I have lived in Coventry, Birmingham, Oxford, Swansea and Preston and worked in Stoke on Trent. They have all featured in the comments above. Oxford is very elegant, with great countryside. Birmingham has so much going on and is a great place to live and Swansea is also in a good location. Preston has a few good parts and nothing particularly unpleasant about it. That leaves Coventry and Stoke. Coventry is a concrete dump, even though the cathedral is attractive. Stoke is just an out and out dreadful place with no redeeming features. Wins my vote every time.
Manchester. Grim,grey depressing. Hitler should have done a better job in 1940. No amount of money and poxy trams won't polish that turd. Godawful weather due to geography and annoying people.
Manchester. Grim,grey depressing. Hitler should have done a better job in 1940. No amount of money and poxy trams won't polish that turd. Godawful weather due to geography and annoying people.
It'd be worse if it had been bombed worse as it managed to avoid the architectural horrors of the 1950-1980 period. Lots of great old buildings with responsibly designed modern builds (see Spinningfields). Half the city is still a construction site but out of all the cities I've been to definitely one of my favourites.
Will agree with the weather and in some cases the people though.
I fell asleep on a night bus from the West End and woke up at 3am at Dalston bus garage.
You're right .... it felt like the end of the world.
I fell asleep up on a bus last year and ended just outside of Potter's Bar bus garage, when you find yourself outside the M25 you're really at the end of the world :-)
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If Middlesbrough is a city (or even if it's not) it is the most ugly depressing place in Britain.
I agree it is the ugliest place in Britain.
Oxford is very elegant, with great countryside. Birmingham has so much going on and is a great place to live and Swansea is also in a good location. Preston has a few good parts and nothing particularly unpleasant about it.
That leaves Coventry and Stoke. Coventry is a concrete dump, even though the cathedral is attractive. Stoke is just an out and out dreadful place with no redeeming features. Wins my vote every time.
The worst is probably Birmingham. Soulless centre with practically nothing to commend it.
In all honesty most other British cities are not great. Centres where you can walk around in 30 minutes.
I fell asleep on a night bus from the West End and woke up at 3am at Dalston bus garage.
You're right .... it felt like the end of the world.
Will agree with the weather and in some cases the people though.
Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Great setting, people as thick as two short planks. Accent unbearable.
Doncaster. Truly dreadful on every level.