Does Anyone Care about this Boarded Up Seaside Town?
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- Опубликовано: 13 июн 2024
- / wanderingturnip
www.buymeacoffee.com/wanderin...
The Second Episode of the Death of the High Street!
I went to the seaside town of Barrow, in Cumbria. It sits on a peninsula on the west coast of the England. Surrounded by beaches and with the mountains of the Lake District visible in the distance, you would assume this would be a popular tourist spot. But sadly its decline has been real and visible in recent years. 17% of shops are vacant in the town centre, and its obvious problem is hard to ignore with Debenhams and M&S shutting down, along with many many more big names.
I went to explore the town, to get a feel for the place myself. I had never been before, and there was a shocking amount of shops shut down, but it was not as bad as I had thought it would be. The town is doing positive things to counteract these boarded up shops, and having received a healthy amount from the levelling up fund, it will be interesting to see what the town looks like in years to come.
The people were really friendly, the beaches were stunning, it has all the ingredients. Its location is hard to reach with both train and car taking a long time due to its isolating position.
If you know the town, do let me know your thoughts Also, please hit me up with other places that you think I should visit.
The Lost Pub Project - www.closedpubs.co.uk/
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#abandoned #empty #derelict #town #explore #england #beach #property #buildings #invest #levellingup
Mural.
😂😂 my mum just sent me this exact thing
Was about to comment the same 😅 Really enjoying the video, Muriel is adding to it!
@@wanderingturnip PLEASE turn muriel into a running gag on the channel
@@wanderingturnip But you're too young to remember Hilda Ogden in the 1970s so you've really no excuse..
The legacy of Hilda Ogden!😂
If you live in any of these towns: put your phone down, go into your town, buy something. Buy your lunch. Meet real people in REAL life. Support what's left & businesses will return. The more time & money you spend online, the less time & money you spend in real life: what did you think was going to happen?
Sort of true but also... tories. It wasn't like this in 2000s it happened about 2011-2012 and has got progressively worse since then
Absolutely. @@glasgowmcglasgowfacevotegr7049
Il try
one person with a brain in this comment section. Thank you.
It’s mind bending how illogical and simply stupid people are nowadays. No, I’m not talking about youngster I’m talking about everyone even people over 60yo.
Like I don’t know where is this thought process coming from? You eat collected take aways or deliveries, you shop online even things like milk or bread, your entertainment is either Netflix or console/pc and then you come outside and expect a buzzin, vibrant city full of life, shops and things to do 😂😂😂 Clown world that’s really the best description. So funny.
Oh and then don’t forget the guy in here will tell you “it’s KINDA true” 🤣🤣🤣 Nah little man, it is fully true what he said, not kinda.
With higher mortgages than ever who's Gonna donthat
Wow. Just wow. I did 6 months in Barrow in 2010, working with the shipyard on the Astute Submarine program. Every one of those places that are boarded up now were open. Seeing that High St. is sad .... when I was there over a Christmas, that place was so crowded you could barely walk, I bought Christmas presents in that Debenhams. Tragic.
I bet this was quite an interesting watch then. Cheers for tuning in 👍👍
I applied for BAE in the uk but im an American citizen and i cant do certain jobs because of my citizenship status lol I worked on the NAVY shipyard in San Diego with welders
@@wanderingturnip theres seemingly quite a bit of Brits in San Diego believe it or not I met a english bloke named mark who now owns a fire mold mildew restoration company servicemaster restore , in san diego lol I think you even have service master restore franchises in Britain ?
We have the Scottish Highland Games in Vista California or north country San Diego
Theres pubs in downtown san diego
Also there use to be A Scottish restaurant called four penny
Also the Tilted Kilt lol but thats very generic its like a hooters but with Kilts
Theres these really old Tudor Style homes in Sd County as well
Pacific Beach, i believe has the largest Irish population in San Diego
You should have seen it thriving in the 70s and 80s, the town went to shit when Portland Walk opened
If we controlled the internet like China does you wouldn’t see the decline in physical shops. Amazon has destroyed our towns.
My ex is from Barrow, I used to really enjoy going to visit her family in the ‘90’s, the pub crawls were legendary! Such a shame to see what it has become.
Having lived here all my life I have to say this is a very balanced view, it’s incredibly sad for those of us old enough to remember when Barrow truly WAS a “Boom
town” every shop and pub packed it really was a vibrant town.
Bruccianis for cheese & onion bun and a milkshake, Ted's stall in the market, Dewhurst's, Quigleys and DMC records, good times
Aww it is very sad for long standing residents...alot of towns are coming under fire, 😢
Enlightening and informative. I find these once thriving towns very depressing now. A few £millions go nowhere in a place like that.
True. A Town I lived in bragged about spending a whopping £1/3 Million on the Town Centre. It still looked like nothing had been done. There were no noticeable improvements. It seems like the money is pissed away on "CONsultants", Surveyors, Architects & Lawyers each grabbing their percentage. Then barely anything is left for the real job of work.
@@cdub5033 There are people in town halls that know exactly where to spend the money. But as you say 50% gets pissed away on consultants etc.
