Stevenage (the town)

AFKABartram

I don’t want to disrespectful to where people live, but blimey, that town centre is like going back to the 1980s. 

Bar the old Wetherspoons in the town, never saw a hint of a pub, bar, sit down restaurant anywhere bar a couple of the usual chain restaurants on retail estates. 

Is there a nicer old town somewhere, or that is it? 

RodneyCharltonTrotta

It is a new town I think like Milton Keynes.

AFKABartram

RodneyCharltonTrotta said:

It is a new town I think like Milton Keynes.

Milton Keynes I’ve stayed a few times and really like. 

Bedsaddick

RodneyCharltonTrotta said:

It is a new town I think like Milton Keynes.

Milton Keynes is Las Vegas compared to Stevenage. 

Stevenage is a town comprising of thousands of tons of concrete  , subways that stink of piss  , teenage girls with prams and alcoholics . Apart from that it’s delightful…

Afternoon Delight

Went to see Welling play Havant & Waterlooville away, very disappointing place.

Croydon

Reminded me of Crawley 

Bedsaddick

AFKABartram said:

I don’t want to disrespectful to where people live, but blimey, that town centre is like going back to the 1980s. 

Bar the old Wetherspoons in the town, never saw a hint of a pub, bar, sit down restaurant anywhere bar a couple of the usual chain restaurants on retail estates. 

Is there a nicer old town somewhere, or that is it? 

There are many good towns local to Stevenage . Hertford , Ware , Hitchin , Letchworth , Knebworth and my own town Biggleswade.  Plenty of good pubs and restaurants. Stevenage sadly is devoid of any. 
 

Dave Rudd

AFKABartram said:

I don’t want to disrespectful to where people live, but blimey, that town centre is like going back to the 1980s. 

Bar the old Wetherspoons in the town, never saw a hint of a pub, bar, sit down restaurant anywhere bar a couple of the usual chain restaurants on retail estates. 

Is there a nicer old town somewhere, or that is it? 

There is an old town, AFKA.  A bit to the North of the stuff that you saw.

If pubs etc are the definition of a place to live ... well, Google Streetview is your friend.

Stevenage - Bing Maps

Simmons the bakers, of course ... and Deamers ... a great shop that sells lawn mowers and grass seed.

But it's no Sidcup.

LenGlover

My aunt and maternal grandparents moved to Stevenage in the early sixties.

Some nice villages (Aston comes to mind) with decent pubs close by. I used to walk to Aston with my grandmother mid seventies both the time and her age.

The town from my knowledge has not a lot of attractions.

I've always regarded Stevenage as a non league club, as they were when my family members moved up there, so am gutted when we lose to them.

Mendonca In Asdas

Noticed they had a ‘shooting gallery’ in the town, thought we were back In the Wild West!

Karim_myBagheri

Went there once. Never again. 

jimmymelrose

AFKABartram said:

I don’t want to disrespectful to where people live, but blimey, that town centre is like going back to the 1980s. 

Bar the old Wetherspoons in the town, never saw a hint of a pub, bar, sit down restaurant anywhere bar a couple of the usual chain restaurants on retail estates. 

Is there a nicer old town somewhere, or that is it? 

From: https://www.hertfordshiremercury.co.uk/news/hertfordshire-news/20-facts-you-might-not-4146981

cafctom

There is the precinct bit close to the station, but not much to write home about there. 

Pre-match we went into the Chequers pub, which was a lot quieter than the Old Post Office.

What struck me yesterday was that there was very little sign of a Stevenage crowd anywhere before/after the game. No shirts to be seen. 

I get the impression most people there are supporters of other London clubs but just go along every now and then to watch a local game. 

InspectorSands

AFKABartram said:

I don’t want to disrespectful to where people live, but blimey, that town centre is like going back to the 1980s. 

Bar the old Wetherspoons in the town, never saw a hint of a pub, bar, sit down restaurant anywhere bar a couple of the usual chain restaurants on retail estates. 

Is there a nicer old town somewhere, or that is it? 

I was in the home end with someone who was brought up nearby. Apparently Stevenage was developed with a local pub on each individual estate rather than rather than anything in the town centre; although, as you suggest, there are pubs in the "old" high street.

sam3110

Old Stevenage High Street and the immediate area isn't too bad, but the rest of it is grim grim grim. It's a concrete square surrounded by dual carriageways, with a further 2 concrete squares off it, also surrounded by dual carriageways.

I'm sure in the planning it looked great 60 years ago, when endless miles of poured concrete and pedestrianised town centre were a new fangled thing, but boy has it not aged well

se9addick

Afternoon Delight said:

Went to see Welling play Havant & Waterlooville away, very disappointing place.

That’s a shame, Havant & Waterlooville sounds like a lovely little hamlet in the rolling green of the English countryside, with a village green where they play cricket and a 700 year old pub next to a stream. Am I to take it my fantasy doesn’t quite correlate with the reality?

MuttleyCAFC

My mum lives in Stevenage and I am 15 minutes away. It does have an old town with some nice pubs in it. But apart from that, it follows the Garden City model without being one with a centre and residential areas around it. There is the M&S flagship store near to the ground in the 9 Yards shopping centre and an entertainment centre not far away with cinema, bowling, mini golf and resteraunts and clubs. It has some good pubs scattered around too. It is nicer than away fans judge it a bit like Charlton is much nicer than some away fans deem it to be.

seth plum

I live near the ‘shopping centre’ at Lee Green which makes Stevenage look like Versailles.

HastingsRed

seth plum said:

I live near the ‘shopping centre’ at Lee Green which makes Stevenage look like Versailles.

Yes but you have Blackheath up the road Seth. The Iceland came in handy when we lived in Lee (Leyland Road).

seth plum

HastingsRed said:

seth plum said:

I live near the ‘shopping centre’ at Lee Green which makes Stevenage look like Versailles.

Yes but you have Blackheath up the road Seth. The Iceland came in handy when we lived in Lee (Leyland Road).

Blackheath station is my go to very nice walk in dry weather before home games.
And then of course you can stroll across the heath from the village on decent days to get to the absolutely wonderful Greenwich Park.
Sadly there is a Gail’s, but there is also a Greggs. Homemade soup for lunch at the cafe in the Age Exchange by the bus stop is the best bargain out of the sit down choices in the Village.

However we have been waiting for decades for the Lee Green development to go. 

larryorcolin

The area near Stevenage train station reminds me a bit of Erith, soulless.  I had a few beers in the pub there before the game last season and it left me feeling depressed.