Maidenhead: Not fit for a Royal wedding!

Living in Taplow and Maidenhead, Berkshire

My birth place was Taplow but grew up here in the 70s and 80s. Famed for its picturesque river Thames views and mansions with homes to the Berkshire dwelling celebs of yesteryear and the filming at the town hall of the opening titles of ’Carry On Doctor’ after recently visiting briefly, this place has gone from bad to worse! To the point that, I woke one morning, looked out the window of where I was staying and thought ‘oh my god, I have completely failed in life’.

The High Street takes all of 8 minutes to walk, but if you have chosen to walk it, you have done so to either get your hair cut, get you nails done, have a coffee, visit a charity shop, go in a pound shop or get pissed at a place that ends with spoons! Either way, leave before nightfall, the place is full of deprivation, push chairs, crackheads and older people who are the remnants of families that ‘didn’t get out when they could have or should have’.

I moved from this place 25 years ago, but unfortunately my family still lives there. I moved back for a brief spell of eight months to say my farewells to family before I emigrated to Australia and it was truly horrific!

How grim is your Postcode?

Knife wielding teenage white and black gangs on the increase rapidly, teenage pregnancy at an all time high. Most businesses closing down and a lot of the shops now empty and rotting. Most if not ALL of the ‘good ole British pubs’ in the local area are dead and buried.

AVOID AVOID AVOID