UK’s ‘ugliest’ town has Britain’s ‘unhealthiest’ high street | United Kingdom | News
The life of a proud Slough resident can’t be easy – the Thames Valley town has suffered its fair share of blows over the years, including serving as the sad backdrop for Ricky Gervais’ mockumentary sitcom The Office , in the early 2000s and, more recently, being named the ugliest in the UK by the telegraph.
From the 1930s she was an easy target for her detractors – with John Betjeman’s famous protest poem calling for “friendly bombs”. [to] fall on Slough.
Campaigners suggested in 2016 that a name change would help reform the town’s public reputation – with its dictionary definition as “muddy quagmire” creating a “social stigma” that has hampered its development.
The campaign, reported in the Slough Expresswas quickly dismantled, and even more bad press attached itself to the area in the years that followed, with its high street gaining a reputation as one of the unhealthiest in the UK.
This is due to its “predominance of takeaways and lack of leisure facilities”. writes Sally Howard in the Telegraph’s renewed ranking of the country’s best and worst towns for 2024 – in which Slough, unsurprisingly, retains its infamous title.
“Sterling stores are colonizing stores that cling to square 20th-century storefronts,” she adds, in what amounts to a rather gloomy portrait.
The city, which has a population of about 160,000, scored 0/10 for storefronts, 2/10 for historic architecture, 0/10 for views, 3/10 for low traffic and waste and 7/10 for greenery. , bringing it to a disappointing total of 12/50.
Change could come in the form of a £110 million revamp planned for the area in coming years, giving it a chance to catch up with far prettier surrounding Berkshire locations, including Windsor , Eton and Stoke Poges.
There is at least one saving grace: an “excellent baked potato stall in the High Street, run for 32 years by local John Hughes”, about which Mrs Howard “won’t hear a word”.
And the residents do not hesitate to come to his defense. Kate Pratt, 51, who has lived in Slough for 24 years, told Express.co.uk: “It’s not a tourist attraction – except for a few years when the Office was at its peak and people came see the roundabout. and the buildings that were featured in the opening credits!
“But it’s a place where people from all over the country and all over the world have come to work to improve their lives and the lives of their families.”
On the bright side, Slough has seen a surge in popularity among first-time buyers recently, with analysis from Halifax suggesting homeowners have been attracted by its commuter links and proximity to London without the exorbitant costs.