Greenock is like this too, the government has said they'd do levelling up, I hope it works but honestly not hugely positive anything will change
Agree Levelling up would take 100's of Millions.. Governments only pay lip-service to neglected towns and cities.
£Billions would only put a plaster on it. Too far gone.😢
I love this as I’m from barrow and live here, the Wetherspoons isn’t closed down it’s open daily and has recently been expanded with garden area and has a hotel above it which is always busy, the barrow arms also isn’t a derilict pub and is still open and very busy over the weekends, alot of our town is boarded and Covid was a big factor with lots closing down after everyone started shopping online and not using the shops. The schools in the area are good and we have a lovely park and many beaches around us which are lovely. I wouldn’t live anywhere else
Worked there for a couple of years and I wouldn’t say a bad word about the place or the people,enjoyed my time there
I did a gig with a showband at a social club in Barrow in the early 70’s. We noted that the house band were all without any hair to speak of. We were happy to be booked back a while later, and the toupee salesperson had obviously been in town because the whole band were proudly sporting an impressive display of copious coiffure. Fantastic.
@@sherbetdab1200reminds me of my wife’s dad who sang with a band but the were in the army. Late 60s early 70s . So because of regulation haircuts they all wore wigs.. The did gigs all over Germany Cyprus etc.
Nothing else to do . Get pished 😊😅.
Too many bagheads lower the tone of the place
My granny was called Murial, she was also a big fan of murals 👍🏽 . Great post , really appreciated a shame all these forgotten towns , thanks for documenting this stuff
I wondered if anyone else had spotted this. Really made me laugh when Murial was mentioned. 😂
😁😁
Q, Has Murial got a Mural?
My mum was Muriel ❤
@rayholmes4402 Hey, leave the boy alone. 🙂
My great grandmother and great grandfather relocated from Northern Ireland in early 1900’s to Barrow. My grandfather worked for H&W before so went to work in the shipyard. My mother run a bakery from the front window of her terrace house. They had 7 children. The lads worked on the shipyard but the girls moved down to Staffordshire on a working estate, my grandfather moved down to them via the railways. Barrow is beautiful, absolutely beautiful. It’s sadly been a forgotten place and doesn’t deserve it. So close to the Lake District. Deserves so much more investment.
Mine did the same, we could be related. Did one of their children move to Southampton, and then to Chester?
Build more houses they cry...use what we have I say u can't keep building more it's outrageous loads of places left to rot it's a sad situation 😢
Exactly mate and to house who, us lot can't afford to live in em n there build at poor quality and high cost!
Probably to house our many unwanted visitors eh!!
There destroying our towns up and down the land mate!
If these crooks wanted us to succeed they would be pushing to get manufacturing going again!
All they give a toss about is the dodgy good for nowt paper pushers in London, useless the lot of em
In most cases, it's not cost effective to renovate, especially in areas where there is no external economy to support such a mass scale under taking. Move people up from London so they can be jobless once the renovations are completed? The old council housing especially, it's unfortunate, but it was like artificial stimulus then, it's going back to whence it came: nothing. Imo, UK's current political iteration has 15-20 years left. It will be the first old Western former first world country to face a revolution. What shape it takes is hard to say, or even if it would happen at all, but the entire economy and social structures need reform. Will the public be able to do what's needed and vote for the right politicians to implement the right policies to change things? Very hard to say, and harder to implement. Functioning economies need money to circulate, UK has been getting looted for nigh on 50-70 years. There are coffers with the money from your national wealth and prosperity out there, squandered as hollow GDP. I don't want to put it in more crude terms, but in previous eras, at least in other places, heads used to roll.
Well they could be liveable, once the mold/damp is sorted and asbestos removed, but you have so many places across the country where people are living in places that are killing them, either councils not sorting it or private landlords leaving it
They could convert loads of empty shops into homes
Can't use what Barrow has as the local council extorts business for floor space and inevitably they end up closing as it's too expensive to keep a business open in Barrow.
Emlyn Hughes played for Liverpool in the late 60's-70's, he was born in Barrow, he played for a number of other teams until 1984(ish) he also captained England and then became one of the captains on 'A question of sport' on BBC1 :)
That doesn't make me want to visit lol.
And his parents moved to Barrow from Wales. 🤔
@@paulmcallister8948 His dad was a rugby player.
Really like that they haven't let it decay and at least kept it looking nice and covered over the boarding in the town centre.
Tories took over. Labour for decades of blight.
@@green4661the conservatives haven’t governed Barrow or Cumbria for decades.
It's so depressing to see the town I was born and lived in such a state.
