If you found this video entertaining/interesting, you might like my Five Worst Towns in Sussex video, which you can watch by clicking the link here: ua-cam.com/video/RP5jr2GJ_VM/v-deo.htmlsi=WM8UKAKfqBYBA2uj
When we see places that change so much I remember the good times that we had one time back in the days when you see it now it is sad isn’t it is a big shame I’ve been watching quite a few videos of certain areas now when you see that place how much is has completely changed anyway have a great day
born in Margate in 1990 , left as a teenager to join the royal marines . my motivation for completing training was the fear of returning back to margate if i had failed . margate was dangerous at night , falling apart , and most high street shops closed down . nothing to do as kid apart from avoiding gangs . also a lot of poverty ... 14 years later im leaving the marines next month , and will be moving abroad to start a new life
Good for you baby. Who can blame you ? I wish I’d learned a transportable skill when I was young and I would have left the UK Yeats ago. Hope your new life will be fantastic
I'm in the military and born and raised in Kent. Most of my northern mates say how rich and posh I am cause I'm from the south. I just show them this video and it shuts them up...
Yeah and the Council tax is more than £200/month for no reason LOL. I mean potholes everywhere, rubbish everywhere, if you go out at night(why not) you can get stabbed and robbed and what not... Yeah not ideal... UK changed a lot. Unless you go countryside. It feels like you are in a complete different country.
Hello from your friends in Naples, Florida. Very interesting, indeed! Too bad to see some of them so run down. Great tour. Thank you for sharing with us, have a great week 👍💯
Naples Fla, what a beautiful place. I know it well. I usually stay in the cove Inn on naples Bay when I visit the USA. I live in One of the nicer places in Kent
Yea, try a village like Golden Green or Hadlow, the country parks, the north and south downs walks etc, Canterbury Cathedral...The Medway tours ffs, this is NOT, I REPEAT NOT a fair review of Kent, town centres being run down is a worldwide issue not just in Kent... This tit should be ashamed of himself
Go to Chartwell, Penshurst Place, Hever Castle to name but a few. Your also never more than 1hr30mins from central London wherever you are in Kent, if you're in Orpington you're 15mins from London Bridge and Charing Cross ffs.. Get a grip ya berk and realise how lucky you are to be in the Garden of England... But then again im sure you cant wait for that 2 week break in nice relaxing Gaza, maybe have a stop over in Ukraine on the way and see how you get on
Gillingham is that bad not full of rubbish everywhere and you missed out the strand a lively ace for familys open air swimming pool play aeras. Minature railway riverside country park. A river that has a pod of dophins swimming in it marshes where many migrating wild birds nest
The demize of the Medway towns began with the influx of foreign landlords and shop keepers , a large percentage of property in Chatham & Gillingham are late 1800 terraced houses that have been converted into bedsits and small flats owned and run by foreign landlords who along with the tenants don't give a toss what the place looks like just as long as the rent keeps coming in .
Lived in Rochester for 15 years down the road from Chatham. People who travel on buses usually don't have much money to spend otherwise they would be at Bluewater or other nearby retail parks. Council wasted money on bus station when clearing it and putting in free parking would have brought people in.
Dude that was an interesting watch 😂 very unfiltered and different from the usual lists where people show the best 🤣 but even then, those still look not so bad. gave me an idea for my own channel hahaha might steal this concept someday.
I'm from Folkestone . We had a litter problem but a few individuals got together to form a voluntary group caller the Town Sprucers. They do a very good job.
I have been to Folkestone since they lost the harbour and it’s car ferry service, the last time I was there it was appalling, dangerous even in the daytime, a low class woman emerged from her house accusing me of littering, I walking along a leafy residential street and a bloke threatened me with a glass, a dangerous place full of low class people,a great shame as it’s a fine town but..not going again any time soon
@@MegaBadgeman Folkestone is really nice now, very clean and colourful, lots of places to eat and drink, things to do, nice beach, lovely countryside around the town... ua-cam.com/video/Y8PpyRxTjhs/v-deo.html
Thanks for sharing Matt. It can be sad to see how these have gone downhill over time. We have seaside towns and attractions that got destroyed or abandoned but now there's a lot of revitalization efforts to repair them.
There is definitely no north south divide when it comes to seaside towns in England. Another great but sad top/bottom five Matt. I do hope that the English seaside town get revitalised, but they are fighting the cheap holidays abroad. With global warming on its way, perhaps the seaside town is the thing of the future. They say things go in circles. Touches wood. Thanks for sharing, Matt.
Once outside the big city's it's not so great here down south either there's plenty of decline & poverty here too It's the same allover the UK . Only London gets the best & is given the most cash
I can’t believe the degradation called Margate. I went as a child when it was thriving and heaving with holidaymakers. What a horror story. It is depressing seeing how Britain is changing.
@marybarratt2649 •Personally anywhere costal I don’t know what area this guy is filming but you have lots in Margate sure some people don’t want to live there same was with Whitstable used to be a ghost town everywhere whatever country you go to has its problems and issues short of all of us booking to be nuked my brother has a flat there to be nearer to us ?Has anyone been near the lanes or to the Art Gallery?When I first went there i was horrified but the flat cost the same as a flipping beach hut had all been renovated they now own the free hold which means they can keep in a good order and rent it out to a local couple it covers the cost of the council tax they keep it in good order it’s a long term let they work locally don’t judge everything by one look ,Canterbury is not great but better live somewhere you know than move somewhere far worse?Or completely unaffordable inaccessible ?The first time I went I did not like it -But the road is a mix it’s a good place to actually go and I would not go out at night anywhere .You can go any country it will have it’s good points and bad ?The councils are skint most of them have a deficit because of good old Conservative Party levelling down everywhere that needed levelling up . People never appear to be kind or polite anymore they are happy to see you struggle on crutches..Only people that are actually willing to offer to help are the elderly ,other disabled people and Students on day trips (People are shocked if you say “Please or thankyou and even more shocked if your kid gets up and gives a bus seat to someone “
And I live in the p*sspot that is Margate. I personally haven't seen any poverty and I've been here my whole life, but maybe that's just because I go to Broadstairs to shop most of the time and go out. I do like our beaches tho!
Unfortunately I have to agree with you, especially the top 2! Having once lived in Gillingham, I used to call the Medway towns the compost heap of the Garden of England, alas the Garden is no longer rosy. There isn't enough employment in the area, money is no longer invested in the town and too many people shop on line, Amazon has a lot to answer for, or maybe business rates, rentals of shops are to high. High streets are nearly all the same nowadays, whether your in the North or South, sad but true.
Cheers Ian, sounds like not much has changed since you were last in Medway 😆 high streets are rubbish in most towns now aren't they, not appealing to visit anymore
Canterbury is an exception to this rule. Moved here to get out of s**t hole Maidstone nearly a year ago. Town centre is still thriving. You can tell a lot about the local economy and general shopping habits of a town by the businesses that are boarded up. In Maidstone, M&S and most of the nicer stores on the high street are boarded up. Pubs closed down or converted to housing everywhere. High street consists mostly of betting shops, pound shops, mobile repair shops, convenience stores & barbers. Most of which are probably laundering fronts. In Canterbury (aside from the old listed dept store, Nasons) it’s largely pound shops and the like that are closed down. I think the constant influx of students to 4 or 5 universities is what’s keeping it nice & businesses open.
I am a Gravesend resident, born and bred, I’m 80 now…… back in the old days, life was good. Loads of pubs…… we actually had five cinemas, now we have one in the Woodville Halls. The council put up shop rents, but now a lots of shops stand empty…… we used to have shops such as Marks &Spencer…. British Home Stores….. Debenhams….. but now they are all gone…..back in the 40s,50s. And 60s every shop was full and in business….. The open and closed Markets were Running, we had a ferry across to Tilbury, but that is no more! I was born in Gravesend, and will more than likely die here too, but I don’t see it getting any better…., Sad!!
My Dear fried, we need to consider that with new digital technologies the life has changing. Those cities are still great, but the new generation spend too much time online, even when shopping, These cities are not going down, the way to live it changing actually. Remember that that will always happen, when these new kids become 70yo they will be complaining about some new way to live. I'm 31 Now and Ive started to complain... I'm Portuguese, but I love England.
Interesting and depressing video. I was born in Chatham in 1973 and grew up in Gillingham. I left in 1988 to move to Derbyshire and still have fond memories of Medway from the 1970s to 1980s. I've been back a few times since, last of which was in 2014, and felt that I'd gone back to a place that was unknown to me. Very different from what I remember, which includes watching the original Star Wars in the cinema at the bottom of Chatham Hill, along with ET a few years later. I'm not tempted to go back anytime soon.
It's so sad to see. My mum was from Margate and during the 70s it was a great place to go on holidays. Lots to do and see. Havent been back since 83 but it's so sad seeing it like that.
Thanks to you, I got to see various palces! Thank you for sharing your chosen 5 Worst Towns in KENT with an explanation! Hello! Greetings again from 100tour KOREA! Stay in touch, my dear friend! See you! Have a great weekend!
Raised in Margate from the age of 8. As a kid, it was a good place to grow up. Permanently tanned from the heatwave of 76 (60 now) .. all day on the beach with my brother and friends. We could swim like fishes and regularly raided the lobster pots by swimming quarter mile out and 15 ft down for our supper. The day trippers from London in the summer. The mods, the rockers, the skinheads. Always entertaining to watch the chaos as a kid. Hundreds of people fighting along the seafront running back and forth, police everywhere and us kids sitting on the side eating fish and chips with a wooden fork watching the live entertainment. We used to swim regularly in the Lido. A sea water filled pool before it was filled in. Was sad seeing that. I remember the big oil barrel with a ladder attached to it and the ancient wooden slides. If you didn't throw a bucket of water down first, you were coming out the other end with some nasty splinters in places you really don't to want have splinters. As an adult, there is nothing to offer workwise once Pfizer closed. Margate, Thanet, Herne bay and even Whitstable are just too far away to commute for decent wages (was a 2hr each way train ride to London. Including the walk to and from the stations, it was basically a whole day a week out of your life just commuting. There just aren't substantial employment offerings locally now. Met a Broadstairs girl and we've now been together 30 years. Once we started having our own kids, we saw what was going on in the area and moved us out up to Maidstone. County town with links everywhere. (Big drama as she has a big family but I was proven right in the long run.) My reasoning was that there was no work in Margate for my kids to grow up into no matter how hard they studied. In Maidstone, all three of them were working and bringing in their own money before they even left school. All three of them have more money than we do now and two of them have first class degrees. They are not that tanned nor are they great swimmers. Seaside towns are summer based. In the summer they look like a great place. In the winter they are bleak, cold and miserable. Same as any seaside town around the world. Maybe now holidays to Greece and Spain are getting more expensive, people may start coming back to holiday in places like this but unfortunately, all the bed and breakfast hotels are now full of migrants.
