the land for new developments of flats and offices.

@wanderingturnip

7 ай бұрын

Oh yeah I think you are spot on. Especially with Slough. That high street is essentially pointless yet the land close to London is so valuable

@AnonAtry

7 ай бұрын

@@wanderingturnip I pre-emptively left this comment before finishing the video where you touch on the fact it is already happening. it's a shame that the majority of high streets will just become high-rise buildings, squeezing as many people as possible per sq/m

@tommypip

7 ай бұрын

The landlords still end up paying business rates on empty buildings after 3 or 6 months (can't remember which). Business rates are a huge problem for tenants - and a massive overhead you don't get by being an online retailer. So the landlords could rent the units for £0 but if the tenant is still paying tens of thousands in business rates every year it makes it unaffordable

@AnonAtry

7 ай бұрын

@tommypip out of interest who sets business rates? I run an online retail business myself and can't see myself considering brick and mortar due to all the additional overhead costs that would cripple any potential profit

@tommypip

7 ай бұрын

@AnonAtry they are set by the valuation office agency (an offshoot of HMRC). The problem is its based on historic rents (at the moment its worked out on the estimated rental value on 1st April 2021). So you're paying rates based on rent 2 years ago so in a falling market your rates are disproportionatly high.

Ahh I'm gutted, the Herschel Arms used to be my local haunt! Many a good evening spent down there after work, it was a brilliant place... Could even see my old offices down the end of the road too 😂 Haven't seen the place in almost 20 years... It used to be so much more lively, both shopping centers were rammed with good stores. It's crazy to see how closed down it all is...

Thank you for doing your videos. You are keeping us all in the loop about what’s actually happening!

The Queens Mum hated Slough I could never understand why growing up in Slough. In Slough you had a wonderful vista you could look out from Slough and could see a great view of the Castle. Queens Mum would look out from the Castle ramparts and have a great view of the Slough Trading Estate with a Great chimney in the middle of it. Drank in the Herschel Arms a few times. Its unemployment rate in the early 60's was 1/2%

When you seen the chimney, it was giving me flashbacks of the guy saying, "Have you got a budgie? i love budgies 😂