Hanley Is it really that Bad? Join us to find out as we walk around up Hanley duck

[@DarylPritchardvideos]

I do think Hanley has improved since i last filmed 2 years ago, however more shops have closed

[@lynseyleese7475]

Have closed and more keep closing gun stoke on Trent is getting more and more like a ghost town

[@frederickmuhlbauer9477]

Improved in what way

[@EricHolford-v1i]

hi I am watching this from Canada, not sure if any one will see this reply. I was born in Basford and lived there until 1967 when I came to Canada. This is so hard to see, I remember Hanley with very fond memories.

[@johnfellows2867]

Having being born in 1951, I can well remember when Hanley was a lovely, thriving town, not the desolate, sh+t hole it is now !

[@konstantinosschoinas7535]

I lived in Stoke on Trent for years as a student near Leek road at the train station. Hanley was a must during the weekends. Taking the bus from the train station to Hanley bus station. 60p the fare if I recall. So many nice memories. The old bus station... I think there was an Argos store nearby. The potteries mall with the food court, The Place club. It's the first time I see Hanley since 1999, when I finished the uni and went to London for Masters degree, and it is heartbreaking to see this decay and desolation. What happened? I honestly wish for Stoke on Trent to recover

[@angusmeigh5141]

Hanley was a really thriving town 35 years ago way back in 1988 after the opening of the Potteries shopping centre. Back then it had great shopping and nightlife. In 1988 two large new night clubs opened Valentinos and Regimes. Which were packed out at weekends. And on Saturday daytimes the place was packed out with thousands of shoppers. It started to go down hill from about 1992 onwards.

[@the_dark_one6052]

I was a student at Keele 1991-94 and it saddens me to see so many empty shops and lifeless streets in Hanley. It seems like a lot of the paving is new and the roads are well maintained, but that is just glossing over the fact that the place is dying - as is Britain. The Town Hall's decay and potential sale is a glum epitome.

[@Truthseeker1515]

I was also a student at Keele 1992-96, to be fair, it was never that great a place. De-industrialization had already hit hard. Plus, if you recall, very few students ventured this far out. Maybe once to Hanley Shopping Centre at Christmas in your first year and that was it. It was hard to get people to go on a night's out there. Buses would take 45 mins to get there, only viable was a taxi ride. Good to see the old Bus Station is no more. Many times waiting for the national express to London Gatwick.....

[@gordonbennet1094]

@@Truthseeker1515 Ha ha. I can trump u both. I was a student at Burslem Art School in the 60's. I found the swathes of industrial dereliction, the disused canals, and the countless streets of semi derelict terraced houses, shocking and fascinating. The tide of change that swept away the potteries, the canals, the coal mines, the steel the works, actually began in the 1850's, with the advent of the railways, and cheap maufactured china-ware and other goods from Asia. Then there were the 2 world wars that left Britain bankrupt, with obsolete industries, and endless politcal/ class division, culminating in Thatcher's determination to hold the line, which returned Britain to a semblance of order. In the space of a century, Britain was cast from her pedestal of Empire and Entitlement. Macmilan famously said, 'The winds of change are blowing throughout Africa.' Only half right. The winds of change were blowing throughout the entire world. They left behind places like Stoke on Trent - not just in Britain by the way, but in many other places in th world.

[@joebloggs1271]

I along with six previous generations of my family were born in Hanley and I'm so glad my parents arent alive to see it now. It brought tears to my eyes looking at the old bus station which is where I used to go to school at St John's CofE. The closed down shops were once thriving. Cinemas, dance halls, discos and pubs galore all packed on a Saturday night. It seems like there has been a concerted effort to destroy the City of Stoke on Trent and other towns across Britain. All in the plan.

[@digitalpollution]

I used to love Hanley, Hanging around on A Saturday in fountain square drinking cider with the other rockers and Punks many ,Many years ago when I was A teenager....Good Times

[@arthurferns4890]

Please do another one of these when … the central point for shopping closes … Wilkos

[@Steve-bo6ht]

Give's me feelings of the movie 28 days later, it's absolutely heart breaking to see Hanley so run down I met my wife in Chicago Rock and it was a real cool place to hang out and you'd look forward to the weekend and have a fantastic night most weekends. It's got to a point know when we literally don't feel safe to even shop in Hanley and most of our friends feel the same and we sadly only use the out of town retail parks at Talk & Etruria due to the free parking and generally feeling safe.

[@parzival1958]

Born in Stoke-on-Trent 1958. Once thriving towns like Stoke, Hanley, Longton are in a bad state with many closed shops, litter, graffiti, homeless people. So sad to see the place go downhill like this.

