https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/112604861#/?channel=RES_BUY

£210k 3 bed detached

Ilkeston was apparently the first UK branch of McDonald’s to have bouncers – funnily enough, another rundown former mining and steel town, though its recovered better than Stoke due to the proximity to Derby and Nottingham.

Every day is a school day.

I try to avoid going Ilkeston unless on a tip recycling centre run

3 bed in stoke, £190k v nice too. Trent Vale is nice enough, it’s under Newcastle borough. 10 minute drive to Hanchurch or 30 minute ride.
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/109103702#/?channel=RES_BUY

Plenty of elevation round here, loads of quiet rural lanes and bridleways out to the south, lots of up and down. But if you look at Burton or areas out that way, flat as King pancake.

I worked in the nightclubs of stoke back in the 90.s it was run down then and the traffic in the day was rubbish. The people where nice tbh just working class they all got shafted by lack of working opportunity in the area.
One guy I worked with commute was stoke to LE1 just because the work was non existent. I went back this year for work it’s grey and still a bit run down but that’s the area’s my work takes me. I’d suggest it’s no worse than Coventry, hull or any other forgotten city.
+Corby *shudders*

I try to avoid going Ilkeston unless on a tip recycling centre run

Ah, but we do have the Cycle Club of the Year, and if you are bored on Boxing Day, the hill climb event up Bath Street past the aforementioned but now relocated McDonald’s 🤣

Are there any other cities in Staffordshire?

Lichfield, where everyone has a pet swan.

Trentham isn’t in Stoke. Worlds apart. The people can be really kind in Stoke, but they can also be high as a kite on spice / ket or whatever. It a big shit hole.

@Scruff

Whilst not one of the 6 towns*, don’t think you’d find anyone local who would argue against Trentham being part of the city of Stoke-on-Trent, or at the very least a suburb of. One of the nicer suburbs for sure though.

*on which note, as far as I know the spice problem is fairly restricted to the city centre, Hanley, and not an issue in the town of Stoke.

You’d get that in Northampton.

Yeah but, Northampton. Like Choke on Stench without the charm…

Two pages – Christ!

Lived here all my life and it’s not that bad. Some nice places, some not so nice – like most cities to be fair.

30 minutes of road riding and I can be in the Staffordshire Moorlands or Cheshire Plains.

I’ve had more hassle from down and outs in Manchester or Bristol than here. I’ve yet to be stabbed either!

My brother has drug issues (including dust) and he keeps himself to himself. He’s hardly running around frothing at the mouth.

I think the fact that it’s six towns rather than one city is what causes the traffic congestion.

When I worked at Halfords one of the delivery drivers came from Stoke on Trent. I got chatting to him whilst he was on his break and asked him how he liked Stoke. “It’s OK I guess” he said, not very enthusiastically. “But it’s a bit safer than where I was before”.

“Where were you before then?” I asked.

The answer – Aleppo.

So in comparison to living in the most bombed city in the world in the last few years, Stoke on Trent is “OK”. Take from that what you will.

Edit *dont need see a litany of racist and sexist abuse that my work colleagues suffer in stoke*

Oddly has one of the best skate facilities in the country.

I think it’s terrible and I grew up in West Yorkshire so my standards for alright places to live are very low to start with. When I moved to Macc a couple of work colleagues showed me the rough estates. Oh how I laughed at their definition of rough. There were houses with well kept gardens and new cars. New cars!

I worked in the nightclubs of stoke back in the 90.s

Any tall tales about Shelley’s? It was like the holy land to us as yoofs. Slightly too young to actually go though 🙁 But wasn’t Golden in Stoke too a bit later?

To be fair to Stoke I’ve heard lots of good things about the music scene there, Northern Soul springs to mind.

And Alton Towers is nearby so…

Golden was the one time people were impressed when you said you were from Stoke, good times.

My mates an ex heroin addict, divorced and no access to his kids. Says the worst part of his life is going to Stoke for Christmas to see his family.

It was the Golden Torch in Stoke that was the Northern Soul venue