Awesome video and very respectfully done - as a north Kent lad who is thinking of moving due to rising costs it was certainly insightful - keep up the good work
I grew up in north London in the 70s and 80s and a lot of the areas were really dirty and run down but from the 90s onwards they have been completely transformed as the poor moved out and the wealthy moved in. Those suburbs are very attractive areas to live now. I always wondered were all the low income people went and I guess it was to these hideous satellite towns dotted around outside of London. Out of sight, out of mind.
I think you've hit the nail on the head there. Gentrify London, move the poorest people out to the home counties. As 'Greater' London expands they'll probably start moving people out to sparsely populated Norfolk, Lincolnshire etc
Agreed, It makes me laugh when people say London is bad now. It's far better now than the dump it was in the 70's & 80's. As you pointed out most of the residents moved out to the suburbs which have equally turned on their heads and have almost become the inner London of the 70"s & ,80"s
You’re correct. Most of London has been “socially cleansed”. I don’t use that word lightly, as it’s a deliberate, strategic act on behalf of the authorities. The only place still affordable in south London is Croydon, and a three bedroom house starts around £550,000 (if you’re lucky). A lot of the other boroughs moved their social housing residents to Croydon, as there’s a lot of private rentals and HMO’s. I suspect they’ll eventually “cleanse” Croydon at some stage. In some ways it’s a good idea, as I don’t want to see houses that aren’t maintained, weeds and overgrown hedges and refuse that isn’t sorted into bins correctly etc. These are the things that make residential areas look shabby and dirty. The legislative changes to private renting could make it less lucrative for private landlords. Hopefully they’ll sell the houses they hoard, prices will drop, and normal working people may be able to afford their own home. I say this as an owner occupier whose house will fall in price if this happens, but housing is a basic human need.
Fascinating... and a bit depressing. Can't help wondering if this is how the country is now, because my own hometown is just like these places. A great film Matt... but I'm going to take a break by watching your Peak District travels now.
Great video. I am happy to see that Sheppey wasn't on your list. I was expecting to see it come up. However, I live on Sheppey and by looking at your videos. All the other towns are in a terrible state of neglect, due to lack of support from the local councils. If the people's of the towns ran the councils ALL these towns would turn around within a month!
Hi Debbie, thank you! I'm actually from the island, a born and bred swampie, so couldn't put Sheerness on there for fear of being lynched 😆 besides, I think perhaps with the exception of Margate, the others are genuinely in a worse state.
The funny thing about Gravesend is that it is often very busy. There are lots of festivals, parades, and art exhibitions. There are also many escape rooms and other game shops. The market has been completely revamped and is an amazing night spot. It's maybe not the best tourist town though. You have to know what you are looking for.
Great video dude 👍 I was born & bred in Medway (Rainham) and I've now escaped to Thanet and have shockingly discovered the Margate of today. I remember back in the day jumping on the train with my mates to go to Bemborm Brothers (Dreamland) How times have changed and not for the better. Totally agree with your comments on Chatham. Again, used to have great shopping and high street. As you say, Big up The Gills ⚽ but not the town 👎
UTG! Yeah I used to love Dreamland/Benbom back in the day. I do still love the Thanet area now despite its problems. Our paths have no doubt crossed on a few occasions. Cheers!
Hi there. I, too, now live in Thanet, and Margate is a dump. I remember going to the Theme Park Bembom Brothers too and riding on the Looping Star roller coaster 🎢 wearing Frankie Goes to Hollywood 👕 t-shirts. Relax!!!!
Gillingham can't be the worst as it doesn't exist anymore. It is now just overrun with London overspill. Everyone from Gillingham has left. Nobody there now actually cares about it as a place.
50 years ago I lived in gillingham and it was such a lovely place to live with nice houses and a really good high street with great shops. I was so sad to see what it is like now and I am glad that I live in wonderful yorkshire and no longer in the south of our country.
Oh gosh this is an eye opener for us! I was born in Gillingham and my Dad worked at the Chatham Dockyard. Very sad to see this video! We emigrated to New Zealand in 1962. However, thanks for making it.
Glad you enjoyed it, if enjoyed is the right word! If you're interested, I have some other videos from the area like this one: ua-cam.com/video/C77f0oIFssg/v-deo.html
Just a few things about my hometown, Gravesend. Those are flats being built opposite the statue of the Queen. Every time they start building again, the company goes bust! The building in GTA 5 might get built before these flats do. The ferry is now no longer running, as thurrock and gravesham council did not want to continue to contribute to its service. The problem with shops is the same as everywhere else, the rent prices are ridiculous. Also you never go into town after dark.
Great comments! Somebody else said that about the flats too! Gravesend has so much potential as well! I saw that in the news about the ferry service, it's a shame. On three separate visits to Gravesend I never saw anybody using it.
@@no_soy_rubiothe other picture you showed of the derelict looking building on the corner of a road is the result of a fire and should be rebuilt soon. It does have potential, but we’ve had trouble families move down due to some deals with London councils and it isn’t a safe place at night anymore.
@@davel9359 How long ago was that fire? I think they dont want to rebuild it as it will cost too much. Apparently not enough money to build that, but enough money for pay rises and new council cars.
I only knew Gillingham from football, never been anywhere near it. It's super weird when you know these teams for decades, but you don't have an image of what the place looks like. Now I do... A haunting one 😅 Very entertaining video, mate!
Yeah some towns in the UK really do suck, and usually the worst ones have a football team, because football is a working class sport they get a lot of support (and players) from locals. Cheers!
My mum was from Margate and as a child I spent 2 weeks every summer break either staying at my grandparents house or at my aunt and uncles house. Had some great holidays there and always plenty to do. I know Margate has had some rejuvenation put back into it and I dont know what its like now, but it will always be my spritual home and the place I was most happiest as a child. I dont even care what its like now I will always remember it with fondness. The last time I was there was 1974 after both my grandparents died within a week of each other. I was 15 and have never been back since.
It's had a few rough years but it's definitely better than it was 10 years ago. Not too bad, bit rough around the edges but it's definitely not that bad.
Hi Matt! We haven't visited any of these towns - now we know why! It was sad to see that parts of Margate were very neglected and run down. I imagine it was quite posh, way back in the day. Eww, the seaweed stench must be very offputting. Gravesend looked like it was living up to its name. The graffiti in the Heritage Centre was cool. I didn't know that Pocahontas ended up at Gravesend. The Sikh temple was impressive. I was surprised that Dover looked so shabby in places. It looked better in summer. Oh dear, the town of Chatham looked rather depressing. Everything was kicking off with all the speeding police cars. Poor old Gillingham didn't have much to recommend it. One thing that all these places had in common was that there was litter everywhere. Such a shame. It was great that you also highlighted some good things about each place, although you struggled with Gillingham. Interesting vlog 👍😊
Haha. Great video. Love the dry humor. I'm from Kent, and I have to agree with this. I've only been to Gillingham once in the '90s, and the best view of it was in the rearview mirror of the car. I was expecting to see Maidstone on this list, but looking at this, it doesn't seem all that bad in comparison-and that’s saying something
Maidstone didn't quite get killed off by Bluewater at the turn of the century the way all the Medway towns did but it has been dying a very slow death ever since. The Medway towns were nothing special before, but since the rise of online shopping, the high street (pretty much anywhere in the U.K.) is basically a relic of a time gone by for any town that has no other reason for people to be there like natural beauty of historical interest. Anywhere touristy like Canterbury and Broadstairs will be fine, but even they have their share of crappy phone accessory shops and Poundland-esque type stores.
Don’t worry the county town of Kent is looking and feeling a lot like the Medway towns , with the Medway being the colon of Kent Maidstone is it’s ring piece
Moved to Margate little over a year ago from Surrey. I love it but have to admit, during winter it is deserted and not a lot to do/see but people are nice and there's a few hidden diamond. The high street is quite run down, looks like Brixton, but during summer, the main beach is full of people and life, there's an event every weekend, ice cream shops everywhere, decent restaurants and holiday makers. I live close to Botany bay, it's certainly very different this end of the town tho. There's a beautiful walking path from botany Bay to Broadstairs with a lovely view
Botany Bay is beautiful! In fact I love all the coast around there. You might enjoy this video where I walked down that end of town, and a little bit further 😄 ua-cam.com/video/oavG-qPs8t0/v-deo.htmlsi=dGIUP3vK7Nck9wMY
it pains me to have to say that I agree with your description of Gillingham. Walking towards Priestfield from the station (by way of Franklin Road) the closer you get to the ground, the worse the rubbish gets in the gardens. Saw one house with a filthy matrass in the garden that looked like it has been there for years. I, too, love the towns but moved away a long time ago. If i go back, it solely to see a match and I am on my way back home as soon as the final whistle blows. It was always a bit run down but at least back in the sixties, you could walk safely down the high street at night and people were friendly during the day. I still think about the town quite often with some nostalgia..... just wouldn't want to live there again !
You would normally think seaside towns have stunning views and are clean. It's actually quite sad to see conditions people are living still. My question is what is the state doing about these towns. Great share friend, just don't decide to camp there it doesn't look safe. Safe travels always.💖💖 14:23
When I first came to the UK, I arrived in Dover, by ferry, many years ago! Back then , Dover was nice! Also disappointing to see how derelict Margate has become! I had no idea!
Dover away from the town centre, on the cliffs and the castle, is quite nice, maybe those are the areas you saw? 😂 Margate is sad but believe it or not it's better than it was around 15-20 years ago!
Rochester is the rose between two thorns! ( Chatham and Strood!)...I think you should reward yourself and go and have a nice drink in one of the many pubs and restaurants on the high street, not to mention specialist shops and the castle. As long as this never gets listed and we can always enjoy it then I can happily forgo the others x
The difference between Rochester high street and Chatham high street is night and day. A friend visited me for the first time and walked with me from Chatham to Rochester, she couldn’t believe the difference.
