Hemel Hempstead: Ugliest Town in Britain

A survey run by website Crap Towns Returns has named Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, the ugliest town in the UK.


Luton, Bedfordshire; Slough, Buckinghamshire; and Bracknell in Berkshire, were voted the next ugliest towns.


14/08/13 Times 19
Daily Telegraph 4

Anyone disagree with CT and think they can top HH as the ugliest town in the UK?

Am assuming the adjudicators managed to bypass Stockton somehow........

They obviously haven't been to Runcorn or Widnes then. Ghastly places.

And I say that as someone who lived in Runcorn and has family in Widnes.

they need to take a trip to doncaster or halifax for that matter

Walked from Coventry Station to Highfield Road in the late 90s. I wasn't exactly doing it for the beautiful scenery but, even so, my eyes were quite displeased.

Blackpanther
Harsh on Halifax. Donny on the other hand...

I work in Hemel Dumpstead - it's not a place of great beauty, but no way is it the ugliest place in the country. Got a nice river and water meadows just by the town centre.

My work does take me all over, plus I've lived in a few different places, and I have to say that places like Middlesborough, Widnes, Warrington, Basildump are all much worse than Hemel.

dummy_half wrote:Blackpanther
Harsh on Halifax. Donny on the other hand...

I work in Hemel Dumpstead - it's not a place of great beauty, but no way is it the ugliest place in the country. Got a nice river and water meadows just by the town centre.

My work does take me all over, plus I've lived in a few different places, and I have to say that places like Middlesborough, Widnes, Warrington, Basildump are all much worse than Hemel.

I would agree on Widnes, I admitted as much earlier, but Warrington isn't all that bad.  Has some sloppy parts but also some lovely bits.  Unlike Widnes or Runcorn.  Middlesborough is a hole.

I'll third Middlesboro, disgusting smog riddled hell hole.

DM adding some colour (pics) to the accolade:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2391834/Crap-Towns-Returns-poll-Hemel-Hempstead-tops-ugliest-list-votes-open-dullest.html

Apparently 'most dull' was also surveyed. Hatfield scored very highly for both dull and ugly, unsurprisingly!!

I think London in general is just an awful place. Other than some swanky parts only millionaires can afford to live in, it has nothing to tempt me there. Too many rude foreigners.

Bit rich coming from a Geordie....

Geordies are some of the most hospitable people you will ever meet.

Not like you arrogant wannabe rich cockney types.

Agree, they are lovely. But the down is still quite a dump compared to London. Certainly calling London 'awful' in comparison is a little backwards.

Ironic comment "Not like you arrogant wannabe rich cockney types" coming from a guy that boasts how much his suit costs on an internet forum.....

Newcastle city centre is lovely. You probably stayed on the outskirts, somewhere like benwell perhaps. Maybe you should loosen the purse strings.

I wasn't boasting, merely stating a fact. Much in the same way that London is a dive.

Tino

Perhaps my issue with Warrington is that I usually go through on the train, and you go past a huge stack of cable drums and rusting wire just before the station.

Middlesborough is just Hell on Earth though.

Hemel Hempstead is pretty bad, Milton Keynes is a God-awful place, very ugly. Bolton is a c*apola hole. Manchester is not a particularly pretty place.

Some parts of London are really nice, others (like Hounslow) are not.

Lumbering_Jack wrote:Newcastle city centre is lovely. You probably stayed on the outskirts, somewhere like benwell perhaps. Maybe you should loosen the purse strings.

I wasn't boasting, merely stating a fact. Much in the same way that London is a dive.

Stayed near the Metrocentre, spent the majority of our time in the centre. You've got nothing to boast about when comparing to London.

I found Newcastle a very nice place when I went. I thought the city centre was lovely. I have only been a couple of times but my experiences of Newcastle are very positive. It's a good night out too.

None of Castleford, Telford, Saltney, Normanton or Holyhead ever struck me as the most aesthetically pleasing spots around.....

TopHat24/7 wrote:

Lumbering_Jack wrote:Newcastle city centre is lovely. You probably stayed on the outskirts, somewhere like benwell perhaps. Maybe you should loosen the purse strings.

I wasn't boasting, merely stating a fact. Much in the same way that London is a dive.

Stayed near the Metrocentre, spent the majority of our time in the centre.  You've got nothing to boast about when comparing to London.

I don't own Newcastle so you're right I have nothing to boast about. My point about London is that if you take away a couple of the pretty landmarks all you're left with is horrifically high housing prices and a load of Romanian pick pockets on the tube. Not my idea of a nice place.