[@lock411]

same here mate . back in the 80s you couldn't move up hanley shops pubs was full to the rim . so sad now see it

[@davidrabbit2239]

Transform the shops into residential dwellings, landscape the areas with trees and parks so people want to live there. At the moment these towns will just go from bad to worse, there’s far too many shops, online shopping has taken over. Also the dreadful modern architecture is a disaster and so is the brash shop signage. All in all very depressing.

[@ultimatesoccershow]

LOOKS LIKE A GHOST TOWN. I grew up in Sneyd Green and was always in Hanley hanging out with friends, the streets were buzzing with people everywhere.... smiling too! 1970-1980's era, a time that does not exist any longer!I am amazed the old bus station is still standing????

[@rajkiranboggala9722]

I used to study and work in Stoke between 2009-12, Hanley was really nice with a lot of shops, Potteries and restaurants. Weekend nights were always crowded! Sad to see how calm within 10 years! I can remember what stores in those spots you’re pointing at! A lot of them are gone now! I left UK in late 2013. What happened what made Stoke this bad!

[@museonfilm8919]

In my opinion, the council are truly licking their lips. All of that real estate is ripe for redevelopment to use for HMO's to accommodate our 'expanding population'. Imagine how many rabbit-hutch one bed flats they can get into a a big building, and THEN you'll understand why Two words - Council Tax.

[@polopowered]

I was born in Stoke and live 15 minutes drive from Hanley, but I haven't been into Hanley for almost 10yrs now. Thank goodness.

[@daveywynter1607]

I used to go to Hanley alot in the 1990s to early 2000s and it has certainly gone down the drain its sad to see how bad it looks now and the council should and could of done more to prevent this town looking so bad.

[@Quebber]

Hanley used to be alive, I've lived around Hanley for most of my life (currently in Shelton) and there is no reason now to visit the old town, the very few times I have it feels completely dead and empty.

[@danlane9917]

I used to live in Ashford street!

[@rulebritannia1553]

Lost 🇬🇧 Thanks 🙏 I served in the 80’s and it saddens me what has become of the country I left in 07 and wouldn’t return

[@adoptednuyorka]

Born stokie in 75, 87 to 91 I used to deliver newspapers morning's and afternoons around Hanley, now 48 and live in South Derbyshire, it's so sad to see what has happened, the needless and completely pointless lockdowns killing off what was once a great city centre, very sad to see the small traders gone

[@ChrisJones-wv4lj]

Most towns and city centers are like this these days sadly.. Sad to see Hanley like this,I'm not from Stoke but been many many times to see the mighty Potters . Would like to say better days lie ahead but I'd be lying,not just for Hanley but for the world in general. Enjoyed the vid thanks owd 👍

[@rachelcarmeladams9557]

Such a shame to see Hanley like this. In the 90s it was so vibrant. I used to love going shopping on a Saturday with my mum. And as I got older student night on a Monday was the best! I’m always proud of my stoke roots though and all it used to be.

[@kevinbrookes2032]

I used to catch the bus from Kidsgrove most Saturdays when I was a teenager - 1960's and Hanley was packed. Now it nedds knocking down and starting all over 😞

[@Darklord666123]

Who remembers when the Potteries Shopping centre used to have a grand blue truss style entrance attached to the façade with a huge logo emblem mounted onto it?

[@DarylPritchardvideos]

Thanks for watching dont remember that

[@rogermoore-gd9do]

Yes why did they take it down?, they now just have a little bottle oven sign like something a kid would make at school.

[@DarylPritchardvideos]

@@rogermoore-gd9do cant remember that lol

[@akaPixelChick]

10:14 my dad used to work the buses there for a good many years, it makes me feel very sad to see our home towns dying like this 😢😢

[@ianship5058]

As an ex Stokie this brakes my heart

[@MrPlownds26]

Went to see a show at the Reagent recently and on our way to tea at Wetherspoons I was shocked how much the place had declined since the 70's and 80's when people used to travel from Mid Cheshire to shop there. Some chemically altered person awaiting an ambulance provided the caberet whilst we ate.