@@mellonicoley we got married in Rochester, it's a beautiful place and I can only hope the Canker that are Strood and Chatham doesn't spread into that jewel but over time it's likely, sadly x
It definitely isn't. It's got some lovely buildings obviously and is for sure better than Chatham and Gillingham but it's considerably more unsafe. I went out for dinner in Rochester when I was about 16/17 and got assaulted. Went out plenty more times across the years going through Gillingham/Chatham and never had any trouble but Rochester was a different kettle of fish. Don't be fooled by the facade. I've lived in many different parts of the country and the bottom line is that the Medway towns is one of the worst areas in the UK. Has absolutely nothing going for it. And I say that as somebody whose granddad was quite a famous head of the council largely responsible for things like the Gillingham Business Park, Black Lion leisure centre and Medway tunnel. Hardly anything decent built since then (though I moved out 15 years ago so my visits back are limited!)
Back in the mid to late 1950s, living with my parents on a new housing near Rochester Airport and going to school in Chatham, I remember going shopping to Rochester, Chatham and Gillingham, and Maidstone. In your video of Chatham and Gilliingham look in great need of help as compared to my distant memories of those places. I have fond memories of watching the Featherstones, where the overhead Lamsons rapid wire cash carrying system in use at the Chatham shop. Best wishes from Oxfordshire.
Quality video, I lived in Gillingham and went to school in Chatham. Probably why I spent the last 12 years travelling. In Mexico Puerto Escondido is worth a look. There’s a cool hostel called Vivo Escondido, owned by an English bloke called Tom. Have a safe journey I see your flying soon. Good luck
Wow! This is so very sad 😢. We went there as kids in the 50s. Beautiful clean beach. Dreamland every night was always packed. The houses going towards Cliftonville were for the very well off, eventually becoming guest houses. Everywhere always clean and no seaweed smell. Great happy memories and very sad to see it now. I'm now 82 living in the Philippines 🇵🇭. Good luck.
I left Gillingham in 1988. I visited a few times in the 1990s but haven’t been back in 25 years. It’s astounding how much worse it looks now. I guess things started getting worse after the dockyard was closed down. How many thousands put out of work in an instant! It was actually a good place to grow up as a child in the seventies but no way am I ever moving back there.
If you ever get a train passing through the medway towns at school kick out , it's one of the most horrible experiences you will ever have , akin to something like Rorke's Drift just have head phones on or you will be deafened by the racket and keep your possessions close . But they all get off at scabby wood and Woolwich. Long way to go to school .😢
I spent 15 years living in Gillingham. I remember a local newspaper reporting on a poetry competition and the third placed poem being titled 'Medway Is A Mixture Of Mediocrity and Aggression'. Says it all really.
18:25 I’m embarrassed to say I used to live down that exact road for whole 5 years of my life. Went to college in Maidstone and Gravesend, worked in Chatham and lived in Gillingham and that was all before the age of 20. Only makes me grateful that I’ve left that place.
The Councils should be ashamed of themselves. It doesn’t take much to clean buildings & collect the garbage. I lived in Gillingham between 1961-1972. Attended Byron Road Primary & Upbury Manor high school. Was a member of The Methodist Church, a Brownie & Girl Guide at the same church. My memories of Gillingham are completely different to how it looks now. How depressing for the old Council Rate Payers to be made to live in such a hovel 😢. The high Street was thriving then with a great atmosphere. So so Sad 😭 😢😢🐨🐨🦘
I think you did the right thing by emigrating! I agree the councils should be ashamed, and the residents have to take some accountability as well. They're the ones who have to live there after all!
Councils collect rubbish each and every week but obviously not if it's just dumped in an alleyway. Scumbag residents prefer to live in a cesspit. Moved here 30 years ago and the last five years have seen a marked decline, mostly driven by London Council cast-offs
@@clivebonneywell6967 Moved here in 1994 and even then the town was a lot better than it is now. Going into town now is ok unless you have fake nails, awful looking eyebrows or want to shave a vape in one's mouth because that is all the sort of shops Gillingham now consists of also the amount of food outlets to stuff one's pie hole with as well.
I hear what you are saying, but it isn't all the fault of the various Councils. They have had their funding ruthlessly cut by various Tory governments and many of them are facing near-redundancy as a result. Much of their budget goes on things like social care and welfare; there's little left to clean up buildings and parks.
This is a really brutal but sadly, realistic view of these places. I have lived in Kent all my life and have witnessed a shocking decline. High Streets are dying, litter, drugs and crime on the increase. I go abroad to get away from this, to recharge my batteries. I don't want to live my life in places which are depressing.
You missed Strood! I lived in Chatham and Gillingham. 40 years ago they were ok functioning towns and apart from areas where large Pakistani influx, it was a safe and entertaining place to live. In Gillingham, in 1980s, it was the fact houses were cheap and London only 50 minutes by train. So for a young person getting London wages but able to easily get a mortgage for first home.It was a place of hope then. Im sad to see it now. The buildings along the way to the Dockyard, boarded up, were Army Garrison buildings. Beautiful inside. Awful that they are left boarded up and their architecture hidden. I suspect that the Government, Army, Admiralty etc own all those buildings and others beyond that you didn’t show. They won’t sell them on and when dont need, they just board up. Its very sad to see the heritage dismissed in such a way.
I did consider Strood but wanted to do bigger towns so there was more to talk about. I hope Medway gets sorted soon because there is tons of potential, the infrastructure is already there, Rochester is lovely and there's tons of nice nature all around. I didn't know that about the buildings being owned by government/military etc what a waste!
I've lived in Gravesend for more than 40 years on and off. It used to be a rough diamond with great pubs and salt of the earth people. Really funny people. Over the last 10 years it's gone completely to shit. For the last 50 years Gravesend has lived in TOTAL harmony with the Sikh population which has steadily grown. I have several, life long, Sikh friends. I now feel like a foreigner in my home town.
I’m 67 now and born and raised in gravesend on the king’s farm estate, Never felt saver growing up there, Used the general Gorden then into town the nelson pub on the corner think we may have given the Dickens a miss though 😂 we’ve moved out of gravesend now due to its deterioration and unsafe
Gillingham was a shocker. The rubbish makes any area look neglected and rundown. I found several of the places very depressing and they totally need regeneration and investment. A recent visit to Broadstairs and Whitstable made me appreciate that part of the Kent coast. Thank you for this tour of Kent. Margate was my favourite. A work in progress.
Absolutely, there are some nice places in Kent and Broadstairs and Whitstable are two of them! I do like Canterbury, Deal and Folkestone as well. I think the nicest places in Kent though are the villages in the countryside 😁
I lived in Chatham for nearly 30 years and as bad as it was, Gillingham always felt worse. A few years back I had to use the train to visit my Father in hospital, on leaving the newly refurbished station I was greeted by the sight of a burberry-clad junkie shooting up - he promptly left his syringe behind. People didn't even bat an eyelid, that tells you all you need to know about Gillingham. At least Chatham has Billy The Quid lmao.
Chatham is dire, you can't get away from that. As for the amount police cars speeding by sirens blazing along one stretch of road was probably because Medway Police station is nearby.
I grew up in south east London but have now lived in 2 of these towns 😂 I lived in Gravesend and currently live in Gillingham BUT I’ve got a really nice flat by the stadium in a converted bakery, brand new inside, massive windows, double height ceilings and I rarely go to the high st. Before I moved here I thought Chatham was horrible but Chatham has got some nice parts, pier 5, st Mary’s island, copper rivet, Brompton is ok army town and couple nice pubs. Gravesend has so much potential, there’s really nice old buildings that could look good, river Thames location (3 daws is nice in summer) food market etc some nice houses too, I used to get the ferry to tilbury as I was working on steel works at the docks. Also remember when I lived in London growing up getting the train ticket from Bromley south to Margate which included entry to Benbon brothers /dreamland 😊 and to be fair they have good events there in summer now, chase and status, shy fx, Pete tong, etc
Well constructed, Matt. The Sussex video and this Kent one show some southern towns are just as grim as those in the north and west, covered by the likes of Wandering Turnip and Wendall. It's depressing to think the UK is unlikely to ever have the funds to regenerate these towns. If I were you, I'd move to Málaga. 😁
Thanks Roberto! Yeah, there's a lot of these 'worst town' type videos around at the moment, and with good reason! Málaga and Europe is almost off the cards now thanks to Brexit
The indigenous people of kent haven't turned these once wholesome areas into to dumps, and you can blame the big corporations into forcing people to buy on line, they closed down all the highstreet shopping, using c/19 as the excuse.......30 years ago these towns were still adequate for their purpose, and still had that english feel to them.
@@jeffreybotley-ball5185 Look at every other shop opening now 'particularly Gillingham' rarely a British person opening them. No 'racist' nonsense just speaking the truth.
Hi, thanks for your vids. I moved to margate beginning of the 90s and from then till today(17/10/24) it has declined so much😢. Yes they are trying to sort it out but it's the usual things, lack of money, employment, addictions etc. It could be great again but I think we're talking decades to get back to how it should be
Very interesting. As someone who grew up in Gravesend nearly 50 years ago and returned their frequently to see family I know what you mean. My only caveat would be you focussed on the town. Move a mile outside the town and you are going into more affluent areas. These people probably never go into the town. They go to Bluewater and similar places for leisure. Haves and haves not.
I like the comment spoken @ 15:36 ... I was 8 years old when I lived in Margate back in 1956 as my father couldn't find a decent job there, we moved to Chatham in 1960, probably a bad move but at least there was plenty of work there, and as a kid didn't know any better, we eventually moved to Gillingham in 1962 started work at 15 as a Shipwright apprentice at the Chatham Dockyard, bought my first house in Nile Rd Gillingham in 1973 after a complete renovation moved to Gravesend Rd in Strood, But as this guy said looking back it's so depressing on how Medway especially Chatham and Gillingham has declined over the years, but I have to say it's good to see that Rochester is gradually being revitalised especially with the newly built train station and the new apartment blocks close by, then we have the Castle and Cathedral which draws in visitors from everywhere.
The Medway Towns need a heck of a lot of investment and a big change in attitude from the folk that live there, sadly in the town centres of Chatham and Gillingham nobody seems to have any pride in the place! Sounds like you were living there in much better times!
Seaside towns have become run down because they were cheap off season and people with no jobs drifted there to live on the dole. Kent and Essex are close enough to London to catch this.
Note to self: NEVER visit Gillingham!! Jeez-o Matt, I thought some of Scotland's towns were bad ...but Gillingham 😲Happy to see Margate has improved since my last visit. Sadly the litter, dog shit, dilapidated buildings and under-investment in your five towns are a national problem which shows no sign of improving as Britain's decline continues 😒 You'll be glad to get away in March and I wouldn't blame you for staying abroad if you find your Shangri-La. All the best mate, Ian and Meg 🙋♂🐶
Cheers Ian, we'll see what happens! Indeed, I think one could do a 'top five worst towns' in most counties and it would look similar! I think where you're situated in Western Scotland looks pretty Shangri-La-esque mate!
