Thetownend.com

This is an often discussed topic on here and I note many seem to think the north starts at Highworth!  :hmmm:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/item/47a383fe-b9e8-4501-b069-a15a30514667

The North begins where people start putting gravy on their chips.

Draw a line east to west and squeeze between Stoke and Crewe... Crewe/Lincoln north. Derby/Nottm/Stoke not.

Swindon, then.

Aye  :)

Always thought it started at Ciren

According to someone I met in Durham, the South starts at Scotch Corner. Mmmmmm.......scotch.

What about the Midlands?

Well a place a few miles north of me in Derbyshire is technically the centre of England as its both North (Scottish Border)to South (South Coast Land Border) and East (East Anglia Land Border) to West (Welsh Border) axis locates it here. The  Ordnance Survey however seem to think its in Leicestershire somewhere.

Technically, depending on the method used, The North starts at Morton, Derbys. There will be discussion and disagreement on this for many a time to come.

It's all about the East and West. We're on the far edge of the West. Reading is East.

 This thread contained the germs of a debate, without ever establishing an answer...

 http://thetownend.com/index.php?topic=14728.0

 I got rightly called to question for my rather inexact knowledge of the Belper/Heanor hinterland.

 

It's Morton Reg. Just North of Alfreton (Aden Flint's homeland. Subsequently mine too.).

I would say anything north of Leicester would be classed as "The North".

I'd generally accept that, although unsure if the good people of Mansfield and Chesterfield would agree.

Its North

The North starts at the top of the M25

To be fair (I can't count for all of them) but of the people I know and have met in the aforementioned places, they would gladly accept they are from the North. Chesterfield lot heavily associate themselves as almost being from South Yorkshire, in the same way people from Glossop area generally associate themselves with Manchester. This is all understandable as Chezvegas (yes it's a thing) is only 13 or so miles from Sheff, yet 30ish from Derby.  Likewise, Glossop is only a similar distance to Manc, yet nearly 50 miles from Derby. These are at the extremities of the County but it roots their association with the North more if they're closer to understandably, more Northern Counties.

A similar example is Burton-o-T being around 10 miles from Derby, whilst in Staffordshire (although holding a DE postcode). Yet being 30ish miles away from Stafford. I'm sure there are many more fine examples of Towns being associated with the incorrect County due to Postal Code location or local geography to a larger town/city in another County.

For me its a line through roughly Cannock/Telford/Leicester/Peterborough, with all those just squeezing into the South.

I think a lot depends upon where people work, to cite and example you use, I know a load of people from Glossop who all commute into Manchester and thus associate themselves with Manchester rather than Derbyshire. That area of Derbyshire is strange generally, why do you think they filmed (and are filming again - whoop) the League of Gentlemen in Hadfield on the edge of the Peak.

Equally to cite Reg's earlier faux pas regarding Belper that's deepest Derbyshire, but when I am working there, as I am at the moment a lot, as its theoretically the East Midlands you have to deal with the Historic England Office in Northampton rather the considerably nearer one in Manchester. - Actually looking Glossop is in High Peak and thus on that basis would be Northampton office rather than Manchester!


I can beat that - Millom (look it up, it really is the back of beyond and then some - actually on recollection wasn't there formerly Millom Red of this Parish, sadly not seen since 2013...) has a Lancaster postcode despite being in Cumbria and 52 tortuous miles from Lancaster. Barrow is the same but at least has the excuse that historically Barra was in Lancashire, Millom was always in Cumberland.

Haha, yeah can't wait for LoG. My old IT Teacher knew Mark Gatiss the bloke that played "Mickey Luv" and saw the live show. He used to come in and tell us all about it instead of teaching us. Great stuff!
 
Yeah Glossop and all the High Peak in general gets a bit "forgotten" by the Local Authority. It's a shame because High Peak is conveniently located for prime work (ie Manchester) and stunning countryside (being surrounded by the Peak District), I love it up there, even though i'm not that far away from the PD myself. It's still governed by Derbyshire County Council for certain services; interestingly the County Town of Derbyshire is.....Matlock. That would make you think they'd be more helpful towards High Peak, Derbyshire Dales(especially as Matlock is in this area) & North East Derbyshire, alas they don't. Glossop also falls under the services of East Midlands Air Ambulance, which is fairly crazy. Sometimes I think it would do well to look at things economically and  have more "cross County services". I'm sure a fair bit of money could be saved from lost time, if one services is closer regardless of it being in a different County. On the whole if I generally shop at Tesco's and there's one 5 miles away i'm not going to go to the one located 25 miles away.

That's mad with Millom. Aye, Barrow makes sense like you say. With Millom that's got to be a constituency thing surely? Moving boundaries et al. It's probably one of the most extreme cases for Postcode to County location ratio?

Cheltenham/Gloucester. that's the boundary of civilization on the western frontier.

there is no Midlands. it's what northerners make up to make themselves feel better. the facts are irrefutable, funny accents and odd food... Northern

next.

 :D :D Brilliant!

Civilisation exists only within zone 1. Anything outside of this - north, south, whatever - is unimportant

Sent from my SM-G950F

This section of your post (not the main point, I appreciate) reminded me of a rant of mine from 2011.  I still feel the same.  Stuff like this matters.  Local government & boundaries are such a dog's breakfast in this country that it has a significant detrimental effect on sense of place/belonging.

How Wiltshire are you?? (http://thetownend.com/index.php?topic=45484.msg1006993#msg1006993)

Happy to be corrected as not been back for 15+ years but Swindon is in Wiltshire isn't it, just Swindon is a unitary authority for governance purposes and thus takes on roles that a County Council would, if that's the case its no different to off the top of my head Blackburn (Lancashire) and Wazza (which is in Cheshire but the Cheshire set will kill you for reminding them!)

One thing that I could never get my head round when I was a kid was the sig leaving Lechlade that said Welcome to Thamesdown, what was that all about!

Thamesdown was the Borough Council responsible for Swindon and other smaller "towns", it has since been usurped by the Swindon Unitary Authority, so all those places now get to be in Swindon as well.

Surely the north starts at the railway line??

Some of us are still trying to come to terms with the amalgamation of Old (sometimes known as High) Swindon and New Swindon in 1900.

I can remember when West Swindon was fields Reg, but I can't remember when the bottom of Vic Hill was  :)

I can remember when Dorcan and Liden were fields.

Surely beats that Reading song nonsense....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyE1DDaPLhw