[@miguelozorio3658]

I think the Stoke City Council itself really shameful, as far as I’m aware the council tax doesn’t come cheap in UK 🇬🇧 countrywide level they should do a lot more really to clean up Hanley!!😢

[@snapeygolfsnapebt215]

I'm from penkhull born and bred..this is sad to see...I left stoke in 2010...I live in Liverpool now. Best thing I ever did leaving the potteries.. Its a ghost town been left to Rot

[@paulinetinsley68]

So many towns have gone like this. Too high rents and too high rates have forced many shops to close. Town have lost large stores to retail parks. They need to be split in to small, affordable units for independent traders. Low rents and low rates. Thats the only way to regenerate the centres and bring people back. In Crewe, there are plenty of large closed shops that could be turned in to small.units and even reintroduce the indoor market. Now hs2 has been scraped crewe needs a rescue plan urgently

[@DarylPritchardvideos]

Looking to do a video on crewe this weekend

[@seancahill5722]

It would be good to get a perspective on when the nightlife closed, why, and where the punters have gone since.

[@rebel1052k]

Nights out in hanley the main street always used to be a bit rough, loads of fights guaranteed, coppers used to stand by the cash machine just up from subway

[@lynseyleese7475]

Loads places boarded up we used to have a lovely theatre royal such a shame what’s happened to our city

[@Nicholas-bl4jy]

You almost expect cyborgs to step out the doorways.

[@carolynlewis1306]

Brilliant video. I left Stoke on Trent a couple of years ago so not much has changed. Thank you for this video!

[@brownale1000]

Remember visiting Stoke a few years back and it always came across as a place struggling, great video subscribed cheers

[@Moscow_Will_Burn]

Another small provincial town that has no reason to exist any longer. Pull the whole place down and start again.

[@davidscott9483]

Never been to Hanley but certainly enjoyed your video, many thanks to you 😂

[@DarylPritchardvideos]

Hi David, thanks for watching

[@glenmason1876]

It's certainly gone down hill, remember going there on Saturdays, very busy there was always an ice cream van, opposite the potteries shopping centre, that was early to late 80s, long gone

[@DarylPritchardvideos]

Thanks for watching

[@matthewlawrenson3628]

I used to live in May Bank, so I could walk to Hanley easily enough down Etruria Road (if I didn't mind dicing with death trying to cross the A500 at Basford). Good to see Forbidden Planet and Rowfers are still there. They both used to be in the arcade that was ripped out to put in the TK Maxx. Not sure how occupied the Potteries Centre is nowadays - way back when I used to go to the WH Smith and HMV on the top floor. And the downstairs market where there was a stall that sold the seconds from the Mr. Kipling factory in Trent Vale. I live in Preston now, and whenever I hear people complain about the amount of empty shops and smashed windows in the city centre, I always point them to KZbin videos of places like Hanley and Castle to show we're doing quite well, really...

[@DarylPritchardvideos]

Thanks for watching Matthew, and thank you for the comment

[@wanderer3475]

Is it not normal for things to be closed on a Sunday morning? Maybe its different in N.Ire but on a Sunday things dont open until 1pm. And even then its a quietter day. Whag would this video be like on a Saturday at 1pm? Thanks for the footage

[@Chief_Brody]

2m40s. The brown 4 story building on the right was my Uni Halls of Residence- Thompson House. I was living there late 90s. Hanley was a fantastic place to live and the nitelife was second to none. Loads of bars and clubs which were packed most nights of the week. Valley's, The Place, Yates', The Academy...I could go on and on. It's heartbreaking to see what has become of the place 😪

[@joefortey4]

I used to work in Aruba during my Uni days. I left stoke almost 15 years ago , crazy how bad it's gotten there. like a ghost town.

[@peterpann2331]

Hanley was a great place to be at one time, such a shame to see its decline. I also didn`t hear about the better world festival,

[@LC-cd1yt]

I'm a 6 minute drive away, not seen any of this for over 7 years 😮

[@SunshineMix101]

'Great vid'. Thanks for uploading. It's cler that like a lot of places, Hanley is in need of much investment. There is great architecture. It's just a shame that it looks so untidy. Sadly it doesn't look like that is simply because it was a Sunday morning after the Saturday night revellers had gone home. I am sure the Council coud do more on that front. Does anyoine know if there isanywhere in the centre still selling oatcakes?

[@jamiemurray2785]

Looks like Coventry, I never go into the city centre anymore it’s for the students not the locals

[@JohnSmith-ki2eq]

It's not just the nightclubs being shut, look at all those empty upper floors too.

[@66kaisersoza]

I dont mean to be rude but Stoke is mostly run-down. There are some beautiful area's in and around stoke, but the built up areas are depressing

[@KevinP-y7k]

It's way too early it's empty because 😂 the police don't empty the cells until 10 or 11 o'clock

[@pedrorenard8439]

Exactly. The army of the walking dead aren’t up until lunchtime when they need their next fix.