Yeah Margate has a good amount of decent street art. Seaweed stinks everywhere, unpleasant stuff! You are definitely catching it at the right time of day to make it look deserted! 👍 Soviet Council Building in Gravesend! Again really decent street artists down there. They love there multi storey car parks down there don’t they? Is there much call for them? I wouldn’t have thought so. At least the kids know how to have fun! Lovely looking temple and clock tower. After seeing Dover you would just head home, what a shocking intro to the UK. Dovers town centre is really depressing. Crazy how long shops have stood empty in Chatham. Love how the bushes are decorated with empty cans, is that art nouveau? Great police footage! Ah poor Gillingham, did you know going in the order or did you decide after visiting them all? You’ve convinced me, it’s more grim down South! A cracking instalment. 👍
Yeah it does definitely look busier in summer of course, I would've rather done this video then but unfortunately not an option now 🤣 I can't understand why they're building so many multi storeys while simultaneously driving business away from the high street but there you go. Art Nouveau indeed, putting the art into Stella 'Art'ois (damn I should've said that in the video 🤣) I didn't know the order, I was thinking it'd be Gravesend, Chatham or Gillingham but Gillingham really was the pits and I had nothing positive I could say about it unfortunately!
Well documented. You got just the right balance. A sad eye-opener to see these towns. Such a shame that people litter the places adding to their lack of appeal; plus no doubt the local Council’s lack of funds leaving them unable to deal with it all? I hope the warmth of the local people shine through despite such a depressing outlook?
Spot on, as ever. Although there is some strong competition in North Kent. Just a suggestion - how about a Kent top five (towns, views, walks, pubs, whatever ?)
I lived in Strood for a year and apart from Rochester all the Medway towns are grim and depressing. When did the English lose any civic pride they had?
born in chatham in the 50s, was never this bad, high street used to be buzzing with big department stores, graffitti is my biggest hate it looks bad everywhere...try sheerness its even worse
I'm from Sheppey so I know Sheerness only too well. Chatham used to be a good day out for us in the 90s, bit of shopping and food, nowadays would rather avoid altogether
Also born in the 50's but in Dover, we moved to Gillingham when I was two. I remember it for LeFevres and the ABC cinema, Chatham, of which I was a member ... the 'ABC Club',. it was fantastic on a Saturday morning ... lots of films, cartoons, comedy shorts ... and music from the early 60s.
Margate is not always like this ,in the summer every bar is open ,the old town is alive with tourists,thousands on Margate beach,the town is heaving with people .plus we have dreamland and carnivals ,bikers come here every bank holiday .its a great place to live in Kent
Used to live in Gillingham, haven't been there in years.. it was sad to see the high street in this video. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't a pleasant place back then, but.. damn.
Army and Navy, then Churchill's was closed, now a private residence. I remember the dive bar and lock in's with the cops from the old police station just a bit down the Brook. I think Tom White or (Whitehead) ran it back in Army and Navy days. I still can't get over lock in's with the cops who knocked off at 11pm, knocked on the side door and stayed with us regulars till 2/3 in the morning. We never had any trouble and was often on first name terms with the cops. That's history.
Thought England was a country with greenery everywhere. Not a tree in sight in Margate centre and beachfront. A rundown, neglected dump from what I can see. Seems most British towns are a carbon copy of this ugly place. Glad to be shown this, wouldn't waste my vank savings to buy a ticket to visit England. Thanks for showing the real UK.
England has a lot of greenery and beautiful places. If you go anywhere on a bleak winter's day and take photos of the worst parts in succession it's going to give a certain impression. These towns probably don't look great in the best of times, but certainly not indicative of the U.K as a whole.
Haha i used to live in that blue block at 8:55 a few years ago and i would always come out with my scooter and my dad and take a stroll through the park and explore the artillery display
Don't think i will be hurrying down to Kent to visit these town...Everyone thinks the south east as being posh....every town up north seems to be doing so much better
The centre of town is pretty terrible but go to residential areas mile out of the centre and it’s a different story. I guess they’re all driving to the big shopping centres.
I live near Maidstone (close to Chatham) I would advise giving these places a hard pass. They're even more dismal in real life than this video shows. If you must try Kent then try Faversham.
As a general rule, anything along the north and east coasts of Kent from the Thames around to Folkestone is not great or awful, and anything further inland really is the nice posh 'Garden of England'. If it seems a bit like parts of the North suffering from post-industrial decline... that's because it is. Kent's coastal towns, especially along the north Kent coast, were very industrial; lots of heavy industry like steelworks and brickworks, shipbuilding, coal mining, paper making and so on. Most of that is gone, other than the DS Smith paper mill at Kemsley.
I live in Margate and it is improving slowly but you are right the whole country has been trashed. I travel around a lot and even the Cotswolds are rough. Cornwall is awful, Devon Dorset and Somerset those lovely places are all trashed as well. There’s no employment and no money and the rich live abroad. Where I do not know because Europes getting pretty trashy as well.
If you found this video entertaining/interesting, you might like my Five Worst Towns in Sussex video, which you can watch by clicking the link here:
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@@no_soy_rubio ,ill check them out 👍
@weltbuergerin2007 awesome!
When we see places that change so much I remember the good times that we had one time back in the days when you see it now it is sad isn’t it is a big shame I’ve been watching quite a few videos of certain areas now when you see that place how much is has completely changed anyway have a great day
@ ,you are right,i just feel sad though when i see the decline 🤔☹️
born in Margate in 1990 , left as a teenager to join the royal marines . my motivation for completing training was the fear of returning back to margate if i had failed . margate was dangerous at night , falling apart , and most high street shops closed down . nothing to do as kid apart from avoiding gangs . also a lot of poverty ... 14 years later im leaving the marines next month , and will be moving abroad to start a new life
Great stuff mate! Well done for making something of your life in difficult circumstances and all the best for the future 👏
Not much has changed today.
@@garyturner5739Lies, it’s completely different
Good for you baby. Who can blame you ? I wish I’d learned a transportable skill when I was young and I would have left the UK Yeats ago. Hope your new life will be fantastic
I’d do the same UK is finished when ever I have the opportunity I tell my kids to get out of the uk their beginning to see the light
The UK is the only place I know where even the beach towns are depressing.
I'm in the military and born and raised in Kent. Most of my northern mates say how rich and posh I am cause I'm from the south. I just show them this video and it shuts them up...
Brilliant 🤣
Councils still can’t grasp the concept of MAKE A TOWN NICE TO GO TO AND SHOPPERS WILL COME
Sadly I think most people would rather shop online or go to a 'mall' like Bluewater these days
They should make parking free in towns to encourage people back. But Gillingham in particular goes hard with traffic wardens 😢
Councils don’t generally own the shops though, so rents are probably excessive and the big names have pulled out due to out of town centres.
Yeah and the Council tax is more than £200/month for no reason LOL. I mean potholes everywhere, rubbish everywhere, if you go out at night(why not) you can get stabbed and robbed and what not... Yeah not ideal... UK changed a lot. Unless you go countryside. It feels like you are in a complete different country.
The only thing that councils are interested in doing is housing migrants and building mosques.
Hello from your friends in Naples, Florida. Very interesting, indeed! Too bad to see some of them so run down. Great tour. Thank you for sharing with us, have a great week 👍💯
Naples Fla, what a beautiful place. I know it well. I usually stay in the cove Inn on naples Bay when I visit the USA.
I live in One of the nicer places in Kent
2:52
@@albundy643
Yea, try a village like Golden Green or Hadlow, the country parks, the north and south downs walks etc, Canterbury Cathedral...The Medway tours ffs, this is NOT, I REPEAT NOT a fair review of Kent, town centres being run down is a worldwide issue not just in Kent... This tit should be ashamed of himself
Go to Chartwell, Penshurst Place, Hever Castle to name but a few. Your also never more than 1hr30mins from central London wherever you are in Kent, if you're in Orpington you're 15mins from London Bridge and Charing Cross ffs.. Get a grip ya berk and realise how lucky you are to be in the Garden of England... But then again im sure you cant wait for that 2 week break in nice relaxing Gaza, maybe have a stop over in Ukraine on the way and see how you get on
Gillingham is that bad not full of rubbish everywhere and you missed out the strand a lively ace for familys open air swimming pool play aeras. Minature railway riverside country park. A river that has a pod of dophins swimming in it marshes where many migrating wild birds nest
The demize of the Medway towns began with the influx of foreign landlords and shop keepers , a large percentage of property in Chatham & Gillingham are late 1800 terraced houses that have been converted into bedsits and small flats owned and run by foreign landlords who along with the tenants don't give a toss what the place looks like just as long as the rent keeps coming in .
Nothing to do with the extensive deindustrialisation and resultant job losses then?
I agree with you
💯agree.
Lived in Rochester for 15 years down the road from Chatham. People who travel on buses usually don't have much money to spend otherwise they would be at Bluewater or other nearby retail parks. Council wasted money on bus station when clearing it and putting in free parking would have brought people in.
Dude that was an interesting watch 😂 very unfiltered and different from the usual lists where people show the best 🤣 but even then, those still look not so bad. gave me an idea for my own channel hahaha might steal this concept someday.
Haha go for it dude, photos of neglected areas seem to do very well
Chatham Gillingham and rainham are a dump wipe your feet on way out
I'm from Folkestone . We had a litter problem but a few individuals got together to form a voluntary group caller the Town Sprucers. They do a very good job.
Folkstones revival amazes me. Can only hope other places follow suit.
I have been to Folkestone since they lost the harbour and it’s car ferry service, the last time I was there it was appalling, dangerous even in the daytime, a low class woman emerged from her house accusing me of littering, I walking along a leafy residential street and a bloke threatened me with a glass, a dangerous place full of low class people,a great shame as it’s a fine town but..not going again any time soon
@@MegaBadgeman Folkestone is really nice now, very clean and colourful, lots of places to eat and drink, things to do, nice beach, lovely countryside around the town...
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My aunt lives in Folkestone and I know she goes litter picking with a group, maybe it's this one.
I have been to Folkestone last month before going through the channel. I really like it, very nice town, well maintained and in order.
