Hitchin – one of life’s delusions

Is Hitchin a nice place to live or is Hitchin rough?

Hitchin, allegedly one of the happiest places to live in the country. That is, if you’re the sort of person that gains immense pleasure from sitting in a barber shop and admiring one’s self in the mirror. For sure the town centre is reasonably attractive, but it’s nothing compared to similar-size towns in other parts […]

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Hoddesdon: It used to be alright

Is Hoddesdon a nice place to live or is Hoddesdon rough?

I grew up in Hoddesdon and as a child and teenager it was alright. Close to woodland and countryside, some reasonable pubs, safe town. I moved away for a few years before returning in 2007 and initially was pleased to be returning to the town of my youth. The novelty quickly wore off. It took […]

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Is Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire a nice place to live?

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Is Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire a nice place to live?

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Bishop’s Stortford – The Planner’s Dream Goes Wrong

Is Bishop's Stortford a nice place to live or is Bishop's Stortford rough?

I’ve lived in Bishop’s Stortford for the past seven years and the best words I can think of to describe the experience are “more frustrating than a spoon with a hole in it”. The thing is, it could be a perfectly nice town with just a bit of care and thought. It certainly looks nice […]

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Harlow – Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter…

Is Harlow a nice place to live or is Harlow rough?

I like to think I’m a fairly hardened sort of person towards ugliness but I was not prepared for Harlow. I spent the early parts of my life in such, shall we say less than aesthetically pleasing, places as Middlesbrough, Bradford, Stoke-on-Trent and pre-gentrification Hackney. About five years, ago, I started a new job in […]

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Stevenage is a town where you keep your head down when walking

Is Stevenage a nice place to live or is Stevenage rough?

I lived in Stevenage for just over 30 years. I went to school, worked and ‘got around’ the town on a daily basis and got to learn the lay of the land and how it changed from an early age. Growing up in St. Nicholas, the Oval was a don’t go area, the ‘oval mob’ […]

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Hertford: fetid with the haughty stench of smug self righteousness

Is Hertford a nice place to live or is Hertford rough?

Hertford is a small satellite market town in the heart of the Home Counties. It conjures up images of The Archers on Radio 4 in the minds eye. Mature oak trees, winding country roads, grandiose stately homes and plush green fields surround a quintessentially English aesthetic complete with a river that is flanked by beautiful […]

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