Its beyond repair i beleive
One reason for the empty shops could be like 10 minutes from town centre. We have a Morrisons, B&Q, a massive sports direct, a superstore B&M's, Halfords, pets at home, Iceland. A large Tesco, TK Maxx, curry's, Dunelm, a new Smyth's toy superstore which is opening soon. Lots of eating places, such as KFC, McDonald's, Burger King, Costas, subway. Also we have next plus more and furniture stores, Argos, home bargains, Matalan, Asda, a massive furniture store with its own restaurant. Then if you like fishing, Kite surfing, walking the dog or watching seals, we have beaches all around us, you can even get a boat over to Piel Island, can visit the roundhouse café with beautiful views over the Irish Sea. We have one of the most nicest parks in Cumbria with the leisure centre in a café putting field, and a lovely big lake with wildlife (and seagulls), and then 4 miles away, there's a zoo, and if you don't fancy any of this, just 12 miles from Barrow, you can get a steam train to Lakeside and then a boat over to one of the nicest places on Earth, Windermere and Bowness etc etc. Back in Barrow, there's a small dock museum with lovely views on the channel to the mountains. We've also got a football team in the football league. Please come back in a few years but not on a Thursday at 5 pm and a half Day closing, come on a Friday 1 pm in the summer holidays maybe children always makes a town centre look a bit busier. Barrow and nearby towns have a total population of around 80,000-ish and the shipyard alone will soon employ 17,000 people it just needs people to support town centres a bit more and for them to stop moaning all the time. Thank you for your great video and nice to see your positivity about the town. 🙂
You missed out a massive range store
Not just Barrow almost everywhere is the same formula. And its boring. People complaining theres no high street shops so I ask where you buy stuff from Amazon or mostly on line my answer stop doing this and support shops. There crazy answer is its cheaper on line Doh!!
What about The Raiders? Barrow was a Rugby League town 25 years before roundball arrived
@@Ciara.Higgins-xz9im don't see your point. Or understand what you wrote. What have gates or Wigan got to do with anything?
Widnes. Warrington. St Helens. Featherstone. Castleford. Wakefield. Halifax. Leigh. Swinton. Whitehaven - are all in the north! (Some of them may or may not have a Range 🤣)
Still a 💩 hole
Smashed it again, my favourite one yet! Even though the town is boarded up, I think it speaks well of the people there that nothing is smashed up, unlike places in your other videos. The town seems to have a lot of pride in itself which is nice. Can’t wait for you next one 🥰
Thanks 🙏
Make dam good to. Presenter. Got way to explain things that’s what we want these days hope get. Snapped up by. BBC or itv
Actually the reason most of them got boarded up so quickly is because a bunch of immigrants smashed them up 😅
@@swaggadash9017 come on bud. we are all immigrants at one point, let's grow up. cheers
@@swaggadash9017 when the ironworks and steelworks were opened in Barrow first, dya think everyone that flocked to Barrow was English .. no mate.
Absolutely love watching your work. Proper journalism, enjoyable, factual, historical and you learn. 10/10 👍👍👍
Thanks for watching 👍 and for the nice comment 😀
I stayed in Barrow-in-Furness in March 2022 for one night to break up the journey to the Lake District, and coming from a big city I was astounded at how deserted the town was given it was a Sunday afternoon when we arrived. Myself and the friends I traveled with had a look around the center for some food & drink, but ended up in the Wetherspoons which was packed with locals, which was nice to see. I'm pleased to see that the area is receiving some investment, and can say that the holiday Inn Express was very good for the night!
Any town centre would be pretty quiet on a Sunday afternoon. Were you expecting it to be swarming with shoppers?
@@Psmith-ek5hqmost are busy, due to folk working al week.
@@christislord2832 People in Barrow work all week too. Amazing, isn't it?
@@Psmith-ek5hq so that will explain why they were astounded at how deserted the ton was given it was a Sunday. You’d think they’d get their shopping whilst they’re off work. 🤪
@@christislord2832They do. Er. . .they can't do both at the same time. The supermarkets are open late, and perhaps they do their shopping on Saturday when many people don't work. Barrow is not "a big city" where the OP comes from. So they are comparing apples with oranges.
Great video. I’m originally from Barrow myself, but moved away 20 years ago. It’s nice that you didn’t just focus on the deprived town centre, as every RUclipsr does, but also showed Walney Island, which is a beautiful place. There are many more hidden gems, such as Furness abbey, Roa and Piel Island, and the lovely beaches along the coast road. Stan Laurel was born in the nearby town of Ulverson, which is a fantastic place to visit. I’m proud to be a Barrovian, miss the people greatly and the local food.
Muslims don’t drink alcohol.....bye bye pubs....🍻 cheers....
It's that good eh?
Yet you chose to live elsewhere?
@@MrBollocks10 Alot of people move for work. Considering 2 employers make up 35% of the workforce then people move away for a better Job or Life.
I would suggest Dudley in the West Midlands. This used to be a prosperous High Street but in the 1980s it was beginning to struggle. The Round Oak Steelworks closed in 1982 and the site was used to build the Merry Hill Centre which shafted the traditional High Street. Last time I went past the opening offer if you wanted to rent a shop was 2 years rent free. I haven't been there for a while but you could see whether they have broken the cycle of decline.
I lived there twice when I was young, on Walney Island. West-Shore Road and Weaver Green near the golf-course. Boy did it blow! It was quite desolate and a walk to the paper shop was an adventure just getting there and back, yet there was something magnificent about it. And when the 6 o'clock whistle went at Vickers all the bicycles came over the bridge like the Tour de France. What memories.
