Slough, Berkshire/Buckinghamshitre, UK
Created | Updated May 12, 2002
Where is Slough and what is it like?
When you hear the name "Slough" mentioned by someone, you can almost guarantee that it will be either a joke about the town or something bad about it. Well I'm here to show the good and bad sides of the town, without prejudice, although if you are a resident who gets offended easily, it would probably be best not to read on!
Well, to start off with, Slough is a large town in Berkshire (since 1970 something), although it is still with Buckinghmashire spiritually and historically - well according to some article about the town in a book I once read anyway. Slough contains about 120,000 inhabitants, of which some 42% are ethnic minorities. Mainly Asian, and some Afro-Caribbean. Race relations are mostly good in the town, which is an achievement for somewhere so racially and culturally diverse. It is true that the town is not one of architectural beauty, but on the other hand it is not absolutely appaulling, and is improving, as some monstrosities are being demolished and some cool modern-looking buildings built. Slough's history is practically non-existant, as it was founded in the 19th century, and many of the original buildings have been knocked down, although quite a few old terraces remain in the Hershell and Chalvey districts.
The sad thing about Slough is it has so much potential which is being wasted and the town is slowly turning into a dumping ground for asylum seekers, and the many council estates are becoming ghettoised. There are many working class people in Slough, which is a good thing as there are not many stuck up 'Daily Mail' readers, but deprivation is a problem which needs to be addressed, along with crime. But Slough does, in fact, have many job opportunities, ranging from the hi-tech offices of companies in the town centre to the dense industry of the tall, smoking chimneys and cooling towers on the trading estate. The town has a very good economy, and some people do also commute into London as it is only 21 miles from the town centre.
Slough is situated in the heart of the Thames Valley boom region, just west of London, and with the city centre being just 21 miles away, attracts people wanting to live near the capital. The M4 motorway runs along the southern edge of the town and divides it from Windsor. It links Slough with the M25 and the rest of the country. Heathrow is a 15 minute drive away. There is a good train servicve as well. And a bus service to towns near Slough such as Reading, Maidenhead, Hounslow, Staines, Uxbridge, High Wycombe etc. Although none of these places are really worth going to with the capital so near - pay particular attention to avoid Hounslow and Wycombe as they are not nice places.
Interesting things to see:
Well, not much really, although being 5 minutes from Windsor means you are next to the castle, and the elegant riverside town, if you want to pay a visit. To the north of Slough there are the Burnham Beeches, which are an excellent place to go and relax, and see some beautiful countryside. There are not really many interesting things within the vicinity of Slough to be honest.
Inside the town the main attractions are probably the original old housing from when the town was first built, mainly around the Baylis area, just north of the town centre. It is also interesting to see the area around the railway and Grand Union canal, from where the industry of the town originated. There are beautiful Mosques and Gurdwaras around the town which are worth a look. The railway station (just next to the town centre) is another elegant building (one of the best in Slough), and there is a sculpture statue of a big silver tree in the High Street opposite one of the entrances to the Queensmere shopping centre, and although it is mocked by many, I actually like it, even if the council did (apparently) waste about £30,000 on it! A town hall and museum can also be found. One last point of interest is the Slough Trading estate, the first in the world apparently. There you will find dense industry, as well as the Mars factory, which makes the town smell of chocolate - nice!
Leisure and shopping:
Slough is a good place to shop. There is a long High Street, and two main shopping centres, the Queensmere and the Observatory. Overall there is a wide range to choose from, and it can get quite crowded on a Saturday. And the new "Heart of Slough project" will enhance the town centre further, making Slough an even better place to shop. There are superstores to be found all over town, and a secondary shopping area along Farnham Road, which includes another Woolworths, a Lidl, Safeways, and many other smaller shops. There are also smaller shopping areas along most other main roads in town, and local shops in some of the estates in town, with a particularly big selection in Chalvey.
There are great leisure facilities in the town. These include an Ice Arena, bowling alley, leisure centres for swimming, etc.
And entertainment-wise, there is a theatre (not sure how good it is, but I don't think it is particularly amazing), and a 10 screen cinema above the Queensmere.
Pubs and Clubs:
Quite a big selection of pubs, some good some bad. There are the Litten Tree, Yates's, The Moon and Spoon, Sports Bar, The Lighthouse, The Assembly, to name but a few. Look out for trouble, as Slough has its fair share of violence.
As for night clubs there is Harry's and Sl1, which are not brilliant and not terrible, depending on your opinion.
Eating out:
A few places, but it would really be better to head for Windsor or London. Slough, however, has good fast-food joints mostly around the High Street, and other backstreets in the town centre.
