Thetownend.com

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-11515027

Did I miss something? In 30 years of living in Swindon I don't recall ever hearing anyone refer to it as Swindump.

A shit hole, a dump, a fucking dive and so on, plenty of times but never Swindump.

I've just seen that - fucking cheek. Basingstoke = Amazingstoke!!!!!!!!!!!!

basingstoke is a shithole, amazingstoke :no:

Basingstoke is a fucking shithole of the highest order.

I call it Swindace

I've never heard Swindump. Bath on the other hand, is commonly known as "The Tub"

only among wanky students

Not really as true as it used to be. Its town centre certainly takes the piss out of ours . Because they had a forward thinking town council that knocked 80% of it down and started again.
While Swindon missed the boat and so instead erected a twisted bit of metal and put a few shit lights in the path by the Brunel.

And yes I've lived in both places.

Slough (pr:sluff) and Aldershot - now there's  real shitholes.

Tossers, the lot of them.

Slough town center dicks all over swindons.


People who over-use 'the tub' annoy me nearly as much as those who over-use the word 'banter'

Agree with some of that (and Swindon having missed the boat, in particular), but not the bit about Basingstoke town centre.  We're within easy reach of Reading, Basingstoke and Guildford.  Reading and Guildford we go to fairly often, but never Basingstoke.  It is new, but still feels a bit tacky to me.  You just know it isn't going to age well.  Reading has a much better centre.  Anyone who thinks Swindon is soulless has never been to Basingstoke.  And don't get me started on Bracknell.

I quite like those lights in the ground and the new benches  :-[

Bit harsh mate..
I live in Basingstoke and it's fine. Have you ever been to Hull?

I used to have a house there for a while (I won't say "live" because it would be inappropriate). The only thing that should get started on Bracknell is a Vogon Demolition Squad.

Does Basingstoke have a Town Centre? I used think the signs on the ring road that said 'town centre' was a practical joke, 'cos if you daft enough to follow them you got no-where near it, forever doomed to travel round the ring road permanently.

No I havent but I feel I also shouldn't.

I just have bad experiences of Basingstoke, but to be fair the shopping centre is nice, but I do truly dislike the town itself.

The new bit in Basingstoke just feels like a new generic arcade to me. The old bit is poop but compared to what was there before the town is like the garden of Eden! I like the fact there is a food bit and a cinema too. Plus it was 5 mins walk from our flat.

Reading's Oracle is vastly superior of course. But Reading nearly twice the size of Basingstoke so maybe that isn't a fair comparison.

Anyway the main point. Swindump:

What the hell are those tacky lights they have put in the paving near where Virgin was? Jesus christ, did that actually cost money to do? It looks 70's out of date already.


Its called a ring road for a reason :)

Bracknell is ace if you overlook the piss-stenched surroundings. I do my Christmas shopping there every year - empty shops and car parks, pound shops everywhere, free parking. I'm in and out in an hour or so. Only a woman or a madman would choose the overpriced, manic insanity of Reading town centre at Christmas over that.