I used to visit Gravesend "High Street" monthly, about 6/7 years ago for business meetings.
I parked in a multi storey car park, went to the meetings & sometimes a few drinks after.
It didn't have a great reputation then & there were a lot of signs in what I think was Asian, which I couldn't understand, as I never saw that many Asians about (compared to SE London), to justify the need.
Apparently, there was a high level Asian population, but I never saw it, over a period of about 5 years.
Anyway, my point is, that the little I saw of Gravesend, driving in & out & walking the High Street, was that it was absolutely fine & better or as good as the majority of SE London/ North Kent.
I used to visit Gravesend "High Street" monthly, about 6/7 years ago for business meetings.
I parked in a multi storey car park, went to the meetings & sometimes a few drinks after.
It didn't have a great reputation then & there were a lot of signs in what I think was Asian, which I couldn't understand, as I never saw that many Asians about (compared to SE London), to justify the need.
Apparently, there was a high level Asian population, but I never saw it, over a period of about 5 years.
Anyway, my point is, that the little I saw of Gravesend, driving in & out & walking the High Street, was that it was absolutely fine & better or as good as the majority of SE London/ North Kent.
Mainly Sikh and good people
I'd recommend anyone coming to Gravesend to visit the new sikh temple. Absolutley magnificent building and everyone is welcome..............
Most towns have something good about them - just depends if you're prepared to look for it. I've been to a number of attractive towns that are ruined by the snobby people that live there.
Ridiculous list imo. Not saying they're salubrious places I'd want to stay, but Hull, Hackney and Stoke don't deserve to be in alongside those other monstrosities. I say this as someone who's lived in the latter two.
^^^ If land can be compulsorily purchased to enable the building of roads and railways, there is a case for the compulsory purchasing and subsequent gentrifying of potentially crumbling and festering town centres which have been overtaken by the changes in shopping and recreational habits. Either that or pull them down and grass them over.
There's been loads (as in hundreds) of town centre compulsory purchase orders. Dartford is one (disastrous) example.
Blame US style shopping malls like Lakeside and Bluewater for sucking the life out of towns with pride and heritage like Gravesend.
Overseas property consortiums make another squillion while we sit in a six hour traffic jam on the M25 and our local town turns into another English sh*thole.
Walk, Grumps: walk. I've done the tidal Thames from the Isle of Grain to Teddington Lock. In sections: not for charidee, nor a race. It is absolutely gorgeous. However, you may want to speed up when you come to Swanscombe Marshes...
There's definitely a few places in Norfolk that could have made the list but probably aren't well known enough. Except for Great Yarmouth.
I once met a French explorer and former offshore oil worker in a bar in Singapore who had travelled and sailed across the globe many times so I asked him the best place he had ever been.
Pulling on a Gauloise and staring into the night air he told me (in thick and dramatic French accent, of course) that to be in the Seychelles in the mid 1970's was amazing- an unspoilt paradise, a garden of Eden, magnifique etc etc.
So, I asked him about the worse place he had ever been and I thought he would choke on his beer.
"Oh my God," he said "there is one place, it is like hell. The women drink pints of beer and vomit in the streets. You will never have heard of it..what a disgrace ...Great Yarmouth."
I got to live there for year and he was right. Makes Gravesend look like the hanging gardens of Babylon.
Blame US style shopping malls like Lakeside and Bluewater for sucking the life out of towns with pride and heritage like Gravesend.
Overseas property consortiums make another squillion while we sit in a six hour traffic jam on the M25 and our local town turns into another English sh*thole.
This. PLUS following the US accents, sayings and politics. Sincerely, sad place the U K. At times.
There's definitely a few places in Norfolk that could have made the list but probably aren't well known enough. Except for Great Yarmouth.
I once met a French explorer and former offshore oil worker in a bar in Singapore who had travelled and sailed across the globe many times so I asked him the best place he had ever been.
Pulling on a Gauloise and staring into the night air he told me (in thick and dramatic French accent, of course) that to be in the Seychelles in the mid 1970's was amazing- an unspoilt paradise, a garden of Eden, magnifique etc etc.
So, I asked him about the worse place he had ever been and I thought he would choke on his beer.
