Crawley .... like being in a third world country

[Kinky Gerbil]

I knew that Crawley has been a dump for a long long time, but having avoided the town centre for a few years I had not realised just how much it had deteriorated. Today I had the misfortune to spend an hour in the town:
- English was the minority language
- many of the shops looked like the type you find in souks
- lots of "shoppers amusements" shops ... presumably full of slot machines so the unemployed layabouts can gamble away what little money they do have
- charity shops everywhere
- Lyca Mobile signs all over the place
- every third shop offering to "unlock mobiles"
- boarded up shops abound
- the white faces were mostly Eastern Europeans or chavvy overweight English people

Awful, awful, awful.

An embarrasment to the name of Sussex.

So much like Brighton?

 

[Red Side Of Sussex]

I've got to say driving through London Road like I do twice a month is like being in an episode of the Walking Dead.

 

[alfredmizen]

Crawley has the smallest residents of any town in the World (ex Poorest from east end a reason?) so outsiders walk around feeling like Dave Prowse
also remarkably it has just 1 shop (Superdry) out of 200 that has items for sale for more than £1.99

I doubt many of the residents of Crawley both original and present day come out of the east end.

 

[Spicy]

Having lived in 'Crawley' for the past year I find it a little bit insulting that someone comes on here having spent 10 minutes in the town centre and labels the whole place with the same brush. I am sure he lives in just the best place known to man, somewhere around Whitehawk. None of your (racist remarks) eastern Europeans or Muslims where I live, Did you come where I live on your amazing trip around the town. What a seriously deluded and utterly wrong post.

Agree with you there. Don't live in Crawley but have friends there or meet people there as it is half way between where I live and Sussex. There are some closed up shops (aren't there everywhere these days) and some weirdos but it is a generalisation to say the place is a dump.

 

[matbha]

Very worryingly, that is awful, I haven't seen the reports or anything on tv. However, doesn't that happen all over the land? Having lived in London that was a daily occurrence, does anyone post threads remarking on London? To tag Crawley as a shit hole is just so naive and childish. Go have a night out in Brighton down Queens/North Street, worst place in the world on a Saturday.

Mr hates Brighton ,been out in Crawley and Brighton Crawley is the worst town ever full of non English speaking idiots ,Brighton at chucking out time aint great but atleast you can understand what people are saying!!

 

[mona]

Crawley has the smallest residents of any town in the World (ex Poorest from east end a reason?) so outsiders walk around feeling like Dave Prowse

Has it got a lot of leprechauns there?
East End? I don't know Crawley very well but do know that the bulk of Londoners there were moved from South London. If you want East Enders in a new town head for Basildon or Harlow.

 

[chucky1973]

What a crap thread. 70% of Crawley is very nice. The town centre is ok. Not the best but certainly not the worst. Have you looked at haywards Heath. Burgess hill Newhaven seafood or most of Brighton recently all have dire areas and non English people. I live 100m fromTilgate park and I would put that as one to the most beautiful parts of our county and wouldn't move if given the choice.
This thread is a load of boll ocks

 

[Juan Albion]

I knew that Crawley has been a dump for a long long time, but having avoided the town centre for a few years I had not realised just how much it had deteriorated. Today I had the misfortune to spend an hour in the town:
- English was the minority language
- many of the shops looked like the type you find in souks
- lots of "shoppers amusements" shops ... presumably full of slot machines so the unemployed layabouts can gamble away what little money they do have
- charity shops everywhere
- Lyca Mobile signs all over the place
- every third shop offering to "unlock mobiles"
- boarded up shops abound
- the white faces were mostly Eastern Europeans or chavvy overweight English people

Awful, awful, awful.

An embarrasment to the name of Sussex.

Which of these, apart from perhaps the language, would you expect to find in a third world country?

 

[Butch Willykins]

Surely it can't be dogshit for much longer? There's a housing crisis in the South East and Crawley, on paper, ticks a lot of boxes. Good transport links to London / Coast / M25. A major airport. An IMAX. At least 3 Drive Thru McDonalds. Countryside nearby. A big park with a pub in it.

Maybe they should have a name change and rebranding? Gatwick Village?