I live just between Chatham and Gillingham 😢I always wondered why my family is always depressed 😩
Thanks for sharing Matt. It can be sad to see how these have gone downhill over time. We have seaside towns and attractions that got destroyed or abandoned but now there's a lot of revitalization efforts to repair them.
Thanks Louis! I heard some things about Coney Island and that area!
@@no_soy_rubio Coney Island in New York was very popular back in the day, but there's been several efforts to restore and attract people again.
There is definitely no north south divide when it comes to seaside towns in England. Another great but sad top/bottom five Matt. I do hope that the English seaside town get revitalised, but they are fighting the cheap holidays abroad. With global warming on its way, perhaps the seaside town is the thing of the future. They say things go in circles. Touches wood. Thanks for sharing, Matt.
Absolutely Chris, that's if global warming doesn't mean the ice caps melt and the seaside towns are all underwater 😅
Once outside the big city's it's not so great here down south either there's plenty of decline & poverty here too It's the same allover the UK . Only London gets the best & is given the most cash
I can’t believe the degradation called Margate. I went as a child when it was thriving and heaving with holidaymakers. What a horror story. It is depressing seeing how Britain is changing.
@@marybarratt2649 it's nicer in summer but still has been very neglected
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@marybarratt2649 •Personally anywhere costal I don’t know what area this guy is filming but you have lots in Margate sure some people don’t want to live there same was with Whitstable used to be a ghost town everywhere whatever country you go to has its problems and issues short of all of us booking to be nuked my brother has a flat there to be nearer to us ?Has anyone been near the lanes or to the Art Gallery?When I first went there i was horrified but the flat cost the same as a flipping beach hut had all been renovated they now own the free hold which means they can keep in a good order and rent it out to a local couple it covers the cost of the council tax they keep it in good order it’s a long term let they work locally don’t judge everything by one look ,Canterbury is not great but better live somewhere you know than move somewhere far worse?Or completely unaffordable inaccessible ?The first time I went I did not like it -But the road is a mix it’s a good place to actually go and I would not go out at night anywhere .You can go any country it will have it’s good points and bad ?The councils are skint most of them have a deficit because of good old Conservative Party levelling down everywhere that needed levelling up . People never appear to be kind or polite anymore they are happy to see you struggle on crutches..Only people that are actually willing to offer to help are the elderly ,other disabled people and Students on day trips (People are shocked if you say “Please or thankyou and even more shocked if your kid gets up and gives a bus seat to someone “
Full of u dissirables if you know what I mean
And I live in the p*sspot that is Margate. I personally haven't seen any poverty and I've been here my whole life, but maybe that's just because I go to Broadstairs to shop most of the time and go out. I do like our beaches tho!
@@EllaBella-76 wow you need to learn how to write coherant sentences, reading your comment is giving me an aneurysm
Unfortunately I have to agree with you, especially the top 2! Having once lived in Gillingham, I used to call the Medway towns the compost heap of the Garden of England, alas the Garden is no longer rosy. There isn't enough employment in the area, money is no longer invested in the town and too many people shop on line, Amazon has a lot to answer for, or maybe business rates, rentals of shops are to high. High streets are nearly all the same nowadays, whether your in the North or South, sad but true.
Cheers Ian, sounds like not much has changed since you were last in Medway 😆 high streets are rubbish in most towns now aren't they, not appealing to visit anymore
I own a shop in Gillingham. Rent isn't too bad but electric bills are insanely high.
Canterbury is an exception to this rule. Moved here to get out of s**t hole Maidstone nearly a year ago. Town centre is still thriving.
You can tell a lot about the local economy and general shopping habits of a town by the businesses that are boarded up.
In Maidstone, M&S and most of the nicer stores on the high street are boarded up. Pubs closed down or converted to housing everywhere. High street consists mostly of betting shops, pound shops, mobile repair shops, convenience stores & barbers. Most of which are probably laundering fronts.
In Canterbury (aside from the old listed dept store, Nasons) it’s largely pound shops and the like that are closed down.
I think the constant influx of students to 4 or 5 universities is what’s keeping it nice & businesses open.
Gillingham high street is absolutely dire now.
I am a Gravesend resident, born and bred, I’m 80 now…… back in the old days, life was good.
Loads of pubs…… we actually had five cinemas, now we have one in the Woodville Halls.
The council put up shop rents, but now a lots of shops stand empty…… we used to have shops such as Marks &Spencer…. British Home Stores….. Debenhams….. but now they are all gone…..back in the 40s,50s. And 60s every shop was full and in business….. The open and closed Markets were Running, we had a ferry across to Tilbury, but that is no more!
I was born in Gravesend, and will more than likely die here too, but I don’t see it getting any better…., Sad!!
Sadly so many towns are going the same way!
There are a lot of new developments going on and I know Gravesend will be one of the best towns in SE England.
My Dear fried, we need to consider that with new digital technologies the life has changing. Those cities are still great, but the new generation spend too much time online, even when shopping, These cities are not going down, the way to live it changing actually. Remember that that will always happen, when these new kids become 70yo they will be complaining about some new way to live. I'm 31 Now and Ive started to complain... I'm Portuguese, but I love England.
Appropriately named town to pass away in.
I like the underlying sarcasam in your descpriptions, but no exaggeration on your part! Great video! - Thank you!
Thank you, appreciate it 🙏
Interesting and depressing video. I was born in Chatham in 1973 and grew up in Gillingham. I left in 1988 to move to Derbyshire and still have fond memories of Medway from the 1970s to 1980s. I've been back a few times since, last of which was in 2014, and felt that I'd gone back to a place that was unknown to me. Very different from what I remember, which includes watching the original Star Wars in the cinema at the bottom of Chatham Hill, along with ET a few years later. I'm not tempted to go back anytime soon.
Quite often it's better to not return to a place, so that the memory isn't tarnished 😁
The town of Margate looks deserted. So quiet.
It's so sad to see. My mum was from Margate and during the 70s it was a great place to go on holidays. Lots to do and see. Havent been back since 83 but it's so sad seeing it like that.
Wasn't this video made in February so that's probably why?
Thanks to you, I got to see various palces! Thank you for sharing your chosen 5 Worst Towns in KENT with an explanation!
Hello! Greetings again from 100tour KOREA! Stay in touch, my dear friend! See you! Have a great weekend!
Raised in Margate from the age of 8. As a kid, it was a good place to grow up. Permanently tanned from the heatwave of 76 (60 now) .. all day on the beach with my brother and friends. We could swim like fishes and regularly raided the lobster pots by swimming quarter mile out and 15 ft down for our supper.
The day trippers from London in the summer. The mods, the rockers, the skinheads. Always entertaining to watch the chaos as a kid. Hundreds of people fighting along the seafront running back and forth, police everywhere and us kids sitting on the side eating fish and chips with a wooden fork watching the live entertainment. We used to swim regularly in the Lido. A sea water filled pool before it was filled in. Was sad seeing that. I remember the big oil barrel with a ladder attached to it and the ancient wooden slides. If you didn't throw a bucket of water down first, you were coming out the other end with some nasty splinters in places you really don't to want have splinters.
As an adult, there is nothing to offer workwise once Pfizer closed. Margate, Thanet, Herne bay and even Whitstable are just too far away to commute for decent wages (was a 2hr each way train ride to London. Including the walk to and from the stations, it was basically a whole day a week out of your life just commuting. There just aren't substantial employment offerings locally now.
Met a Broadstairs girl and we've now been together 30 years. Once we started having our own kids, we saw what was going on in the area and moved us out up to Maidstone. County town with links everywhere. (Big drama as she has a big family but I was proven right in the long run.) My reasoning was that there was no work in Margate for my kids to grow up into no matter how hard they studied. In Maidstone, all three of them were working and bringing in their own money before they even left school. All three of them have more money than we do now and two of them have first class degrees. They are not that tanned nor are they great swimmers.
Seaside towns are summer based. In the summer they look like a great place. In the winter they are bleak, cold and miserable. Same as any seaside town around the world.
Maybe now holidays to Greece and Spain are getting more expensive, people may start coming back to holiday in places like this but unfortunately, all the bed and breakfast hotels are now full of migrants.
Thanks for taking the time to leave such a great comment!
Very interesting and informative comment. Many thanks.
Awesome video and very respectfully done - as a north Kent lad who is thinking of moving due to rising costs it was certainly insightful - keep up the good work
Thank you! Kent's getting more expensive all the time as London grows, I don't envy you!
I grew up in north London in the 70s and 80s and a lot of the areas were really dirty and run down but from the 90s onwards they have been completely transformed as the poor moved out and the wealthy moved in. Those suburbs are very attractive areas to live now. I always wondered were all the low income people went and I guess it was to these hideous satellite towns dotted around outside of London. Out of sight, out of mind.
I think you've hit the nail on the head there. Gentrify London, move the poorest people out to the home counties. As 'Greater' London expands they'll probably start moving people out to sparsely populated Norfolk, Lincolnshire etc
Agreed, It makes me laugh when people say London is bad now. It's far better now than the dump it was in the 70's & 80's. As you pointed out most of the residents moved out to the suburbs which have equally turned on their heads and have almost become the inner London of the 70"s & ,80"s
You’re correct. Most of London has been “socially cleansed”. I don’t use that word lightly, as it’s a deliberate, strategic act on behalf of the authorities.
The only place still affordable in south London is Croydon, and a three bedroom house starts around £550,000 (if you’re lucky). A lot of the other boroughs moved their social housing residents to Croydon, as there’s a lot of private rentals and HMO’s.
I suspect they’ll eventually “cleanse” Croydon at some stage. In some ways it’s a good idea, as I don’t want to see houses that aren’t maintained, weeds and overgrown hedges and refuse that isn’t sorted into bins correctly etc. These are the things that make residential areas look shabby and dirty.
The legislative changes to private renting could make it less lucrative for private landlords. Hopefully they’ll sell the houses they hoard, prices will drop, and normal working people may be able to afford their own home. I say this as an owner occupier whose house will fall in price if this happens, but housing is a basic human need.
Fascinating... and a bit depressing. Can't help wondering if this is how the country is now, because my own hometown is just like these places. A great film Matt... but I'm going to take a break by watching your Peak District travels now.
Good idea, they're certainly a bit more uplifting 😆
Great video. I am happy to see that Sheppey wasn't on your list. I was expecting to see it come up.
However, I live on Sheppey and by looking at your videos. All the other towns are in a terrible state of neglect, due to lack of support from the local councils.
If the people's of the towns ran the councils ALL these towns would turn around within a month!