God knows how much my house would cost down their, more than I could afford even in they trebled my wages. Guess some people are happy living in flats that cost upwards of 400k for a nice area.

rodders wrote:None of Castleford, Telford, Saltney, Normanton or Holyhead ever struck me as the most aesthetically pleasing spots around.....  

Haha I used to work in Normanton. Definitely not aesthetically pleasing!

Lumbering_Jack wrote:

TopHat24/7 wrote:

Lumbering_Jack wrote:Newcastle city centre is lovely. You probably stayed on the outskirts, somewhere like benwell perhaps. Maybe you should loosen the purse strings.

I wasn't boasting, merely stating a fact. Much in the same way that London is a dive.

Stayed near the Metrocentre, spent the majority of our time in the centre.  You've got nothing to boast about when comparing to London.

I don't own Newcastle so you're right I have nothing to boast about. My point about London is that if you take away a couple of the pretty landmarks all you're left with is horrifically high housing prices and a load of Romanian pick pockets on the tube. Not my idea of a nice place.

God knows how much my house would cost down their, more than I could afford even in they trebled my wages. Guess some people are happy living in flats that cost upwards of 400k for a nice area.

That's like saying if you took away the Tyne Bridge all you'd have left is Geordie Shore.

Byker (as in Byker Grove) is pretty offensive on the eye. It's where the unemployed people in Newcastle live.

TopHat24/7 wrote:

Lumbering_Jack wrote:

TopHat24/7 wrote:

Lumbering_Jack wrote:Newcastle city centre is lovely. You probably stayed on the outskirts, somewhere like benwell perhaps. Maybe you should loosen the purse strings.

I wasn't boasting, merely stating a fact. Much in the same way that London is a dive.

Stayed near the Metrocentre, spent the majority of our time in the centre.  You've got nothing to boast about when comparing to London.

I don't own Newcastle so you're right I have nothing to boast about. My point about London is that if you take away a couple of the pretty landmarks all you're left with is horrifically high housing prices and a load of Romanian pick pockets on the tube. Not my idea of a nice place.

God knows how much my house would cost down their, more than I could afford even in they trebled my wages. Guess some people are happy living in flats that cost upwards of 400k for a nice area.

That's like saying if you took away the Tyne Bridge all you'd have left is Geordie Shore.

It's nothing like that at all really. Geordie shore is a TV program, like made in Chelsea (one of the nice areas in London actually, apart from the Chelsea fans).

I was being flippant.

Point is you don't get to go 'well strip out all the nice bits and you're left with rubbish' and compare it as exactly the same goes for Newcastle, or any other city for the matter.

Like for like or it's just a waste of time.

Like for like Newcastle is better than London. Nicer people, more affordable housing and a city centre which has everything you need.

Sure in London you earn extra cash but I'd probably need to earn 150k to enjoy the same quality of housing and lifestyle down south.

Like for like it certainly is not.

The fact the housing is cheap as chips is not a selling point. Can pick up a flat in Barnsley for £45k, doesn't mean I want to live there!

Almost totally redundant of cultural activity, very limited architectural appeal, poorly connected both nationally and internationally transport-wise, limited employment opportunities, sparcity of good restaurants, worse weather.

You've got the people, I'll give you that.

TopHat24/7 wrote:Like for like it certainly is not.

The fact the housing is cheap as chips is not a selling point.  Can pick up a flat in Barnsley for £45k, doesn't mean I want to live there!

Almost totally redundant of cultural activity, very limited architectural appeal, poorly connected both nationally and internationally transport-wise, limited employment opportunities, sparcity of good restaurants, worse weather.

You've got the people, I'll give you that.

As I've pointed out, London has the jobs but that's about it. Half your wage and move to Newcastle and you'll enjoy a better quality of life, rather than living is some pokey flat that cost 300k. And you won't get pick pocketed by a Romanian on the tube.

As for all that other nonsense you've written, well it is exactly that. We've got plenty of pretty looking buildings if you're into all that boring carry on. Employment is fine. We have a train station and an airport, some houses even have electricity too.

Obviously London has weather comparable to the med so I'll have to concede that one.

I think London can sometimes be an age/family circumstance kind of place.

I work there but I leave it behind every day and don't miss it. When I was younger and childless I used to love the place and spent a lot of time there. The bars and clubs were (are?) great, the people were, in most instances, pretty friendly and you can't beat the place for history.

Now I am a bit older, wiser and a father, I find the place drags me down more. The hustle and bustle that I used to think was part of the 'buzz' of the city now winds me up and commuting grinds me down. I am a country bumpkin now and although it adds time to my commute, getting home to fresh air, countryside and no people is great. London can't offer that serenity, but it depends what you're looking for. We take the kids in now and again to go to the tourist traps but even that starts to annoy me by the end of the day.