"Oh my God," he said "there is one place, it is like hell. The women drink pints of beer and vomit in the streets. You will never have heard of it..what a disgrace ...Great Yarmouth."
I got to live there for year and he was right. Makes Gravesend look like the hanging gardens of Babylon.
Ha ha! - great story. The good thing about Gravesend is all the nautical connections, filtering down to little domestic details like a miniature anchor as a door-knocker. On the very eastern edge of town, just before the marshes, and beyond a Trinity House yard storing brightly painted buoys, is Denton Wharf. You think you are trespassing on a working area, but there is a public right of way to the Ship & Lobster pub, right on the river wall.
Great Yarmouth - what a hoot! I believe it was traditionally a resort for folk from the East Midlands: hen-parties of shop girls from Nottingham. Many years ago I took a girlfriend to Lowestoft, just along the coast. Off season. Bad move. 'Grim' doesn't even begin to describe it....
I'm mates with the owner of the Drayman....well he is a mate of a mate.
Yeah he's pals with me cousin. I'm familiar with quite a lot of the land lords of Gravesend for some reason. Bit like I use to be with those of Charlton, Woolwich, Greenwich and Blackteath......
In laws live there just sold their big Victorian place to a professional couple the clincher was the high speed link. Agree with eastern european immigrant problem the centre is a shithole. Bad desicion to open the borders IMHO. But on the plus side they'll spread out to other parts of the country so that's ok then! What the hell has happened to my country?
Comments
I'd recommend anyone coming to Gravesend to visit the new sikh temple. Absolutley magnificent building and everyone is welcome..............
I've been to a number of attractive towns that are ruined by the snobby people that live there.
1. Hull
2. Middlesbrough
3. Bradford
4. Croydon
5. Hackney
6. Gravesend
7. Salford
8. Nottingham
9. Stoke-on-Trent
10. Barking & Dagenham
There's definitely a few places in Norfolk that could have made the list but probably aren't well known enough. Except for Great Yarmouth.
I once met a French explorer and former offshore oil worker in a bar in Singapore who had travelled and sailed across the globe many times so I asked him the best place he had ever been.
Pulling on a Gauloise and staring into the night air he told me (in thick and dramatic French accent, of course) that to be in the Seychelles in the mid 1970's was amazing- an unspoilt paradise, a garden of Eden, magnifique etc etc.
So, I asked him about the worse place he had ever been and I thought he would choke on his beer.
"Oh my God," he said "there is one place, it is like hell. The women drink pints of beer and vomit in the streets. You will never have heard of it..what a disgrace ...Great Yarmouth."
I got to live there for year and he was right. Makes Gravesend look like the hanging gardens of Babylon.
I once met a French explorer and former offshore oil worker in a bar in Singapore who had travelled and sailed across the globe many times so I asked him the best place he had ever been.
Pulling on a Gauloise and staring into the night air he told me (in thick and dramatic French accent, of course) that to be in the Seychelles in the mid 1970's was amazing- an unspoilt paradise, a garden of Eden, magnifique etc etc.
So, I asked him about the worse place he had ever been and I thought he would choke on his beer.
"Oh my God," he said "there is one place, it is like hell. The women drink pints of beer and vomit in the streets. You will never have heard of it..what a disgrace ...Great Yarmouth."
I got to live there for year and he was right. Makes Gravesend look like the hanging gardens of Babylon.
Ha ha! - great story. The good thing about Gravesend is all the nautical connections, filtering down to little domestic details like a miniature anchor as a door-knocker. On the very eastern edge of town, just before the marshes, and beyond a Trinity House yard storing brightly painted buoys, is Denton Wharf. You think you are trespassing on a working area, but there is a public right of way to the Ship & Lobster pub, right on the river wall.
Great Yarmouth - what a hoot! I believe it was traditionally a resort for folk from the East Midlands: hen-parties of shop girls from Nottingham. Many years ago I took a girlfriend to Lowestoft, just along the coast. Off season. Bad move. 'Grim' doesn't even begin to describe it....
; )
Agree with eastern european immigrant problem the centre is a shithole. Bad desicion to open the borders IMHO.
But on the plus side they'll spread out to other parts of the country so that's ok then!
What the hell has happened to my country?