It breaks my heart to see Barrow as it is today. I grew up there in the 50’s and 60’s. We had so much fun at the beach, riding our bikes all over with no curfew and no worry, running up the steps to the cenotaph, etc. I hope that with the grant Barrow has been given, it can be restored to its former self. Barrovian for life!!!
Barrow will come back 10000 jobs coming but because every one shops online most town centres will struggle we have more than enough shops just not in town centre
Me also, sad to see the decline.
Thanks for your efforts to deliver videos on the towns in the North. I'm from London and I find your videos very interesting if at times a little depressing. Keep up the good work. Your enthusiasm for history behind these places is most enjoyable.
Hey thanks. I’m currently in London making one about the cheapest flats…so keep an eye out, it’s crazy
What an absolutely brilliant video once again! Your penchant for exploring and researching the history of each town you go to is really inspirational. This town comes across as really cheery and determined too. It would be really lovely if there was a FE education college here.
Hi Dave, lived in Barrow in the eighties until 2005 my kids where born there. Was a great night out in the 80s the Barrow arms was a popular pub always packed at weekends, then over to Manhattans nightclub…you would have seen the sign Hollywoods now I think it’s called.
The old building you said had great decor was the old Abbey road public baths, on the same street the continental pub is currently being refurbished, next door was a serious fire which decimated the House of Lords was a working men’s club, won’t be demolished it’s listed.
The Town took a massive hit during the late 80s when most of the workforce worked in Vickers now BAE, around 23k people had full time employment, then it sadly declined, lots of people became unemployed due to Vickers losing orders, that was the beginning of the end really. Pubs, clubs and a lot of businesses went under, lots of people left the town to relocate to other shipyards.
Once Debenhams went that was it for the town centre, nobody patronised the shops, therefore what you witnessed is the backlash of it all.
It really was a great place to live in the eighties once a thriving town….and like Dave Gibney (I know of him)said said beaches surrounding Barrow area. It wasn’t all bad…just sad now.
Sorry for the long post but just to inform you…very enjoyable video and yes I’ve subscribed.
David, Wandering Turnip, you need to do a video about Darlington and its railroad world history. It’s a somewhat depressed area also, however they received a grant to develop the railroad museum. The council is trying to turn the place around. Nice to see the hope for towns like Barrow and Darlington!
Oh nice. Thanks for this. I’ll get it added to my list 😀👍
The council trying to turn the place around? Darlington town centre has been decimated by many of the decisions the council has made in the past. Edge of town shopping centres and white elephant developments in the town centre itself.
A great insight into Barrow, hopefully, all the funding will be put to good use and revive the town again.
RUclips wanted feedback for you comment.
New subber here from Canada . This is such a lovely location - sea side town - are you kidding me . There is so much potential . With the climate changing ,folks don’t have to line up for flights to warmer climes . Folks can stay in Britain and live by the sea. The idea of a college is brilliant . A combination of retirement destination / holiday / technology hub / educational center . And all the infrastructure is right there . Every one wants to move out of the big cities ,And its beside the sea - are you kidding me !! Your vlogs are wonderful - I wish you every success and look forward to seeing more .
No one is ever more than 70 miles from the sea in the UK which is a big problem for seaside towns. Without other industries their economies become seasonal. Add to that the weather in the north and things become difficult for them.
It looks a nice beach but there won't be many days in the year where it's warm enough to beat going abroad. Barrow is further north than Edmonton in Canada for comparison.
@@Martin-88 I know but the UK has, for a variety of reasons, a very mild climate with the average winter temperature above freezing point. Even that, though, doesn't make most beaches attractive even in summer.
@@Martin-88 This is true but remember the UK has the Gulf Stream effect and I doubt there are many places in the UK that have average winter temps of -20 C to - 35 C . Edmonton is brutal in the winter . But that being said I do get your point - the cold in Edmonton is a dry cold and the uK has a damp cold . So I find minus 5C in my home in Ontario is pleasant to be outside in and Plus 10 C in the midlands of the uk where my mom lives - I feel it in my bones . It’s crazy .
If it stays Tory there will be more investment in jobs but we have to wait until elections before anyone will put their own money into Barrow.
What's intriguing about Barrow-in-Furness is that in Thomas the Tank Engine, it acts as the Gateway between the Island of Sodor and the Mainland
Good video. Thanks for this info about Barrow in Furness. I believe the whole of the UK, to different degrees is affected by this town centre decline.
I had the pleasure of living in Barrow
I was so totally welcomed to a wonderfully spirited town. Both my partner and I hold a special affection for the place
It has real community spirit. Interesting that the suicide rate is a good deal lower than would be expected, this is due to a sense of solidarity.
Like Dave described the location is amazing! Honestly the beach at Roan head is just incredible.
If you get the chance to visit or live in Barrow, honestly do it!
Near by Dalton and Ulverston are also great towns.
Barrow’s people are people with a real sense of fun. They make the place.
The problem, for me, is that it’s so incredibly ugly. I saw only a few attractive buildings. It a mass of low-rise decrepitude. I don’t care how lovely the people are, I just couldn’t live surrounded by such a mess and I think environment matters, even for English people who often make their towns grim.
@@richardsmith579that’s only the town centre housing. Plenty of nice suburbs.