 

[Sussex Nomad]

What a crap thread. 70% of Crawley is very nice. The town centre is ok. Not the best but certainly not the worst. Have you looked at haywards Heath. Burgess hill Newhaven seafood or most of Brighton recently all have dire areas and non English people. I live 100m fromTilgate park and I would put that as one to the most beautiful parts of our county and wouldn't move if given the choice.
This thread is a load of boll ocks

Chucky I have no idea why you don't like 'seafood' but that asides I am a mile from you and Tilgate Park is my first destination on a nice summers day.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

I've not been to the main shopping area in Brighton for a long long time, but last time I was there it seemed a large amount of the shops are the cheap Tat ones or boarded up?

 

[wehatepalace]

Sounds like we're all quite close as I too walk out of my back gate straight into Tilgate forest.
As I said The outskirts are really quite nice, I'm not overly keen on the town centre though.

Chucky I have no idea why you don't like 'seafood' but that asides I am a mile from you and Tilgate Park is my first destination on a nice summers day.

 

[Sussex Nomad]

Maybe they should have a name change and rebranding? Gatwick Village?

I kind of get the ring to that. But Crawley (outside town centre) is a really nice place, nearly on par with Horsham. As has been mentioned, I can be on a dual carriage way or motorway within 5 mins, not many towns can boast that. I never have 'rush hour' in Crawley. It was also the only place in the UK under Thatcher that had an official 0% unemployment in the 80s. It has a great road structure, it has great employment (even now), it has great places to go to, generally outside the town centre, what is there not to like? I remember staying in a hotel one night on West Street, top floor, and watching the mayhem unfolding below me with all the drunks. At the time I lived in Camden and thought I've never seen anything like this in London. I hate subjectiveness, doesn't mean I hate the OP, but it was a very subjective and a little bit racist post.

 

[Triggaaar]

Has the Sport & Ski closing down sale finished?

 

[wehatepalace]

Has the Sport & Ski closing down sale finished?

Bravo

 

[Sussex Nomad]

And hello to fellow Crawleyites

 

[Triggaaar]

I kind of get the ring to that. But Crawley (outside town centre) is a really nice place, nearly on par with Horsham.

As has been mentioned, I can be on a dual carriage way or motorway within 5 mins, not many towns can boast that.

Like that's the measure of a good town.

I never have 'rush hour' in Crawley.

it has great places to go to, generally outside the town centre

You mean outside Crawley.

what is there not to like?

Crawley.

It's good that you like it there, and like you say, you can't judge a whole town based on a 10 minute trip to the town centre, but come on, it's hardly Horsham is it. Not that Horsham is to my taste (it's a bit quiet), but it's a world away from Crawley.

 

[brightn'ove]

I've not been to the main shopping area in Brighton for a long long time, but last time I was there it seemed a large amount of the shops are the cheap Tat ones or boarded up?

There are very very few closed shops these days and 'cheap' is not what I would call anything in this city. The worst shopping street in the city is the stretch between Churchill square and waitrose on western road - everywhere else is fine.

Edit: I've completely forgotten the existence of London road but I spend such little time there I find it of little relevance. The world's end and hare & hounds are actually very nice pubs these days.

 

[Rugrat]

I live 100m from Tilgate park and I would put that as one to the most beautiful parts of our county

Whilst I don't agree with the OP, I think you might need to get out a bit more

 

[Sussex Nomad]

Like that's the measure of a good town.

You mean outside Crawley.
Crawley.

It's good that you like it there, and like you say, you can't judge a whole town based on a 10 minute trip to the town centre, but come on, it's hardly Horsham is it. Not that Horsham is to my taste (it's a bit quiet), but it's a world away from Crawley.

It depends what you base it on triggaaar. If you base it on Brighton it really is a lost argument. If you base it on London, I would rather Crawley, through experience. If you base it on Hassocks, again no brainer, Hassocks hands down. Where I live is really on a par with Horsham. Sad you have to use all those silly whatsits. I don't really get them. But being the biggest town in West Sussex it will have its bad bits. I love Brighton really, but it too has its bad bits. I just think there is some wind up or ego builder going on with the OP.