Stoke on Trent - Ghost Town

I made this film in 2002 to try and show how awful it was in Stoke on Trent, my new home at the time. Most of the places I used were within walking distance of my house. Thankfully most of it has now gone due to the City Council's regeneration projects. Follow me on Twitter @retroramblings for more stuff like this!

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Stoke
• on
• Trent
• abandoned
• buildings

[ReallyStrange]

When I was stopped by prostitutes every night on the way home asking me if I wanted any "business", or when I was woken up in the middle of the night by gangsters smashing up the crack house over the road, I certainly wasn't thinking "well at least there are some nice parks".

As I have constantly reiterated on here, but no one seems to have bothered to read, I shot this over 8 years ago. Most of it is now much improved. But I still left, and I don't regret it.

[ReallyStrange]

I'm constantly amused by the comments suggesting I deliberately picked the bad stuff and didn't include footage of the parks. This would have been a pretty pointless video if I had, and certainly wouldn't have fitted the song Ghost Town. When I made this film I had been living in Cobridge (Century St) for nearly two years. It was a depressing place. I wanted to make a film that reflected how I felt about my new surroundings.

[MATTHEWJAMESRIGBY]

where about in stoke was this filmed?

[ReallyStrange]

@MATTHEWJAMESRIGBY I lived on Century St at the time, so most of it was around there. Some was shot at the old furniture showroom on Hartshill, some round the back of the boarded up shops in Stoke, and some around the city centre. Thankfully most of it has now been bulldozed.

[shonaleegregory]

its art, its powerful, its history - everythin you see on this video has a story - i suppose one mans rubbish is another mans treasure!

[john111257]

@ReallyStrange sorry mate..nothing good here ..just hard working people being ripped off

[mama9048]

this is stupid they took vids from the shity parts like tunstall and and stoke

[detectivepope]

i'm still stuck here :( no jobs to save money to move either.

[Daveg007]

@ReallyStrange dont punish yerself ive seen things that will make yer eyes water

its just life

[Daveg007]

ooooooo i see parklane like to have his sarcastic say to. we will see

[Daveg007]

yes i was born and bred in stoke and i still live in longton. if you want to diss the place do it where i wont see it because your vid has pisseed me off and i aint normally like that so sort yer shit out

[Daveg007]

you are talking bollox, must be a vale fan

[lennonpolo]

@ReallyStrange Where did you go to?

[ParkLaneTottenham1]

Just got back from there and can safely say that it is the biggest shithole I have ever stepped foot in.

[mehlolmeh1]

lmao looks like us from stoke on trent kow how to party. how old are you? that looks like a magical kingdom to me. :L