@@_Tricky_ perhaps, but a suburb needs an attractive centre as a magnet for people to congregate and if you only have suburbs with a hollowed out centre you have the US. I certainly don’t want to spend all my time in a dull suburb. Look at any decent continental city or town and you will discover an attractive centre with life.
Watching this video I wouldn't say it was a pleasure
@@thewanderingwolves90 well take it from me, it was a pleasure.
Born and raised in Barrow, still live here. It's been really hard watching the high street die. Covid was a massive blow to the town. One of the things that has done a lot to prevent growth is the excessive taxes and rents on the shops on the Highstreet. (I know a few owners of some shops and they said so themselves. It's cheaper the buy the building outright and not rent it.) The location and getting here is also a big factor, if the national rail was more reliable then i expect things could pick up. There has also been talk that never goes anywhere about a toll bridge being built from here to Morecambe over the bay that would cut travel times to the motorway. Though that would be at the cost of of the towns and villages on the A590. There's also a university campus being built now! So that will help alot!
I've lived near barrow for nearly 20 years and you can't believe how sad the place looks now compared to what it looks like now. There were barely any closed stores and loads of people would be out at the weekend. The best local places to Barrow to go to now are Furness Abbey, Roanhead and Sandscale Haws Nature Reserve. We're protesting to save Roanhead just now though
*Next time you come up here, go to Rampside and get the Piel ferry to Piel Island. Go to the pub and meet the King
What struck me when I visited Barrow was how beautiful the towns along the way via train are: Grange-over-Sands, Ulverston, Dalton-in-Furness. Definitely worth breaking your journey a few times if you do come via rail. Then you reach Barrow and it's... well quite a stark contrast as you see here. Nice to hear about the levelling up scheme though.
Levelling up is just a tagline to win votes. I don't think its going to change all that much. The money isn't nearly enough, and is a fraction of what is spent in richer parts of the country.
Why? Stark?
He showed a few nicer buildings but his video is aimed at dilapidated sections of the town…There’s loads of really nice areas over Walney & the outskirts of the town not shown here FYI
@@danh9905yea needs a hell of a lot more than 29million. A billion would make a good change
Then you get on the train and continue North out of Barrow along the Duddon Estuary towards Millom, what a breath taking journey that is with all the Lake District fells and the Old Man of Coniston on one side with the sea on the other, I always chose Fragile by Yes or Kingdom of Madness by Magnum on my Ipod for the journey
A very fair assessment of Barrow, I grew up there in the 80s leaving early 90s but going back to visit often. The downfall seems more aqute when you don't witness it creeping in. The town, the approaches all seemed clean and fairly litter free, the issue, as highlighted, is a singke main employer which the town has relied on, lose that, lose the town. It's a great location, like many 'locals' who have lived away, I grow frustrated by the group think and dour attitude, it would be OK if it was an act but I'm afraid it isn't. Great town, needs a boot up the backside.
Brilliant. You are so good at what you do. This reminds me of many once thriving cities here in the States, including my hometown of Rochester, New York. Downtown there was like our NYC, absolutely fabulous and now pretty dead.
Now I have lived in South Florida for 35 years, where there is way TOO much development going on.
Very well done!
These chronicles are very important. There's several videos available made by people documenting the demise of small town America and the loss of what they call Mom and Pop stores (independent retailers). It's frightening. Glad I'm 68 and approaching the end of my days. The world of the future looks like a nightmare.
@grahamhorne6956 "Glad I'm 68 and approaching the end of my days. The world of the future looks like a nightmare." I thought I was the only person thinking that way. 😁
Emlyn Hughes was a Liverpool and England player in the 70s.. Born in Barrow in 1947 and died 2004 aged 57.. Cheers..
Very similar tale to the town I live in further North up the coast, Workington. Steel works and other industries closed. The renovated town centre is boarded up or full of charity shops. Pubs and nightlife that were thriving in the 90’s are now non existent. Sad to see the decline
Barrow is my hometown, I'm in Liverpool now. I used to work opposite the Barrow arms (the theatre bar) I lived there through the 80s & 90s when the shipyard went Boom and bust, both my parents worked there and we're made redundant.
Barrow used to have the busiest town centre and the best nightlife and working class pub culture. Cornwallis st (aka the gaza strip) was iconic.
When they remodelled the town centre and built Portland walk it was always busy and all the shops were packed. You could spend all say in town, shopping.
It's really sad to see Barrow in this state.
Whats also worth a mention is the Old cinema, it was such a classic cinema and was super popular. It should have been kept as an old style movie theatre, or turned into a theatre, and the building should have been protected. Instead it was demolished and turned into a souless looking office block.
Barrow was a wonderful place full of the best and most friendly people.
So sad that it has come to this. It's location is amazing and it's got some beautiful surroundings.
I really hope it gets the money and attention it needs.
