For those of you that follow me on Twitter and actually read it, you may have known that I had to spend three hours killing time in Eastleigh while my car was being repaired.
I thought I'd take this lucky opportunity to show you even luckier guys around my home town.
Before I begin, a little history for you.
Eastleigh is in south Hampshire, about 5 miles from Southampton and about 55 from London. It has superb commuter links, with the M3, M27, a train station and a well serviced airport. The entire borough of Eastleigh is populated by approximately 125,000 people, 93% of them are white British, an equal split of men and women, mainly working class, with the average age being 43.
It was first recorded in 932 as "East Leah" and then again in the Doomsday Book (1086) as "Eastleie." It wasn't until two local parishes merged did it become Eastleigh in 1868.
Eastleigh ranked as the 9th best place to live in the UK in a Channel Four survey in 2006.
You're probably nodding off now, so I'll break it up with some photos.
Eastleigh is primarily a railway town. The town was built around the railway, most of its original inhabitants worked there and the streets are set out in typical Victorian "iron grid" style.
So here's the railway station as it looks today.
Quickly running up to the Bishopstoke bridge, we can see the platforms. On the left are the engineering works which closed down in 2006.
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Inside it's typically Victoria - cast iron, dingy yet decorative.
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As I mentioned earlier, Eastleigh's history is steeped in railwayness and there's plenty of evidence around to suggest this.
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There's even a statue called "The Railwayman" which was erected in 2006 to commemorate the railway workers of the town.
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Behind The Railwayman is the recreation ground, a lovely green open space. There's a bandstand in the middle dating from the Victorian times - a golden age for Eastleigh.
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Here it is from another angle. I used to play a lot in the playground on the left when I was younger. It was either that or go shopping with Mum! It's changed a lot since.
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The rec is home to a pikey fair once a year during August. The Carnival - the oldest running carnival in the country - terminates here.
Just beyond the rec is Eastleigh's only theatre, The Point. Never been in there to see anything. Theatre isn't my sort of thing.
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The oldest church in Eastleigh is more-or-less opposite. It's a Catholic one. Again, never been inside and it was closed today.
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Talking of churches, one burned down in the late 80's and stood derelict for 20-odd years. It's now a block of flats...or "apartments" as the people who live there probably like to call them.
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So moving on past the oldest church, there is a range of multi-cultural food places - American, Chinese and Indian are all here!
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And that brings us to the top of Eastleigh town centre's High Street.
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Again, more exotic food places!
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The premier attraction in Eastleigh is Eastleigh Museum!
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As it was free and I've not been in there since school, I had a look inside.
Like all museums, plenty of old fashioned house set-ups and whatnot.
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And, again, an exhibition about the railway history.
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But the real reason I went it? Well, who could resist this...?!
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Loads of exhilarating quilts to look at.
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Enough old world stuff, as Winston Churchill may say...
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Wandering back onto the High Street, we can take a quick look at the shops.
The High Street is the "poor street" out of the two main streets. It's full of charity shops, betting shops, pubs and empty shops - but none of them are chipboarded! Here's the Litten Tree. The only place in Eastleigh with a late license. It's full of chavs and it's ****ing horrible. I spent a fair amount of time in there during my late teens!
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Eastleigh is home to a few Pound shops, however, this one is special.
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At the end of the High Street is the Swan Centre which opened up in 1989.
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It's pretty dull. Only the ground floor outlets opened, the 1st floor one's remain unrented.
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There's a Tesco, a TK Max, WH Smith, Game, Clintons, Robert Dyers, Waterstones, Argos, shoe and mobile phone shops and of course, another ****ing...
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This sign may make you think that you can't have fun in Eastleigh...
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...but you can! Last year, they built a complex on top of the Swan Centre car park with stuff to do and chain restaurants!
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Continuing our tour, if we walk out of the leisure complex down these steps...
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...we get to Market Street.
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Market Street is the more "cosmopolitan" street out of the two main streets. There are coffee shops, cafes, more "upper class" shops, travel agents and insurance brokers.
There used to be a cinema in Market Street in the 80's, which closed down and become a nightclub. That was closed due to underage drinking and violence and it stood empty for several years. Late last year, a new nightclub opened up called "Flava" but that has now shut down.
The Imperial Club is the oldest club in Eastleigh, it's been everything from a working man's club to a strip club to a snooker hall to a hire function room.
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Linking to the two streets at the north end is Leigh Road. Last year, a Wetherspoons opened up - a saviour!
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The 'spoons used to the The Tavern, a horrid rathole that did a rock night on a Monday. Again, I spent a lot of time there in the late 90's. It's a much better place nowadays.
Leigh Road is home to a weekly market which is held on a Thursday in this little pedestrianised area.
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You're not allowed to do anything in Leigh Road, there are plenty of warning signs about.
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And of course, what's a street in Eastleigh without a...
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I bet Scott Mills and Colin Firth are glad they moved away! Benny Hill was a also a famous resident - he used to deliver milk in the area. When they knocked down the Pirelli cable factory in 2002 to build more "apartments", they even called one of the roads Benny Hill Close :lol:
So concludes the tour of Eastleigh town centre. I have to say that it's a place I rarely visit nowadays. I use the train station now and then, as I do the bowling, cinema and 'spoons. I'm not exceptionally proud of Eastleigh, nor would I highly recommend it for a day trip but it can be a decent evening out with the right people. Or a good place to shop for tat under a quid.