Some of the different districts within Slough:
Burnham - really a seperate town, just northwest of Slough, that has been absorbed by its rapid growth. This is a nice place, with its own High Street and facilities and suburbs of its own. It is an expensive area with many big houses, although less desirable areas can be found. It is mostly surrounded by countryside, and of course the famous Burnham Beeches.
Britwell - A large council estate in northwest Slough next to Burnham. It is a London overspill estate built in the 1950's. There are significant social problems on the estate like crime, violence and deprivation. A high proportion of the residents are unemployed. There is a large local shopping area next to the main road on the estate, Wentworth Avenue. This is a large Boulevard running straight through the middle of Britwell. This is one of the key areas of regeneration. Kennedy park in the south of Britwell is a nice place to walk around, so long as you don't get mugged. Pity about the large cooling towers and smoking industrial chimneys overlooking you from the trading estate.
Manor Park - Another large council estate the other side of Farnham Road, with very dense housing. Built in the 1930's, this estate is highly deprived, and run down. Housing and living conditions are unsatisfactory. But things are looking up for Manor Park, with regeneration money being granted and improvements being made.
Wexham Court - Again, this estate is a 1930's council estate. There are problems with deprivation and crime, but these are finally being addressed, and Wexham Court will have a bright future, helped by good race relations.
Langley - a village in eastern Slough, this is definitely one of the nicest parts of town, with good housing and rising property prices. The village has its own facilities, but has the advantage of being just 2 miles from Slough town centre. Along some of the streets just off London road into the village, exclusive housing can be found. But there are also a few areas which are less pleasant.
Common Road estate - This is a 1960's London overspill estate, but with poor quality housing. It is found in the far eastern corner of Langley, and is recognisable by its many high rise tower-block flats, which can be seen from quite a distance. Some of the estate will soon be demolished in order to improve the quality of life for people living on the estate.
Upton - A small council estate next to the town centre. Nothing much to say about the place really, it is fairly ordinary.
Hershell Village - an area to the south of Slough town centre. It is mainly old Victorian houses, with a few newer developments. A good description would be to call it an up-and-coming area.
Chalvey - a predominently Muslim estate. It probably has the worst reputation in Slough, with its old victorian terraces, high-rise flats, and the concrete council estate troubled by crime. It is not a nice area, and does have its problems, but is gradually improving.
Chalvey Grove - just to the west of Chalvey, is another coucil estate, with a strong Asian presence.
Cippenham - this is on the western fringe of Slough, and is quite a nice area, although housing is still quite mixed.
When you hear the name "Slough" mentioned by someone, you can almost guarantee that it will be either a joke about the town or something bad about it. Well I'm here to show the good and bad sides of the town, without prejudice, although if you are a resident who gets offended easily, it would probably be best not to read on!
Well, to start off with, Slough is a large town in Berkshire (since 1970 something), although it is still with Buckinghmashire spiritually and historically - well according to some article about the town in a book I once read anyway. Slough contains about 120,000 inhabitants, of which some 42% are ethnic minorities. Mainly Asian, and some Afro-Caribbean. Race relations are mostly good in the town, which is an achievement for somewhere so racially and culturally diverse. It is true that the town is not one of architectural beauty, but on the other hand it is not absolutely appaulling, and is improving, as some monstrosities are being demolished and some cool modern-looking buildings built. Slough's history is practically non-existant, as it was founded in the 19th century, and many of the original buildings have been knocked down, although quite a few old terraces remain in the Hershell and Chalvey districts.
The sad thing about Slough is it has so much potential which is being wasted and the town is slowly turning into a dumping ground for asylum seekers, and the many council estates are becoming ghettoised. There are many working class people in Slough, which is a good thing as there are not many stuck up 'Daily Mail' readers, but deprivation is a problem which needs to be addressed, along with crime. But Slough does, in fact, have many job opportunities, ranging from the hi-tech offices of companies in the town centre to the dense industry of the tall, smoking chimneys and cooling towers on the trading estate. The town has a very good economy, and some people do also commute into London as it is only 21 miles from the town centre.
Slough is situated in the heart of the Thames Valley boom region, just west of London, and with the city centre being just 21 miles away, attracts people wanting to live near the capital. The M4 motorway runs along the southern edge of the town and divides it from Windsor. It links Slough with the M25 and the rest of the country. Heathrow is a 15 minute drive away. There is a good train servicve as well. And a bus service to towns near Slough such as Reading, Maidenhead, Hounslow, Staines, Uxbridge, High Wycombe etc. Although none of these places are really worth going to with the capital so near - pay particular attention to avoid Hounslow and Wycombe as they are not nice places.
Interesting things to see:
Well, not much really, although being 5 minutes from Windsor means you are next to the castle, and the elegant riverside town, if you want to pay a visit. To the north of Slough there are the Burnham Beeches, which are an excellent place to go and relax, and see some beautiful countryside. There are not really many interesting things within the vicinity of Slough to be honest.