Hi Debbie, thank you! I'm actually from the island, a born and bred swampie, so couldn't put Sheerness on there for fear of being lynched 😆 besides, I think perhaps with the exception of Margate, the others are genuinely in a worse state.
Sheppy is a dumped it would be no1 on my list. You got 3 prisons and 1 high street on your whole isle
@macweed3358 there's technically four high streets on the island
I live on Sheppey too and thought it would be on the list as well 😂 (reprieved .)
@@no_soy_rubio sheerness is definitely worse than margate and so is Sittingbourne
Spot on from my experience there a few years back now. Your commentary was quite entertaining. Nice one.
Cheers! 😁
The funny thing about Gravesend is that it is often very busy. There are lots of festivals, parades, and art exhibitions. There are also many escape rooms and other game shops. The market has been completely revamped and is an amazing night spot. It's maybe not the best tourist town though. You have to know what you are looking for.
Great video! I love your diplomatic reporting. Your honesty is spot on, yet subtle. 👏🏾
Thank you! I try to tell it how I see it, but like you say, in a subtle way 😄
Great video dude 👍
I was born & bred in Medway (Rainham) and I've now escaped to Thanet and have shockingly discovered the Margate of today. I remember back in the day jumping on the train with my mates to go to Bemborm Brothers (Dreamland) How times have changed and not for the better.
Totally agree with your comments on Chatham. Again, used to have great shopping and high street.
As you say, Big up The Gills ⚽ but not the town 👎
UTG! Yeah I used to love Dreamland/Benbom back in the day. I do still love the Thanet area now despite its problems. Our paths have no doubt crossed on a few occasions. Cheers!
@@no_soy_rubio Ha Ha, we probably have 😁 Great videos matey, keep up the good work 👍
@@StevieL1111 thanks mate, appreciate it 🙏
Hi there. I, too, now live in Thanet, and Margate is a dump. I remember going to the Theme Park Bembom Brothers too and riding on the Looping Star roller coaster 🎢 wearing Frankie Goes to Hollywood 👕 t-shirts. Relax!!!!
@@Pinkbubble702 I thought I recognised you, I was on the Mary Rose ride wearing a Duran Duran t-shirt 👕🤣
Gillingham can't be the worst as it doesn't exist anymore. It is now just overrun with London overspill. Everyone from Gillingham has left. Nobody there now actually cares about it as a place.
Excellent comment.
similar to Dartford, just full of people who eat and sleep in Dartford but work, play and spend in London
London has sent all it's "Unwanted" to Medway! Just look at what's happened in Chatham with the old Tax Office - Anchorage House !!!!💩
50 years ago I lived in gillingham and it was such a lovely place to live with nice houses and a really good high street with great shops. I was so sad to see what it is like now and I am glad that I live in wonderful yorkshire and no longer in the south of our country.
I've seen old footage and it does look like it was so much better then with a proper sense of community
Oh gosh this is an eye opener for us! I was born in Gillingham and my Dad worked at the Chatham Dockyard. Very sad to see this video! We emigrated to New Zealand in 1962. However, thanks for making it.
Glad you enjoyed it, if enjoyed is the right word! If you're interested, I have some other videos from the area like this one:
ua-cam.com/video/C77f0oIFssg/v-deo.html
Just a few things about my hometown, Gravesend. Those are flats being built opposite the statue of the Queen. Every time they start building again, the company goes bust! The building in GTA 5 might get built before these flats do. The ferry is now no longer running, as thurrock and gravesham council did not want to continue to contribute to its service. The problem with shops is the same as everywhere else, the rent prices are ridiculous. Also you never go into town after dark.
Great comments! Somebody else said that about the flats too! Gravesend has so much potential as well! I saw that in the news about the ferry service, it's a shame. On three separate visits to Gravesend I never saw anybody using it.
And the building in GTA V actually serves a purpose.
@@no_soy_rubiothe other picture you showed of the derelict looking building on the corner of a road is the result of a fire and should be rebuilt soon. It does have potential, but we’ve had trouble families move down due to some deals with London councils and it isn’t a safe place at night anymore.
@davel9359 seems to be the same with a lot of London overspill unfortunately
@@davel9359 How long ago was that fire? I think they dont want to rebuild it as it will cost too much. Apparently not enough money to build that, but enough money for pay rises and new council cars.
Another great vid. Appreciate all the effort. Well done.
Thank you 😁
I only knew Gillingham from football, never been anywhere near it. It's super weird when you know these teams for decades, but you don't have an image of what the place looks like. Now I do... A haunting one 😅 Very entertaining video, mate!
Yeah some towns in the UK really do suck, and usually the worst ones have a football team, because football is a working class sport they get a lot of support (and players) from locals. Cheers!
My mum was from Margate and as a child I spent 2 weeks every summer break either staying at my grandparents house or at my aunt and uncles house. Had some great holidays there and always plenty to do. I know Margate has had some rejuvenation put back into it and I dont know what its like now, but it will always be my spritual home and the place I was most happiest as a child. I dont even care what its like now I will always remember it with fondness. The last time I was there was 1974 after both my grandparents died within a week of each other. I was 15 and have never been back since.
It's had a few rough years but it's definitely better than it was 10 years ago. Not too bad, bit rough around the edges but it's definitely not that bad.
I would go on vacation there 😅🤪 cool video buddy 👌❤🎥 congrats on the subscriber explosion 💥
Thanks dude, hope you're good 😎
@@no_soy_rubio Everything ok 👌 a bit sick, have today off and trying to make a new video. If only my boss knew 👋😅🙋♂
@@dronimahoney being able to make videos is very different to being able to work 😎😆
liberate tutemet!
Hi Matt! We haven't visited any of these towns - now we know why! It was sad to see that parts of Margate were very neglected and run down. I imagine it was quite posh, way back in the day. Eww, the seaweed stench must be very offputting. Gravesend looked like it was living up to its name. The graffiti in the Heritage Centre was cool. I didn't know that Pocahontas ended up at Gravesend. The Sikh temple was impressive. I was surprised that Dover looked so shabby in places. It looked better in summer. Oh dear, the town of Chatham looked rather depressing. Everything was kicking off with all the speeding police cars. Poor old Gillingham didn't have much to recommend it. One thing that all these places had in common was that there was litter everywhere. Such a shame. It was great that you also highlighted some good things about each place, although you struggled with Gillingham. Interesting vlog 👍😊
Thank you! I'll be visiting some of the more edgy places in California too, will be interesting to see how they compare!
Haha. Great video. Love the dry humor. I'm from Kent, and I have to agree with this. I've only been to Gillingham once in the '90s, and the best view of it was in the rearview mirror of the car. I was expecting to see Maidstone on this list, but looking at this, it doesn't seem all that bad in comparison-and that’s saying something
Yep, I considered Maidstone but it has possibly more things going for it than other places on the list (apart from perhaps Margate)
Maidstone didn't quite get killed off by Bluewater at the turn of the century the way all the Medway towns did but it has been dying a very slow death ever since. The Medway towns were nothing special before, but since the rise of online shopping, the high street (pretty much anywhere in the U.K.) is basically a relic of a time gone by for any town that has no other reason for people to be there like natural beauty of historical interest. Anywhere touristy like Canterbury and Broadstairs will be fine, but even they have their share of crappy phone accessory shops and Poundland-esque type stores.
Don’t worry the county town of Kent is looking and feeling a lot like the Medway towns , with the Medway being the colon of Kent Maidstone is it’s ring piece
@@pontesieve quite the way with words there 😅
Moved to Margate little over a year ago from Surrey. I love it but have to admit, during winter it is deserted and not a lot to do/see but people are nice and there's a few hidden diamond. The high street is quite run down, looks like Brixton, but during summer, the main beach is full of people and life, there's an event every weekend, ice cream shops everywhere, decent restaurants and holiday makers. I live close to Botany bay, it's certainly very different this end of the town tho. There's a beautiful walking path from botany Bay to Broadstairs with a lovely view
Botany Bay is beautiful! In fact I love all the coast around there. You might enjoy this video where I walked down that end of town, and a little bit further 😄
ua-cam.com/video/oavG-qPs8t0/v-deo.htmlsi=dGIUP3vK7Nck9wMY
@@no_soy_rubio great video! Just dropped a like on that too 😎
@@questionabletaste2700 awesome, glad you enjoyed 😁
I am in devon I have family in Kent I adore margate it has charm it reminds me of my hometown paignton tbh and the people of margate are fantastic
Hi guys, hope you enjoy the video, do you agree with my rankings of the worst towns in Kent?
You are doing a fantastic job with this video series about coastal towns...I find these videos very interesting
No, Sheerness should be on there. It’s not technically Kent. It’s on an island, where we used to send the lepers. Time we dismantled that bridge.
@@FannieKumsalot the lepers went to Dead Man's Island 😂
@@no_soy_rubio 😁
really expected Gravesend to be further up the ranks.
Back in the mists of time, Woolworths used to be where Primark is now.
Let’s face it the whole of England is run down after years of austerity and council corruption
And the brown sewage constantly coming in.
it pains me to have to say that I agree with your description of Gillingham. Walking towards Priestfield from the station (by way of Franklin Road) the closer you get to the ground, the worse the rubbish gets in the gardens. Saw one house with a filthy matrass in the garden that looked like it has been there for years. I, too, love the towns but moved away a long time ago. If i go back, it solely to see a match and I am on my way back home as soon as the final whistle blows. It was always a bit run down but at least back in the sixties, you could walk safely down the high street at night and people were friendly during the day. I still think about the town quite often with some nostalgia..... just wouldn't want to live there again !
Absolutely right. I miss the Gillingham I remember from the 90s, when the town was friendly and even the football team were enjoyable to watch
You would normally think seaside towns have stunning views and are clean. It's actually quite sad to see conditions people are living still. My question is what is the state doing about these towns.
Great share friend, just don't decide to camp there it doesn't look safe. Safe travels always.💖💖 14:23
Maybe, they don´t care!
When I first came to the UK, I arrived in Dover, by ferry, many years ago! Back then , Dover was nice!
Also disappointing to see how derelict Margate has become! I had no idea!
Dover away from the town centre, on the cliffs and the castle, is quite nice, maybe those are the areas you saw? 😂 Margate is sad but believe it or not it's better than it was around 15-20 years ago!
Rochester is the rose between two thorns! ( Chatham and Strood!)...I think you should reward yourself and go and have a nice drink in one of the many pubs and restaurants on the high street, not to mention specialist shops and the castle. As long as this never gets listed and we can always enjoy it then I can happily forgo the others x
Last time I went to Rochester it looked worse than it had previously but way off Chatham and Strood levels 😆
The difference between Rochester high street and Chatham high street is night and day. A friend visited me for the first time and walked with me from Chatham to Rochester, she couldn’t believe the difference.