It's obviously not as bad as LJ is making out and nor is it the greatest city on earth. It is somewhere in between and can be as good or as bad as you make it. One thing though, Jack, I have been here for the best part of 15 years and have never been pick-pocketed once, and nor anyone I know. I am sure it happens but I am sure it happens in every city.

I believe that Cumbernauld is usually a top 3 entry on this list, just outside Glasgow.

I believe they use to take architecture students to see it in a "don't do this" kind of way.

I think that's maybe the issue with me Tino. I'm old before my time. I've lived in a flat and hated any noise I used to hear from the neighbours, it drove me insane, I couldn't afford a detached house in London which is what I have now in Newcastle. I love cycling and walking the dog, and as nice as Kensington docks is, not exactly prime location for dog walking or racing on the bike.

I'm just winding toppy up about the pick pockets, I'm sure those Romanians are great people. It's the Chinese you wanna look out for.

Lumbering_Jack wrote:

I'm just winding toppy up about the pick pockets

I figured as much. He is always a prime target for some ribbing. He is like a more intelligent version of Coxy sometimes.

One thing that has always puzzled me about Newcastle. Maybe you can answer.... for a city that can be a huge amount of fun, how did it produce someone as monumentally dull as Alan Shearer. I nearly fell asleep typing his name out.

I had a great night in Newcastle once. We went up for a friends wedding and went out the night before. We got hammered and were trying to find his house again which was a struggle. We were walking through this housing estate looking for it when this guy opened his garage and started talking to us. He was a friendly chap and had built some kind of grown-up den in his garage to get away from his wife! It had a tele in there, a sofa, a beer fridge, a ping-pong table, a stereo, and a microwave amongst other things. He basically spent his entire life in there apart from sleeping. We sat in there drinking beer from his fridge until about 6 o'clock in the morning.

Wedding was a struggle. I was sweating beer from every pore throughout the day.

Adam D wrote:I believe that Cumbernauld is usually a top 3 entry on this list, just outside Glasgow.

I believe they use to take architecture students to see it in a "don't do this" kind of way.

Yeh, it was on the list too Adam.

When you're a New Town for Glasgow's spillover, you know you're in trouble....

Mind the windows Tino. wrote:

Lumbering_Jack wrote:

I'm just winding toppy up about the pick pockets

I figured as much.  He is always a prime target for some ribbing.  He is like a more intelligent version of Coxy sometimes.

Hmmmmmm I will try take that as a compliment, of the back-handed variety...!

TopHat24/7 wrote:

Mind the windows Tino. wrote:

Lumbering_Jack wrote:

I'm just winding toppy up about the pick pockets

I figured as much.  He is always a prime target for some ribbing.  He is like a more intelligent version of Coxy sometimes.

Hmmmmmm I will try take that as a compliment, of the back-handed variety...!

 

I like you, pal. Every sinew in my body tells me I shouldn't, but I can't help it!

Lumbering_Jack wrote:

TopHat24/7 wrote:Like for like it certainly is not.

The fact the housing is cheap as chips is not a selling point.  Can pick up a flat in Barnsley for £45k, doesn't mean I want to live there!

Almost totally redundant of cultural activity, very limited architectural appeal, poorly connected both nationally and internationally transport-wise, limited employment opportunities, sparcity of good restaurants, worse weather.

You've got the people, I'll give you that.

As I've pointed out, London has the jobs but that's about it. Half your wage and move to Newcastle and you'll enjoy a better quality of life, rather than living is some pokey flat that cost 300k. And you won't get pick pocketed by a Romanian on the tube.

As for all that other nonsense you've written, well it is exactly that. We've got plenty of pretty looking buildings if you're into all that boring carry on. Employment is fine. We have a train station and an airport, some houses even have electricity too.

Obviously London has weather comparable to the med so I'll have to concede that one.

I know you're only ribbing re the pick-pocket point (good, because it's rubbish anyway) but other than that you're just demonstrating a severe case of provincial rose-tinted spectacles syndrome.

I could live in a much bigger house, yes, but I wouldn't enjoy a better quality of life because the lack of cultural stimulation would bore me (St James' isn't culture), the weather IS considerably worse whether you like it or not and the same goes for the jobs market, unless you want to work in a call centre maybe. And just because you have the odd nice looking building, to suggest the Toon is in anyway architecturally comparable to London is absurd - it's like saying, "Well St Pauls cathedral is ok, but we've got St Nick's!", one is a world renowned monumental piece of architecture attracting millions of visitors a year, the other is just a nice church like a hundred others up and down the country.