We do have enough shops they are just not in town centre and it's just been announced barrow is to become a powerhouse of the North with 1000s of jobs
@@Ciara.Higgins-xz9im his stats were a little cherry picked. No mention of the low unemployment rate of 2.1% or the far higher than national average household incomes, or that BAE will be taking on 7 to 10k people, or new baby Devonshire Dock Hall that is going to be built, or the University that is being built etc etc. There aren't enough people opening shops etc because a huge amount of people that could open shops work in the yard. Barrow has a lower than national average of business start ups...but when they do start up they last longer than the national average. These types of videos always focus too much on the negative and fail to build any sort of balance.
Negativity always gets more views and maybe the town centre was a bit quiet because everybody is in work
Yeh nightlife was good I'm 45 used to live was born there and clubs pubs was booming mid late 90s until about 2008 ish onwards
Such a fresh and brilliant channel. Love your passion and listening to you makes it easy to learn and take in the town's history. New subscriber!
Hey nice one! Spurs me on to make more stuff when I get nice comments like this 😀😀
@@wanderingturnip Thanks for replying mate. You're welcome and looking forward to more content and the next ep of is our high street dead!
Sadly it going to take huge investments to get the Hight streets of towns thriving again. But with on-line shopping its tough for retail shops to compete on price. Great info 2x👍.
Another great video Dave, looked alot better than some places where industry has left, got loads of potential with the beaches and just down the road to the lake District. E Hughes, great footballer, remember watching him play again Derby county back in the 70s. Keep up the good work 👍
didn't expect to see my home town on your video, nice job man
Spent my childhood here, Saturday morning shopping at m&s on the Dalton Rd before pedestrianisation.
Great times.
The internet killed the town centre, Everyone orders online and gets it delivered to their door. You used to go to the ATM then spend your money now you can do it form your sofa, you also used to meet your friends to talk now you face time them. With lack of people and the costs of running a shop more will close then Amazon will have us by the balls. This is a problem UK wide.
Westherspoons isn't closed, it's still open. The House of Lords is being demolished due to it going up in flames, and Debenhams has been bought by BAE. Our town used to be thriving, but Internet shopping is killing it 😔
Oh, and Emlyn Hughes was born right here in Barrow. Huge Liverpool player 😊
Thank you for all of this 👍👍
They are keeping the facia if the House of Lords intact as it is architecturally significant.
Emlyn Hughes was also England Captain and a long time Captain on Question of Sport on BBC.
There are plenty of very nice residential areas in Barrow and it has a beautiful Park but that’s not what your video was about.
Glad you picked a sunny day for Barrow - it always helps!
I used to go to barrow for nights out in the 90s it was amazing lots of pubs and clubs so sad to see it going down hill
I went to college in Stourbridge in the West Midlands. I went back recently to catch up with some old friends and was totally shocked by how many boarded up shops there were. It’s a very small town centre so might not make the best episode, but it’s not far from Dudley, which I saw someone else had mentioned, so it might be worth taking a look if you’re down that way
Stourbridge isn't too bad, the indoor market could do with some TLC but the high street is generally okay..ish... Dudley however, a real shame what's happened to the centre, with the obvious factor being Merry Hill or "Merry Hell"
I love these videos and the work you’ve been doing in showcasing these somewhat forgotten and lesser known parts of the UK.
Barrow looks pretty decent, all things considered - it has so much potential! I hope they get the £29m they’re asking for.
Excellent presentation - this guy has a future in reporting if that's where he wants to go. Great research and a balanced viewpoint. Subscribed!
Appreciate that thank you! I love RUclips and it lets me make what ever I want, so hopefully lots more to come on here 👍
That was a blast from the past when you mentioned Emlyn Hughes, I remember him as one of the panelist’s on a question of sport.
Thanks for this. Barrow looks a lot better than I thought it would.
Yeah I thought the same. It’s location is so good
Another excellent video Mr Turnip, keep up the good work. I really like the bits of history you explain throughout the video.
My grandfather served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War and his submarine was built in Barrow.
I liked the way you described them as "the wars of the 1900s".
The rows of terraced houses took me back 50 years or so visiting my gran in Barrow
You don’t realise how beautiful my town is until you visit and you get to talk to the people and look at the night life
I like Barrow, good folk about, it is a great location, shame about pub closure especially when i campaign to keep them open. A very nice ending to the video Dave, well done pal🍺👍
The seaside town is astounding.The shops are captivating.The history of barrow is amazing,but as you went around empty or deserted shops and areas that's not disappointing,the tone of birds of sea over the town led someone to dreams of fantasy
I have fond memories of making frequent trips to visit family in Barrow in Furness when I was young. Was such a nice town a decade ago and sad to see how much it has fallen from grace.
👍👍👍very good to branch out into giving a summary of the history and the reasons why some places are looking grim. Very good presentation. Subscribed!
The building being demolished 11:04 burnt down in, ahem , suspicious circumstances several years ago, only recently has the owner been brought to account. The building 11:12 is now the registration office, used to be the old technical college. My dad reckons there's damage to one of the pointy bit at the top caused by a bomb from a Stuka but I'm still yet to see it! The bakery 11:23 shut down years ago, maybe 15+. Opposite is the court but it used to be the public swimming baths until they were knocked them down and the new leisure centre opened near the park. Instantly made it difficult for anyone who travelled by public transport to go for a swim. I could go on but Wethers had not closed down, the other side of the 'windows' you saw is actually the toilets. Wethers occupies the old CO-OP department store, again must have shut down 20+ years ago. You could buy pretty much anything in there.
