Crap Towns
{{Short description|British book series}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2023}}
Crap Towns: The 50 Worst Places to Live in the UK,{{cite book|last1=Jordison|first1=Sam|last2=Kieran|first2=Dan|author2-link=Dan Kieran|title=Crap Towns: The 50 Worst Places To Live In The UK|publisher=Boxtree|date=October 2003|isbn=0-7522-1582-5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RLBgGwAACAAJ}} Crap Towns II: The Nation Decides,{{cite book|last1=Jordison|first1=Sam|last2=Kieran|author2-link=Dan Kieran|first2=Dan|title=Crap Towns II: The Nation Decides|publisher=Boxtree|date=October 2004|isbn=0-7522-2545-6|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Yx8wHQAACAAJ}} and Crap Towns Returns: Back by Unpopular Demand,{{cite book|last1=Jordison|first1=Sam|last2=Kieran|first2=Dan|author2-link=Dan Kieran|title=Crap Towns Returns: Back by Unpopular Demand|publisher=Hachette UK|date=October 2013|isbn=978-1-84866-222-3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LidhBQAAQBAJ}} are a series of books edited by Sam Jordison and Dan Kieran, in association with UK quarterly The Idler;http://www.idler.co.uk/ Idler Website in which towns in the United Kingdom were nominated by visitors to The Idler website for their "crapness", with the results being published in The Idler and in the books. A sister publication, Crap Jobs, was created by similar means, and Crap Holidays was published in October 2006.{{cite book|last1=Jordison|first1=Sam|first2=Dan|last2=Kieran|title=Crap Towns: The 50 Worst Places To Live In The UK|publisher=Boxtree|date=October 2003|isbn=0-7522-1582-5}} In June 2012, the editors announced that they were gathering nominations for a third edition of Crap Towns (published 2013).{{cite news|last=Jones|first=Sam|title=Crap Towns Returns To Rain More Scorn On Worst Places In Britain|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/jun/15/crap-towns-scorn-worst-britain?INTCMP=SRCH|access-date=16 June 2012|location=London|newspaper=The Guardian|date=15 June 2012}}
Controversy
Publication of Crap Towns brought widespread criticism from residents, politicians and other notable figures from the towns listed.{{cite web|last=Jordison|first=Sam|title=The co-editor of 'Crap Towns' takes on the local papers|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/collective/A1316396|access-date=21 September 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131031070354/http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/collective/A1316396|archive-date=31 October 2013}}
Many notable figures were quick to defend their respective towns. These included a number of MPs, such as Michael Howard, who represented Hythe in Kent, which appeared at number four in the 2003 edition. Howard said that Hythe was "the jewel of Kent."{{cn|date=July 2023}}
Some thought the selection process and/or subsequent portrayals to be inherently biased, "random", subjective, inconsistent and/or unscientific.{{cite web|url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/local-news/residents-defend-town-against-hell-hole-1152881|title=Residents defend town against 'hell-hole' tag|newspaper=Manchester Evening News|date=9 April 2005}} The editors of the book wrote to "local worthies"{{cite news|first=Sam|last=Jordison|title=To Hull and back|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1443270/To-Hull-and-back-via-49-other-cp-towns-in-Britain.html|access-date=28 September 2006|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|location=London|date=5 October 2003}} in each of the nominated towns to gain their responses and views. Local newspapers were quick to defend their towns, such as the Stockport Express in 2006.{{cite news|newspaper=Stockport Express|title=Residents defend town against 'hell-hole' tag|url=http://menmedia.co.uk/stockportexpress/news/s/311/311200_residents_defend_town_against_hellhole_tag.html|access-date=28 September 2006}}
Conversely, some former residents have tended to agree with the assessments, such as Sarfraz Manzoor, writing about Luton in The Guardian (2006).{{cite news|newspaper=The Guardian|title=Don't knock crap towns. We need them.|url=http://society.guardian.co.uk/urbandesign/comment/0,11200,1315358,00.html|first=Sarfraz|last=Manzoor|access-date=28 September 2006|location=London|date=29 September 2004}} However, Manzoor also concluded that there was "of course, an unmistakable air of snobbery around the people behind such a book; the stench of rich kids having fun at the expense of those less able to afford to be professionally idle" and added that "rather than sneering at towns such as Luton, we should be applauding the contribution that crap towns have made to all our lives."
Survey results
File:Humber Bridge.png was the inaugural "winner" of Crap Towns in 2003.]]
File:LutonTownCentre.jpg was the 2004 "winner".]]
Readers voted for the top 50 crap towns in the UK. The top ten by reader votes in descending order of "crapness" (with 1 being the worst) were:
| class="wikitable" |
| Rank
! 2003{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3158298.stm|title=UK's 'worst 50' towns revealed|publisher= BBC News |date=2 October 2003}} ! 2004{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3692154.stm|title=Luton voted Britain's worst town|publisher=BBC News|date=27 September 2004}} ! 2013{{cite news|newspaper=The Guardian|title=Crap Towns title goes to "hated" London|date=5 October 2013|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/oct/05/crap-towns-london-bradford-chipping-norton}} |
|---|
| align=center| 1
| Hull | Luton | London |
| align=center| 2
| Windsor | Bradford |
| align=center| 3 |
| align=center| 4
| Hythe |
| align=center| 5
| {{—}} | York |
| align=center| 6
| Clapham, London |
| align=center| 7
| Bath | Coventry |
| align=center| 8
| Nuneaton |
| align=center| 9
| Corby |
| align=center| 10
| Hackney, London |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.idler.co.uk/crap Idler Website – 'Crap' section]
- BBC News — [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3158298.stm "UK's 'worst 50' towns revealed"] — with list of the ten worst
- BBC News — [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3692154.stm "Luton voted Britain's worst town"] — with list of the ten worst in Crap Towns II
- [http://craptownsreturns.com/ Crap Towns Returns] – new nominations in 2012.
- [https://craptowns.wordpress.com/2012/06/18/banbury/ Official site]
- [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3158298.stm BBC News – "UK's 'worst 50' towns revealed" – with list of the ten worst]
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Category:2003 non-fiction books
Category:2004 non-fiction books