@@mellonicoley we got married in Rochester, it's a beautiful place and I can only hope the Canker that are Strood and Chatham doesn't spread into that jewel but over time it's likely, sadly x
It definitely isn't. It's got some lovely buildings obviously and is for sure better than Chatham and Gillingham but it's considerably more unsafe. I went out for dinner in Rochester when I was about 16/17 and got assaulted. Went out plenty more times across the years going through Gillingham/Chatham and never had any trouble but Rochester was a different kettle of fish. Don't be fooled by the facade.
I've lived in many different parts of the country and the bottom line is that the Medway towns is one of the worst areas in the UK. Has absolutely nothing going for it. And I say that as somebody whose granddad was quite a famous head of the council largely responsible for things like the Gillingham Business Park, Black Lion leisure centre and Medway tunnel. Hardly anything decent built since then (though I moved out 15 years ago so my visits back are limited!)
Back in the mid to late 1950s, living with my parents on a new housing near Rochester Airport and going to school in Chatham, I remember going shopping to Rochester, Chatham and Gillingham, and Maidstone. In your video of Chatham and Gilliingham look in great need of help as compared to my distant memories of those places. I have fond memories of watching the Featherstones, where the overhead Lamsons rapid wire cash carrying system in use at the Chatham shop. Best wishes from Oxfordshire.
Quality video, I lived in Gillingham and went to school in Chatham. Probably why I spent the last 12 years travelling. In Mexico Puerto Escondido is worth a look. There’s a cool hostel called Vivo Escondido, owned by an English bloke called Tom. Have a safe journey I see your flying soon. Good luck
Nice! I was thinking of heading to Puerto Escondido so I'll look that hostel up!
Wow! This is so very sad 😢. We went there as kids in the 50s. Beautiful clean beach. Dreamland every night was always packed. The houses going towards Cliftonville were for the very well off, eventually becoming guest houses. Everywhere always clean and no seaweed smell. Great happy memories and very sad to see it now.
I'm now 82 living in the Philippines 🇵🇭.
Good luck.
Yes unfortunately it's beeb very neglected, even since the 90s when I used to enjoy visiting. Enjoy the Philippines, hope to visit someday!
I left Gillingham in 1988. I visited a few times in the 1990s but haven’t been back in 25 years. It’s astounding how much worse it looks now. I guess things started getting worse after the dockyard was closed down. How many thousands put out of work in an instant! It was actually a good place to grow up as a child in the seventies but no way am I ever moving back there.
I've been a lot, being a fan of Gillingham FC. Never venture into town though. After making this video I see why
Brilliant, honest and funny vid. I've visited all the towns often over the last 3 decades and think you have the order spot on.
Thank you! And I like your Earthworm Jim pic!
If you ever get a train passing through the medway towns at school kick out , it's one of the most horrible experiences you will ever have , akin to something like Rorke's Drift just have head phones on or you will be deafened by the racket and keep your possessions close . But they all get off at scabby wood and Woolwich. Long way to go to school .😢
Sounds nightmarish, will make sure to avoid it at that time 😬
I like your knowledge and the way you present it. Cheers from Brisbane Queensland. Subscribed.
Thank you!
I spent 15 years living in Gillingham. I remember a local newspaper reporting on a poetry competition and the third placed poem being titled 'Medway Is A Mixture Of Mediocrity and Aggression'. Says it all really.
Brilliant 😆
18:25 I’m embarrassed to say I used to live down that exact road for whole 5 years of my life. Went to college in Maidstone and Gravesend, worked in Chatham and lived in Gillingham and that was all before the age of 20. Only makes me grateful that I’ve left that place.
Well done on getting out, most people are there for life
The Councils should be ashamed of themselves. It doesn’t take much to clean buildings & collect the garbage. I lived in Gillingham between 1961-1972. Attended Byron Road Primary & Upbury Manor high school. Was a member of The Methodist Church, a Brownie & Girl Guide at the same church. My memories of Gillingham are completely different to how it looks now. How depressing for the old Council Rate Payers to be made to live in such a hovel 😢. The high Street was thriving then with a great atmosphere. So so Sad 😭 😢😢🐨🐨🦘
I think you did the right thing by emigrating! I agree the councils should be ashamed, and the residents have to take some accountability as well. They're the ones who have to live there after all!
Yes gillingham high street had everything in 70s 80s now its like a third world country
Councils collect rubbish each and every week but obviously not if it's just dumped in an alleyway. Scumbag residents prefer to live in a cesspit. Moved here 30 years ago and the last five years have seen a marked decline, mostly driven by London Council cast-offs
@@clivebonneywell6967 Moved here in 1994 and even then the town was a lot better than it is now. Going into town now is ok unless you have fake nails, awful looking eyebrows or want to shave a vape in one's mouth because that is all the sort of shops Gillingham now consists of also the amount of food outlets to stuff one's pie hole with as well.
I hear what you are saying, but it isn't all the fault of the various Councils. They have had their funding ruthlessly cut by various Tory governments and many of them are facing near-redundancy as a result. Much of their budget goes on things like social care and welfare; there's little left to clean up buildings and parks.
This is a really brutal but sadly, realistic view of these places. I have lived in Kent all my life and have witnessed a shocking decline. High Streets are dying, litter, drugs and crime on the increase. I go abroad to get away from this, to recharge my batteries. I don't want to live my life in places which are depressing.
It's part of why I moved abroad. Still love the UK, but my goodness I was depressed living there, especially in winter
You missed Strood! I lived in Chatham and Gillingham. 40 years ago they were ok functioning towns and apart from areas where large Pakistani influx, it was a safe and entertaining place to live. In Gillingham, in 1980s, it was the fact houses were cheap and London only 50 minutes by train. So for a young person getting London wages but able to easily get a mortgage for first home.It was a place of hope then. Im sad to see it now. The buildings along the way to the Dockyard, boarded up, were Army Garrison buildings. Beautiful inside. Awful that they are left boarded up and their architecture hidden. I suspect that the Government, Army, Admiralty etc own all those buildings and others beyond that you didn’t show. They won’t sell them on and when dont need, they just board up. Its very sad to see the heritage dismissed in such a way.
I did consider Strood but wanted to do bigger towns so there was more to talk about. I hope Medway gets sorted soon because there is tons of potential, the infrastructure is already there, Rochester is lovely and there's tons of nice nature all around. I didn't know that about the buildings being owned by government/military etc what a waste!
I've lived in Gravesend for more than 40 years on and off. It used to be a rough diamond with great pubs and salt of the earth people. Really funny people. Over the last 10 years it's gone completely to shit. For the last 50 years Gravesend has lived in TOTAL harmony with the Sikh population which has steadily grown. I have several, life long, Sikh friends. I now feel like a foreigner in my home town.
I’m 67 now and born and raised in gravesend on the king’s farm estate,
Never felt saver growing up there,
Used the general Gorden then into town the nelson pub on the corner think we may have given the Dickens a miss though 😂 we’ve moved out of gravesend now due to its deterioration and unsafe
@@barryonyett8638because the foreigners are take over our beautiful country and think its there's
Not as deteriorated as your grammar and spelling.
@@LovingChrist1980not very Christian of you
@@LovingChrist1980 Troll alert! Troll alert! Your username says it all really, doesn't it?
Gillingham was a shocker. The rubbish makes any area look neglected and rundown. I found several of the places very depressing and they totally need regeneration and investment.
A recent visit to Broadstairs and Whitstable made me appreciate that part of the Kent coast.
Thank you for this tour of Kent. Margate was my favourite. A work in progress.
Absolutely, there are some nice places in Kent and Broadstairs and Whitstable are two of them! I do like Canterbury, Deal and Folkestone as well. I think the nicest places in Kent though are the villages in the countryside 😁
I lived in Chatham for nearly 30 years and as bad as it was, Gillingham always felt worse. A few years back I had to use the train to visit my Father in hospital, on leaving the newly refurbished station I was greeted by the sight of a burberry-clad junkie shooting up - he promptly left his syringe behind. People didn't even bat an eyelid, that tells you all you need to know about Gillingham. At least Chatham has Billy The Quid lmao.
Just looked up Billy the Quid, crikey 😆
Chatham is dire, you can't get away from that. As for the amount police cars speeding by sirens blazing along one stretch of road was probably because Medway Police station is nearby.
Yes, somebody in the comments said the emergency response unit was nearby which makes sense
I grew up in south east London but have now lived in 2 of these towns 😂 I lived in Gravesend and currently live in Gillingham BUT I’ve got a really nice flat by the stadium in a converted bakery, brand new inside, massive windows, double height ceilings and I rarely go to the high st. Before I moved here I thought Chatham was horrible but Chatham has got some nice parts, pier 5, st Mary’s island, copper rivet, Brompton is ok army town and couple nice pubs. Gravesend has so much potential, there’s really nice old buildings that could look good, river Thames location (3 daws is nice in summer) food market etc some nice houses too, I used to get the ferry to tilbury as I was working on steel works at the docks. Also remember when I lived in London growing up getting the train ticket from Bromley south to Margate which included entry to Benbon brothers /dreamland 😊 and to be fair they have good events there in summer now, chase and status, shy fx, Pete tong, etc
Oh yeah I remember the combined train ticket to Bembon Brothers 👍🪣⛱️
OMG! Thank you for sharing, my friend.🥷🇯🇵
Well constructed, Matt. The Sussex video and this Kent one show some southern towns are just as grim as those in the north and west, covered by the likes of Wandering Turnip and Wendall. It's depressing to think the UK is unlikely to ever have the funds to regenerate these towns. If I were you, I'd move to Málaga. 😁
Thanks Roberto! Yeah, there's a lot of these 'worst town' type videos around at the moment, and with good reason! Málaga and Europe is almost off the cards now thanks to Brexit
The indigenous people of kent haven't turned these once wholesome areas into to dumps, and you can blame the big corporations into forcing people to buy on line, they closed down all the highstreet shopping, using c/19 as the excuse.......30 years ago these towns were still adequate for their purpose, and still had that english feel to them.
The people are partly to blame. Big corporations don't tell you to fly tip, they don't tell you to let your dog shit on the pavements etc.
@@jeffreybotley-ball5185 Look at every other shop opening now 'particularly Gillingham' rarely a British person opening them. No 'racist' nonsense just speaking the truth.
