Port Vale is a Pretty Town

[Cheshire Cat]

yeah but hes in the midlands which none of those places are

there are some true shit holes like walsall, though some decent places to visit as well, Bristol, Warwick...

Good point, well put

 

[hart's shirt]

Nice pictures. Good to see Shortarms in his denim jacket in the front.

 

[severnside gull]

as an ex resident of nearby newcastle under lyme I would categorise burslem as a middling sort of slum - there's worse in the potteries but not a lot worse....nearest "pretty" areas are a 30 minute drive away

 

[Yorkie]

The drive from Burslem to Sheffield is beautiful as it passes through the heart of the Peak district.

 

[severnside gull]

The drive from Burslem to Sheffield is beautiful as it passes through the heart of the Peak district.

very true.....driving FROM burslem is highly recommended

 

[Leekbrookgull]

To all those that have never seen Stoke-on-Trent,as Jasper Carrott once said 'you have got to see it' !!!

 

[Beach Hut]

Two tough games coming up Leeds at home and Hartlepool away - let's make judgements after these

 

[Yorkie]

Two tough games coming up Leeds at home and Hartlepool away - let's make judgements after these

Wrong thread? What's that got to do with the aesthetic properties of Burslem?

 

[El Presidente]

Two tough games coming up Leeds at home and Hartlepool away - let's make judgements after these

No, No, NO Beachy, Burslem will still be a shithole even if we beat Leeds.

The only saving grace is that is has 7 entries in the top 10 'Poundshops of the Year' awards 2007

 

[Screaming J]

According to Port Vale's official site "Burslem (The Mother town of the Potteries) is located to the north of the city and is widely regarded as one of the prettiest towns in The British Isles"

Well having only visited the place fleetingly, twice for Albion matches and once to the Gladstone Pottery as a treat on my daughter's birthday, I must say the pretty aspect has passed me by. I will try to view Burslem in a different light tomorrow however.

Anyone else like to comment coz most posts I've read seem to concur that it is somewhat of a dump.

I've only been twice for the game yesterrday and the 1-0 win 5 years ago. I was quite shocked. It was obviously quite prosperous once, the main square where the traffic lghts are on your way to the ground is surrounded by some quite grandiose stone buildings.

But to say its fallen on hard times is putting it mildly. Living in St Helens I'm used to seeing "deprived" areas but places like that and Wigan are pulling thmselves up by their bootstraps. Burslem seems to have given up. All the shops are 'poundland' types or offer to unlock your mobile phones, the banks all appear to have fled, and the pubs have all got ugly bouncers on the door (the Bulls Head being a VERY honourable exception). The potteries in general is a sorry area of urban neglect and Burslem epitomises it

 

[cheshunt seagull]

I've only been twice for the game yesterrday and the 1-0 win 5 years ago. I was quite shocked. It was obviously quite prosperous once, the main square where the traffic lghts are on your way to the ground is surrounded by some quite grandiose stone buildings.

But to say its fallen on hard times is putting it mildly. Living in St Helens I'm used to seeing "deprived" areas but places like that and Wigan are pulling thmselves up by their bootstraps. Burslem seems to have given up. All the shops are 'poundland' types or offer to unlock your mobile phones, the banks all appear to have fled, and the pubs have all got ugly bouncers on the door (the Bulls Head being a VERY honourable exception). The potteries in general is a sorry area of urban neglect and Burslem epitomises it

Agreed. It obviously has a proud industrial past but the years of decline now seem terminal. The only busy place in town was 'Burslem Outcakes' and the only sign of optimism was a sign saying 'book early to avoid disappointment' outside a pub restaurant. Given that the shops were mostly closed or closing and the whole place had a fetid air of death about it, why has the council seemed to opt for a draconian policy of permit only and pay parking?

 

[dougdeep]

Agreed. It obviously has a proud industrial past but the years of decline now seem terminal. The only busy place in town was 'Burslem Outcakes' and the only sign of optimism was a sign saying 'book early to avoid disappointment' outside a pub restaurant. Given that the shops were mostly closed or closing and the whole place had a fetid air of death about it, why has the council seemed to opt for a draconian policy of permit only and pay parking?

A bit like Newhaven but with nicer buildings.

 

[Bromley shrimp]

Well having arrived nearly 3 hour before k.o. I had plenty of time to have a good look around. (What are those hiddeous green domed buildings they seem to have a fondness for btw?) and realise that my opinion has not changed in as much as Burslum is to Stoke what Penge is to Bromley, Fishersgate is to Southwick etc - but in a far worse sense.

With so much adverse publicity received on this thread my conclusion is that the comment on Vale's web page re "Pretty" is tongue in cheek, amounting to no more than a subtle wind-up of the visiting tribes.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

I've just found all the snaps I took from the Port Vale game in 2001 - with what was then considered a "decent" digital camera. All 1.5 megapixels worth!

It's not a pretty sight:

I honestly wish I could recall that day.

 

[Yorkie]

I honestly wish I could recall that day.

I can. Living in Huddersfield at the time, I had no chance of getting a ticket in the away end but managed to wangle a couple of tickets in hospitality.

 

[cheshunt seagull]

A bit like Newhaven but with nicer buildings.

Makes Newhaven look like Honfleur

 

[Buzzer]

I went to school with a bloke called Sandor Burslem. Crazy name, crazy guy. All his Eng Lit stories seemed to focus around people getting their eyes stabbed out.

 

[Blackadder]

I honestly wish I could recall that day.

I can.

Last time Paul Watson scored for us! He was a good player up to then!

Going back to the original post.

Stoke is one of the slum holes of Engalnd and Burslem is the butt end of Stoke!

Hope that helps!