There were more people visible going about their business in Barrow than in some of your other videos, and that besides the murals showed an energy and potential still there. Not abandoned, just down and looking to get back up.
Beautiful at the end. Love your enthusiasm for the history of these places. Thanks
Thank you very much!
Me and the wife stayed in Grange last week, then went into Barrow by train. I did virtually the same walk you did, as we went in search of where my Great Aunt Ethel once lived. We found the house in one of those side streets in a back-to-back mid-terrace. Such a shame how this once thriving town has declined.
I once played a Rugby-league match against Walney Island Centra Rugby-league club in November, The temperature didn't go above freezing, and the wind chill factor off the Irish Sea made it feel even Colder, Luckily we won ,Saddleworth Rangers,
Thomas Cook went bankrupt in 2019, and all there shop's closed also.
Oh no way, that sounds brutal. Ahh cheers for that about Thomas Cook I didn't know
Murials and Emlyn Hugh! 😂
Great video as ever though. I'd love to see you interview some experts in human geography type stuff and things like 15 minute cities etc. Would be super interesting and you'd do it in an accessible way.
Haha I honestly thought that’s what they are called 😂😂
Yeah that’s a great shout. I’ll do some research and try add it in to a future episode 👍👍
Those of a certain age will remember the heyday of the Muriel as made famous by Hilda Ogden 😂
Excellent job. I love the interview(s) with the local people.
love what u do - thank you ❤ and you have given me alot of ideas of where to move for a fresh start and lots of business ideas and location ideas - also its nice to hear the history of places from someone relatable. Cheers 😊
So much for levelling up .
20% of the housing stock could kill you.... hm so I guess it'll take a bit more than a lick of paint and some new windows then.
Again a great video, great commentary, really learning a lot here. (Nice Muriels too.)
Wetherspoons isn't closed down, it's actually been expanded and has a hotel
It's my home town. I go and touch base a couple of times ayear. Glad to go back, glad to see family. Glad to leave.
I really would love you to do the story about Horwich in Bolton,what it once was,the History for this little town is amazing,not only did Lord William lever live here,he created port sunlight on the wirral thats still stands to this day,how a suffragette burnt his house down,and how Lord Lever had gardens which are now known as the chinese gardens, were he apparently had exotic animals wandering around,and he built a pigeon tower for his wife,for certain times of the month to inhabit,and there are loads more quirky inventions like the first what we call trainers,another great video. Itsonly over the border from were you live its a 20 to 30 minutes drive go check it out,or do some research on him
I lived in Horwich until I left after joining the RAF. I had a great childhood there as it was a nice place to live. I used to spend a lot of time on the moors with our dogs, exploring. Wallsuches mill just north of Horwich was a huge abandoned mill with beautiful sandstone buildings -- a main place for exploring. Now converted into upmarket flats and houses. Horwich 'Loco works' was a major employer until it closed. They had huge furnaces which left soot on window ledges every working day ! Also used to explore the 'Chinese' gardens which was built by Lord Lever family on the side of Rivington. Horwich is a bit run down now sadly but still has some charm to it. I am going up for a visit again later this year.
Great series this. Showing what heritage and history will be lost. Barrow is not as bad as I remember it. It has been 20 years. Nice on David, keep the vids coming.
Lots more to come 😀
Newport in south wales is dying a fast death. Primark is the only sizable shop left in town, even a load of the pound shops have closed and some shops who have been there since the 1800's have closed recently as well. That town seems to be going to its death very rapidly.
Ya Newport is slow dearh
Recently came across your channel. It's a real joy - keep up the good work 👏
Great video, can’t believe how quickly you visited after we spoke about the place, I met a friend from there years ago and went up and visited a few times. I was saddened but not shocked about how it has gone as a town, as you say because it’s position they’re a bit isolated. Would be interested to know why so many of the properties were given the cat 1 status, were the conditions caused by building materials, nuclear waste from subs??? Cheers again for the content! 👌
I think Greenock is also like Barrow, it has a very isolated feeling even though its not too far from Glasgow. There are also nuclear holdings not far, and the situation with decline is just as bad
It's nothing to do with the nuclear waste, there isn't any there. When I was there, I supervised a team of engineers and designers and rented apartments for them, so I got to see a lot of the rental stock. The houses are old, they were in bad repair 15 years ago, steep stairways, poor materials, no maintenance. But wow, it looked a lot better than it does now.
@@forge20 right, I was just curious as to what has attributed to all the health issues, wasn’t sure if Sellafield was partially to blame being in the vicinity. I agree though, it was never an affluent area but has definitely declined, it’s a shame as like @wanderingturnip said the people are lovely around there from memory’s
Last year I spent a couple of days here with my family, completely by chance we had a couple of days to spare on the way back to the ferry from Scotland to Northern Ireland, we had been in London and this seemed an interesting random place to stop and waste some time. We stayed in the Premier Inn right next to the town. I really liked it there, the town centre was lively with a car show in the pedestrian area, the people were all friendly and the whole area seemed nice. I do seem to remember that wetherspoons being open.