Inside the town the main attractions are probably the original old housing from when the town was first built, mainly around the Baylis area, just north of the town centre. It is also interesting to see the area around the railway and Grand Union canal, from where the industry of the town originated. There are beautiful Mosques and Gurdwaras around the town which are worth a look. The railway station (just next to the town centre) is another elegant building (one of the best in Slough), and there is a sculpture statue of a big silver tree in the High Street opposite one of the entrances to the Queensmere shopping centre, and although it is mocked by many, I actually like it, even if the council did (apparently) waste about £30,000 on it! A town hall and museum can also be found. One last point of interest is the Slough Trading estate, the first in the world apparently. There you will find dense industry, as well as the Mars factory, which makes the town smell of chocolate - nice!
Leisure and shopping:
Slough is a good place to shop. There is a long High Street, and two main shopping centres, the Queensmere and the Observatory. Overall there is a wide range to choose from, and it can get quite crowded on a Saturday. And the new "Heart of Slough project" will enhance the town centre further, making Slough an even better place to shop. There are superstores to be found all over town, and a secondary shopping area along Farnham Road, which includes another Woolworths, a Lidl, Safeways, and many other smaller shops. There are also smaller shopping areas along most other main roads in town, and local shops in some of the estates in town, with a particularly big selection in Chalvey.
There are great leisure facilities in the town. These include an Ice Arena, bowling alley, leisure centres for swimming, etc.
And entertainment-wise, there is a theatre (not sure how good it is, but I don't think it is particularly amazing), and a 10 screen cinema above the Queensmere.
Pubs and Clubs:
Quite a big selection of pubs, some good some bad. There are the Litten Tree, Yates's, The Moon and Spoon, Sports Bar, The Lighthouse, The Assembly, to name but a few. Look out for trouble, as Slough has its fair share of violence.
As for night clubs there is Harry's and Sl1, which are not brilliant and not terrible, depending on your opinion.
Eating out:
A few places, but it would really be better to head for Windsor or London. Slough, however, has good fast-food joints mostly around the High Street, and other backstreets in the town centre.
Some of the different districts within Slough:
Burnham - really a seperate town, just northwest of Slough, that has been absorbed by its rapid growth. This is a nice place, with its own High Street and facilities and suburbs of its own. It is an expensive area with many big houses, although less desirable areas can be found. It is mostly surrounded by countryside, and of course the famous Burnham Beeches.
Britwell - A large council estate in northwest Slough next to Burnham. It is a London overspill estate built in the 1950's. There are significant social problems on the estate like crime, violence and deprivation. A high proportion of the residents are unemployed. There is a large local shopping area next to the main road on the estate, Wentworth Avenue. This is a large Boulevard running straight through the middle of Britwell. This is one of the key areas of regeneration. Kennedy park in the south of Britwell is a nice place to walk around, so long as you don't get mugged. Pity about the large cooling towers and smoking industrial chimneys overlooking you from the trading estate.
Manor Park - Another large council estate the other side of Farnham Road, with very dense housing. Built in the 1930's, this estate is highly deprived, and run down. Housing and living conditions are unsatisfactory. But things are looking up for Manor Park, with regeneration money being granted and improvements being made.
Wexham Court - Again, this estate is a 1930's council estate. There are problems with deprivation and crime, but these are finally being addressed, and Wexham Court will have a bright future, helped by good race relations.
Langley - a village in eastern Slough, this is definitely one of the nicest parts of town, with good housing and rising property prices. The village has its own facilities, but has the advantage of being just 2 miles from Slough town centre. Along some of the streets just off London road into the village, exclusive housing can be found. But there are also a few areas which are less pleasant.
Common Road estate - This is a 1960's London overspill estate, but with poor quality housing. It is found in the far eastern corner of Langley, and is recognisable by its many high rise tower-block flats, which can be seen from quite a distance. Some of the estate will soon be demolished in order to improve the quality of life for people living on the estate.
Upton - A small council estate next to the town centre. Nothing much to say about the place really, it is fairly ordinary.
Hershell Village - an area to the south of Slough town centre. It is mainly old Victorian houses, with a few newer developments. A good description would be to call it an up-and-coming area.
Chalvey - a predominently Muslim estate. It probably has the worst reputation in Slough, with its old victorian terraces, high-rise flats, and the concrete council estate troubled by crime. It is not a nice area, and does have its problems, but is gradually improving.
Chalvey Grove - just to the west of Chalvey, is another coucil estate, with a strong Asian presence.
Cippenham - this is on the western fringe of Slough, and is quite a nice area, although housing is still quite mixed.