Thanks for reading
I thought I'd take this lucky opportunity to show you even luckier guys around my home town.
Before I begin, a little history for you.
Eastleigh is in south Hampshire, about 5 miles from Southampton and about 55 from London. It has superb commuter links, with the M3, M27, a train station and a well serviced airport. The entire borough of Eastleigh is populated by approximately 125,000 people, 93% of them are white British, an equal split of men and women, mainly working class, with the average age being 43.
It was first recorded in 932 as "East Leah" and then again in the Doomsday Book (1086) as "Eastleie." It wasn't until two local parishes merged did it become Eastleigh in 1868.
Eastleigh ranked as the 9th best place to live in the UK in a Channel Four survey in 2006.
You're probably nodding off now, so I'll break it up with some photos.
Eastleigh is primarily a railway town. The town was built around the railway, most of its original inhabitants worked there and the streets are set out in typical Victorian "iron grid" style.
So here's the railway station as it looks today.
Quickly running up to the Bishopstoke bridge, we can see the platforms. On the left are the engineering works which closed down in 2006.
Inside it's typically Victoria - cast iron, dingy yet decorative.
As I mentioned earlier, Eastleigh's history is steeped in railwayness and there's plenty of evidence around to suggest this.
There's even a statue called "The Railwayman" which was erected in 2006 to commemorate the railway workers of the town.
Behind The Railwayman is the recreation ground, a lovely green open space. There's a bandstand in the middle dating from the Victorian times - a golden age for Eastleigh.
Here it is from another angle. I used to play a lot in the playground on the left when I was younger. It was either that or go shopping with Mum! It's changed a lot since.
The rec is home to a pikey fair once a year during August. The Carnival - the oldest running carnival in the country - terminates here.
Just beyond the rec is Eastleigh's only theatre, The Point. Never been in there to see anything. Theatre isn't my sort of thing.
The oldest church in Eastleigh is more-or-less opposite. It's a Catholic one. Again, never been inside and it was closed today.
Talking of churches, one burned down in the late 80's and stood derelict for 20-odd years. It's now a block of flats...or "apartments" as the people who live there probably like to call them.
So moving on past the oldest church, there is a range of multi-cultural food places - American, Chinese and Indian are all here!
And that brings us to the top of Eastleigh town centre's High Street.
Again, more exotic food places!
The premier attraction in Eastleigh is Eastleigh Museum!
As it was free and I've not been in there since school, I had a look inside.
Like all museums, plenty of old fashioned house set-ups and whatnot.
And, again, an exhibition about the railway history.
But the real reason I went it? Well, who could resist this...?!
Loads of exhilarating quilts to look at.
Enough old world stuff, as Winston Churchill may say...
Wandering back onto the High Street, we can take a quick look at the shops.
The High Street is the "poor street" out of the two main streets. It's full of charity shops, betting shops, pubs and empty shops - but none of them are chipboarded! Here's the Litten Tree. The only place in Eastleigh with a late license. It's full of chavs and it's ****ing horrible. I spent a fair amount of time in there during my late teens!
Eastleigh is home to a few Pound shops, however, this one is special.
At the end of the High Street is the Swan Centre which opened up in 1989.
It's pretty dull. Only the ground floor outlets opened, the 1st floor one's remain unrented.
There's a Tesco, a TK Max, WH Smith, Game, Clintons, Robert Dyers, Waterstones, Argos, shoe and mobile phone shops and of course, another ****ing...
This sign may make you think that you can't have fun in Eastleigh...
...but you can! Last year, they built a complex on top of the Swan Centre car park with stuff to do and chain restaurants!
Continuing our tour, if we walk out of the leisure complex down these steps...
...we get to Market Street.
Market Street is the more "cosmopolitan" street out of the two main streets. There are coffee shops, cafes, more "upper class" shops, travel agents and insurance brokers.
There used to be a cinema in Market Street in the 80's, which closed down and become a nightclub. That was closed due to underage drinking and violence and it stood empty for several years. Late last year, a new nightclub opened up called "Flava" but that has now shut down.
The Imperial Club is the oldest club in Eastleigh, it's been everything from a working man's club to a strip club to a snooker hall to a hire function room.
Linking to the two streets at the north end is Leigh Road. Last year, a Wetherspoons opened up - a saviour!
The 'spoons used to the The Tavern, a horrid rathole that did a rock night on a Monday. Again, I spent a lot of time there in the late 90's. It's a much better place nowadays.
Leigh Road is home to a weekly market which is held on a Thursday in this little pedestrianised area.
You're not allowed to do anything in Leigh Road, there are plenty of warning signs about.
And of course, what's a street in Eastleigh without a...
I bet Scott Mills and Colin Firth are glad they moved away! Benny Hill was a also a famous resident - he used to deliver milk in the area. When they knocked down the Pirelli cable factory in 2002 to build more "apartments", they even called one of the roads Benny Hill Close :lol:
So concludes the tour of Eastleigh town centre. I have to say that it's a place I rarely visit nowadays. I use the train station now and then, as I do the bowling, cinema and 'spoons. I'm not exceptionally proud of Eastleigh, nor would I highly recommend it for a day trip but it can be a decent evening out with the right people. Or a good place to shop for tat under a quid.
Thanks for reading