I’m not sure I’d want to stay more than one night, but it’s actually quite a nice town in many ways. It’s just that it has more than it’s fair share of issues, and is a bit of a backwater.
@@royfontaine5526 I’m sure you are correct. In the summertime anywhere can look nice, I’m sure it’s a different experience for locals or in the winter.. however I did find the people there to be very friendly, which may be down to luck, but friendly people make all the difference.
Hiya found this channel by chance today its fantastic I live in york and never realised that york is no different to any of these. The towns around york ie Thirsk are thriving with small non chain shops, gift shops similar to Hebden Bridge I have subscribed and liked. Cheers😊
Thank you for watching! I’ll have to come have a look at York, I assumed for some reason it was doing well
That is a lovely clean place upon first inspection. I did not notice any grafiti which is great. That looks like a lovely peaceful town. Great video as usual 😊
Down South I would suggest Croydon. Quite significant decline there over the last 10-15 years
Try Hastings. Fastest increase in buy-to-let properties in England and Airbnb. However, the prices may soon collapse due to higher interest rates and changes to the law on such properties for landlords. The town has a homeless population and all the problems associated.
I’ll have to check it out cheers 👍
Greetings from Dallas ... and well-done on a great video series, David! I have to concur with others ... I was highly amused by "Muriel" and immediately, my mind went to the wonderful, late "Hilda Ogden" from "Coronation Street"!
I worked a lot in Barrow and Walney Island 2002 - 2011 with electrical compliance especially in the town centre, I cannot believe what the place has become you actually walked passed boarded up business units I worked in. I blame the internet and online shopping. Where I live in Cheshire is heading the same way the town centre is beginning to resemble Barrow partly blamed by the council due to its business rates etc. We was recently in Dalton in Furness with the rugby and passed through Ulverston ( where I have worked also ) and the place was booming! I hope BAe try and pull out all the stops to assist the town as with out BAe the place will be come desolate. You should see Crewe, without Bentley and the train station the place would fall apart.
Did you know Walney Island was the setting of the Railway Series (Thomas the Tank Engine) with the island imagined to continue out west towards the Isle of Man as Sodor.
Someone else said this, I wish I had known that whilst filming cheers
@@wanderingturnip If Sodor was real it would probably attract the drunks & drugheads from Barrow & Blackpool...
I spent the first 20 years of my life in Barrow. It was never a beautiful town but it's sad to see the state of the town centre now.
The UK's best meat and potato pies are in Barrow. I left there nearly 50 years ago and go back for the pies. I order dozens online and freeze them. I can't give the name, but they're 'environmentally friendly'
Hola from Spain...I live in Andalusia but come from Dalton...my relatives tell me Barrow is dead...haven't been back for about 5 years...
Sadly most pubs in Barrow that close get turned into contractor flop houses (HMO's)by out of town investers and the money vanishes from Barrow's econimy
Muriel is a girls name. A Mural is a piece or graphic art work normally applied to a wall or ceiling, it is usually painted on.
😂 people keep telling me…my bad
😁
Barrow arms was my go to pub, they had the cheapest pint in town. i remember always going there for Karaoke night, such a shame the town is so derelict now
Thanks for showing how the world really works. Looking forward to your new videos!
It's weird how shop fronts have now become art work
It shows people can even make money out of empty shops
Never been to barrow but it’s like everywhere else my town near lot of places shops pet shops etc left empty I think it’s the same all over the place people haven’t got the money now since everything went up massively we can’t afford anything
Like watching your videos interesting thank you keep making them love it
Hey cheers for watching! It’s appreciated 👍👍
hi Turnip - US follower here, love these videos. As you go thru your walking tour, I try to follow where you are using google earth. I can usually find a street sign in your videos or sometimes the building colors or pavement are very distinct and I can locate the area that way as well. Helps me know a little more about the locations you’re talking about, what’s near them, the geography around them.. puts things in context along with your description and background history. Super interesting vids..keep up the good work.
Great film and good murals and the sun was shining❤🎉
The derelict building that looks like it's being demolished has looked like that for years, frozen in time due to arguments over insurance and possibly arson, anyway, here's a very short clip of it on fire and collapsing with the firemen running for their lives. It was a pub called the House Of Lords. Fire was on 11th January 2017. It was a Grade II listed building.
ruclips.net/video/atoEMR6dWk8/видео.html
As for Debenhams and about 3 adjoining shops (the mural shops) they have now been purchased by BAE Systems with the intention of turning them into a training school for the shipyard.
Never been to Barrow but you sold it well 🎉
A brilliant wee video. Barrow is a very unique place, as you say dominated by the huge shipyard and in the past the steelworks. Friendliest people you will ever meet.
Did you get to Barrow Island… there are some amazing sandstone tenements, known locally as the ‘scotch flats’ built to house shipyard workers, skilled men, many of whom came from Clydeside. The tenements were built to resemble those in Glasgow so the workers felt at home.
A proper town.
It’s grim all over the uk with houses boarded up shop empty it’s like ghost towns