Hi, thanks for your vids. I moved to margate beginning of the 90s and from then till today(17/10/24) it has declined so much😢. Yes they are trying to sort it out but it's the usual things, lack of money, employment, addictions etc. It could be great again but I think we're talking decades to get back to how it should be
Thanks for your comment! I think that sadly it's a lot harder for seaside towns in the UK than it used to be
I was born in Gillingham, Left in 2015 now live in Thailand and yes what a dump Gillingham is!
Well done on getting out mate!
I enjoyed watching video reviews of various towns🤗☺
Wow, this beautiful my friend! Video super) ✌😁🥰
Very interesting. As someone who grew up in Gravesend nearly 50 years ago and returned their frequently to see family I know what you mean. My only caveat would be you focussed on the town. Move a mile outside the town and you are going into more affluent areas. These people probably never go into the town. They go to Bluewater and similar places for leisure. Haves and haves not.
Cheers! When I walked the Kent Coast last year I did see some nice areas amongst all the heavy industry. Greenhithe seemed especially nice.
Gravesend’s been my local town for around 50yrs , I now avoid it if possible. Bluewater is where we now shop.
I like the comment spoken @ 15:36 ... I was 8 years old when I lived in Margate back in 1956 as my father couldn't find a decent job there, we moved to Chatham in 1960, probably a bad move but at least there was plenty of work there, and as a kid didn't know any better, we eventually moved to Gillingham in 1962 started work at 15 as a Shipwright apprentice at the Chatham Dockyard, bought my first house in Nile Rd Gillingham in 1973 after a complete renovation moved to Gravesend Rd in Strood,
But as this guy said looking back it's so depressing on how Medway especially Chatham and Gillingham has declined over the years, but I have to say it's good to see that Rochester is gradually being revitalised especially with the newly built train station and the new apartment blocks close by, then we have the Castle and Cathedral which draws in visitors from everywhere.
The Medway Towns need a heck of a lot of investment and a big change in attitude from the folk that live there, sadly in the town centres of Chatham and Gillingham nobody seems to have any pride in the place! Sounds like you were living there in much better times!
Seaside towns have become run down because they were cheap off season and people with no jobs drifted there to live on the dole. Kent and Essex are close enough to London to catch this.
Good list, although Ashford town centre’s a glaring omission- it’s switched it out with Margate
I agree Ashford probably should've been in there
Note to self: NEVER visit Gillingham!! Jeez-o Matt, I thought some of Scotland's towns were bad ...but Gillingham 😲Happy to see Margate has improved since my last visit. Sadly the litter, dog shit, dilapidated buildings and under-investment in your five towns are a national problem which shows no sign of improving as Britain's decline continues 😒 You'll be glad to get away in March and I wouldn't blame you for staying abroad if you find your Shangri-La. All the best mate, Ian and Meg 🙋♂🐶
Cheers Ian, we'll see what happens! Indeed, I think one could do a 'top five worst towns' in most counties and it would look similar! I think where you're situated in Western Scotland looks pretty Shangri-La-esque mate!
Thanks for touring us around this town. Well done video.
Kent has been a conservative stronghold for decades and it shows, everything is decaying yet they still get voted in.
Sad state of affairs!
Since the General Election only 6 of the 18 constituencies in Kent are now Tory 😊
They didn't get voted in the conservatives in East Thanet or Dover.
Yeah Margate has a good amount of decent street art. Seaweed stinks everywhere, unpleasant stuff! You are definitely catching it at the right time of day to make it look deserted! 👍 Soviet Council Building in Gravesend! Again really decent street artists down there. They love there multi storey car parks down there don’t they? Is there much call for them? I wouldn’t have thought so. At least the kids know how to have fun! Lovely looking temple and clock tower. After seeing Dover you would just head home, what a shocking intro to the UK. Dovers town centre is really depressing. Crazy how long shops have stood empty in Chatham. Love how the bushes are decorated with empty cans, is that art nouveau? Great police footage! Ah poor Gillingham, did you know going in the order or did you decide after visiting them all? You’ve convinced me, it’s more grim down South! A cracking instalment. 👍
Yeah it does definitely look busier in summer of course, I would've rather done this video then but unfortunately not an option now 🤣 I can't understand why they're building so many multi storeys while simultaneously driving business away from the high street but there you go. Art Nouveau indeed, putting the art into Stella 'Art'ois (damn I should've said that in the video 🤣) I didn't know the order, I was thinking it'd be Gravesend, Chatham or Gillingham but Gillingham really was the pits and I had nothing positive I could say about it unfortunately!
indeed, these places do not make you dream... 😱😱
Well documented. You got just the right balance. A sad eye-opener to see these towns. Such a shame that people litter the places adding to their lack of appeal; plus no doubt the local Council’s lack of funds leaving them unable to deal with it all? I hope the warmth of the local people shine through despite such a depressing outlook?
Thank you! I'll leave others to comment on the warmth of the people 😬
Spot on, as ever. Although there is some strong competition in North Kent. Just a suggestion - how about a Kent top five (towns, views, walks, pubs, whatever ?)
I'm thinking of doing a video just like that, either my five favourite places, five places I miss the most or five best places to visit - great idea!
Thanks for sharing dear friend,
Keep up the good work,
Stay blessed and connected 🌺🌺
Margate was a magic place in the 1950s. Mike ❤
Would've been nice to see it!
I agree, have so many lovely memories of days out at Margate in 60's. I loved it. How depressing to see it decline.
Very interesting to watch. I moved from KENT to WALES 8 years ago and so pleased I did. Its paradise living here in PEMBROKESHIRE
I haven't been yet but I heard it's nice there!
I lived in Strood for a year and apart from Rochester all the Medway towns are grim and depressing. When did the English lose any civic pride they had?
When they got over run with foreigners
So, so true.
Excellent video, Thanks for posting.
Thank you, appreciate it 🙏
born in chatham in the 50s, was never this bad, high street used to be buzzing with big department stores, graffitti is my biggest hate it looks bad everywhere...try sheerness its even worse
I'm from Sheppey so I know Sheerness only too well. Chatham used to be a good day out for us in the 90s, bit of shopping and food, nowadays would rather avoid altogether
Also born in the 50's but in Dover, we moved to Gillingham when I was two. I remember it for LeFevres and the ABC cinema, Chatham, of which I was a member ... the 'ABC Club',. it was fantastic on a Saturday morning ... lots of films, cartoons, comedy shorts ... and music from the early 60s.
Iwas a teenager in the late seventies and graffiti wasn't that bad back then. This vile ugly trash is everywhere now and make towns look like ghettos.
My video tribute to the re-opened Dreamland: ua-cam.com/video/oPZHQDSdYzQ/v-deo.html
The state of those 2 medway towns where is the council & what are they spending the taxpayers money on? They All need sacking ..
Apparently, a load of money is being invested in Chatham, although it looks like it'll be Riverside apartments only Londoners will be able to afford
Margate is not always like this ,in the summer every bar is open ,the old town is alive with tourists,thousands on Margate beach,the town is heaving with people .plus we have dreamland and carnivals ,bikers come here every bank holiday .its a great place to live in Kent
I'm a big margate fan lee I love it's charm kieran from devon
I have made a video or 3 in Margate in summer too
ua-cam.com/video/oavG-qPs8t0/v-deo.html
Think the ruin is war damaged St James Church
Used to live in Gillingham, haven't been there in years.. it was sad to see the high street in this video. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't a pleasant place back then, but.. damn.
I'm not sure if it's got worse or if I just didn't realise how bad it was before 😅
Look at all the defences used to defend the country from invaders. Look at us noo, couldnae defend ourselves fae a moose (mouse) !
I used to go to Chatham a lot (Royal Engineers) and remember a pub called the Army and Navy(dive bar) apparently it was demolished.
A lot of history sadly forgotten now
Army and Navy, then Churchill's was closed, now a private residence. I remember the dive bar and lock in's with the cops from the old police station just a bit down the Brook. I think Tom White or (Whitehead) ran it back in Army and Navy days.
I still can't get over lock in's with the cops who knocked off at 11pm, knocked on the side door and stayed with us regulars till 2/3 in the morning. We never had any trouble and was often on first name terms with the cops. That's history.
Thought England was a country with greenery everywhere. Not a tree in sight in Margate centre and beachfront. A rundown, neglected dump from what I can see. Seems most British towns are a carbon copy of this ugly place. Glad to be shown this, wouldn't waste my vank savings to buy a ticket to visit England. Thanks for showing the real UK.
Well these are the worst towns in that particular county, but there are some miserable town centres I have to admit
England has a lot of greenery and beautiful places. If you go anywhere on a bleak winter's day and take photos of the worst parts in succession it's going to give a certain impression. These towns probably don't look great in the best of times, but certainly not indicative of the U.K as a whole.
@mattcrispin6737 this guy's a troll from the US, probably salty because I criticised Skid Row etc when I travelled there
It's a trap l for the poor souls that live there.
Have you ever visited margate
Haha i used to live in that blue block at 8:55 a few years ago and i would always come out with my scooter and my dad and take a stroll through the park and explore the artillery display
Don't think i will be hurrying down to Kent to visit these town...Everyone thinks the south east as being posh....every town up north seems to be doing so much better
The centre of town is pretty terrible but go to residential areas mile out of the centre and it’s a different story. I guess they’re all driving to the big shopping centres.
I live near Maidstone (close to Chatham) I would advise giving these places a hard pass. They're even more dismal in real life than this video shows. If you must try Kent then try Faversham.
@@fboylan16 Chatham maybe, wouldn't say that about Maidstone though!
@@fboylan16😅
As a general rule, anything along the north and east coasts of Kent from the Thames around to Folkestone is not great or awful, and anything further inland really is the nice posh 'Garden of England'.
If it seems a bit like parts of the North suffering from post-industrial decline... that's because it is. Kent's coastal towns, especially along the north Kent coast, were very industrial; lots of heavy industry like steelworks and brickworks, shipbuilding, coal mining, paper making and so on. Most of that is gone, other than the DS Smith paper mill at Kemsley.
At Gravesend, the ferry across to Tilbury has now been discontinued.
Might have to bump it up to third place now
Gracias por compartir lo que dejas aqui haces una bonita aventura
I live in Margate and it is improving slowly but you are right the whole country has been trashed. I travel around a lot and even the Cotswolds are rough. Cornwall is awful, Devon Dorset and Somerset those lovely places are all trashed as well. There’s no employment and no money and the rich live abroad. Where I do not know because Europes getting pretty trashy as well.
Such a shame!