I get it, you love Newcastle, nothing wrong with that it's a lovely place and I'm looking forward to going back soon, but myopia bordering on wummery is unbalanced to say the least.

Mind the windows Tino. wrote:

TopHat24/7 wrote:

Mind the windows Tino. wrote:

Lumbering_Jack wrote:

I'm just winding toppy up about the pick pockets

I figured as much.  He is always a prime target for some ribbing.  He is like a more intelligent version of Coxy sometimes.

Hmmmmmm I will try take that as a compliment, of the back-handed variety...!

 

I like you, pal.  Every sinew in my body tells me I shouldn't, but I can't help it!

Haha, another back-hander.......! Still, two more compliments than I'd expect to receive this morning so I guess that's no bad thing!  

One thing that has always puzzled me about Newcastle. Maybe you can answer.... for a city that can be a huge amount of fun, how did it produce someone as monumentally dull as Alan Shearer. I nearly fell asleep typing his name out.
----------------
He is very boring, but he's allowed to be as the greatest player to ever grace this planet *

Slight Newcastle bias.

TopHat24/7 wrote:

Lumbering_Jack wrote:

TopHat24/7 wrote:Like for like it certainly is not.

The fact the housing is cheap as chips is not a selling point.  Can pick up a flat in Barnsley for £45k, doesn't mean I want to live there!

Almost totally redundant of cultural activity, very limited architectural appeal, poorly connected both nationally and internationally transport-wise, limited employment opportunities, sparcity of good restaurants, worse weather.

You've got the people, I'll give you that.

As I've pointed out, London has the jobs but that's about it. Half your wage and move to Newcastle and you'll enjoy a better quality of life, rather than living is some pokey flat that cost 300k. And you won't get pick pocketed by a Romanian on the tube.

As for all that other nonsense you've written, well it is exactly that. We've got plenty of pretty looking buildings if you're into all that boring carry on. Employment is fine. We have a train station and an airport, some houses even have electricity too.

Obviously London has weather comparable to the med so I'll have to concede that one.

I know you're only ribbing re the pick-pocket point (good, because it's rubbish anyway) but other than that you're just demonstrating a severe case of provincial rose-tinted spectacles syndrome.

I could live in a much bigger house, yes, but I wouldn't enjoy a better quality of life because the lack of cultural stimulation would bore me (St James' isn't culture), the weather IS considerably worse whether you like it or not and the same goes for the jobs market, unless you want to work in a call centre maybe.  And just because you have the odd nice looking building, to suggest the Toon is in anyway architecturally comparable to London is absurd - it's like saying, "Well St Pauls cathedral is ok, but we've got St Nick's!", one is a world renowned monumental piece of architecture attracting millions of visitors a year, the other is just a nice church like a hundred others up and down the country.  

I get it, you love Newcastle, nothing wrong with that it's a lovely place and I'm looking forward to going back soon, but myopia bordering on wummery is unbalanced to say the least.

Housing I would argue is a massive part of your quality of life. What exactly do you do for cultural stimulation, toppy? I don't think London offers me anything that as much better than Newcastle. More restaurants and apparently it has a pretty church.

As I've said re the jobs, London does offer far greater variety. But for a well qualified individual, you can get a very well paid job in a number of sectors in Newcastle. Your call centre stereo type is equally as absurd as my pick pocket comparison.

If there are all these good jobs up in Newcastle then could you lot please start contributing something to the national economy??

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/regional-trends/regional-economic-indicators/march-2013/sty---infographic-summary.html

I'm not sure what point you're trying to make. I've acknowledged that London (our capital city and finance district) has more jobs. I should expect so too, after all you lot in London have done a pretty good job of messing up the economy.

And since we messed it up we've been the ones repairing it and bailing out the rest of the country......

TopHat24/7 wrote:And since we messed it up we've been the ones repairing it and bailing out the rest of the country......

And rightly so too. Undoing the mess you've created for others. Obviously not you personally, you're not important enough.

Takes two to tango.....

Dancing won't solve anything.

Face the music....

I think I've discovered the issue here, the overuse of meaningless phrases.

Thought shower, close of play, going forward etc... All phrases dreamt up in London rather than doing real work.

'going forward' definitely a meaningless phrase for a Geordie.....

TopHat24/7 wrote:'going forward' definitely a meaningless phrase for a Geordie.....

 Burn!

Are you going to add anything? Why not fight Londons corner? Does it have anything else other than a nice church?

It could have a million other things and you'd still just stuff your head in the sand and say the Toon is better.