[@leecaine6700]

I used to love going up Hanley at the weekend. Shopping in the day, then a good night out later on. You wont catch me up there now

[@TheDaveCalaz]

Its just really sad what's happened to it. Was only 10/15 years ago that I'd go out there. Monday was the student night and every bar was rammed. Friday and Saturday too. Now when I came home at Christmas last year everything was dead. Just more and more car parks.

[@lynseyleese7475]

Wonder what the wilkinsons store will be next

[@ganrimmonim]

I was born in Stoke and lived most of my life in Newcastle...I left in 2010. Every time I come back I am disheartened at what has happened to my old home town.

[@theeuropeancyclepaths8206]

Such a sad shame to see this demise. I was born and bred in Bucknall and Hanley used to thrive as you said day and night. I emigrated 16 years ago and visited last year. What a shock that was. The zombie apocalypse is an understatement. Such a sad shame what has happened to my once proud place to grow up in. Still proud to be a Stokie but deeply saddened

[@DarylPritchardvideos]

Always a stokie

[@jonsnow6741]

Spent a lot making pretty seating areas for all the people to sit on that have not got a job !!!!!! where are the opportunities ?

[@mickharrison9004]

My sis was in army 80 s and we used to come stoke ,hanley for nights out the rigger was a great pub to hit first ,it was full spec back then and had changed from regular ,jukeboxes to video tvs playing new romantics and lots more ,great times i believe its still open then after there we went to ,nightclub called roxys remember 80 s it held 1,000 or more ,two floors played disco pussy music upstairs 😂 and the jam and duran duran downstairs ,plus used to play games on stage fkn around a great place ,im from blackpool and there was nothing came close to roxys back then ,even brought some mates down they loved it you couldnt write it eh lads from blackpool ,coming to hanley for a night out 😂

[@DarylPritchardvideos]

Wow, that’s so cool. Thanks for sharing. Thanks for watching.

[@mickharrison9004]

@@DarylPritchardvideos yeah your welcome mate and obviously Hanley's close to my heart ,like I said great times with my sister and mates , obviously not sure what young people feel like going out Saturday night ,these days but back then we were buzzing all day and red hot by night doing our thing ,with very good music going on .

[@CliffordWynne]

I joined the army in Hanley, then round the corner and catch a Beresfords bus to the black 😮horse Endon. I was 16 then, I'm 71 now 😮

[@sandrastewart2450]

I miss ca they had lovely clothes at a reasonable price

[@Ashvegasbabyyy]

Great video, Daryl. You trained me in my old job many years ago so it was nice to see your face! :) It's a real shame what has happened to Hanley which was once a thriving town.

[@DarylPritchardvideos]

Wow thats so cool to here from you again

[@Jesse-y8l]

Although originally from down South,I lived in SOT for almost 15yrs in my younger day's... I left some amazing friends behind! Does anyone know a local DJ called Dominic Green or a percussion player called Carl Miller? Carl was my neighbour and great friend... some years have past, 23yrs to be precise! He played with some of the most famous Dj's going back in the day, his then Girlfriend was an absolute stunner called Jenny, if it helps... I had lots of brilliant friends living there, I was very saddened to leave. I didn't stay down south, these days I live by the Sea... if anyone knows the names mentioned please do the right thing ❤🙏❤️ 🇬🇧🌹

[@DarylPritchardvideos]

Come on guys lets get these back together !

[@Thomas-ys4rc]

I have never been to Hanley. I know it was early Sunday & not very busy but it looked pretty bleak to me. ☹️

[@2tgbbsot]

i''m sorry to say, i think the building of Festival Park had a great deal to do with the decline in shoppers going to Hanley. and now unfortunately we have shopping via internet. Its a great shame, i was a regular visitor to Hanley in the early 70's. a great place. I also met my wife at the Top Rank. Went to see the Group Slade at the Victoria hall. Got some great memories.

[@milels6917]

The council have made a good job making it predestination but lacking jobs for people Thanks for showing the old bus station Wondered what became of it how sad. God bless the people and please make it good again Loved Hanley The hub of life good people No drugs Plenty of work

[@GwynGerrig]

Lived there and in Longton, Winter 1978 and 79 working in a night shelter. And it was grim even then. Nasty. It looks a lot cleaner now albeit there’s no one there to appreciate it. All the former industrial towns of England and Wales look pretty much the same. Abandoned brick and concrete wastelands.

[@paulinetinsley68]

The old bus ststion had been penciled in for a new mall but the owners of the potteries centre objected

[@geoffreydavies6570]

We need to get our fingers off the phone and our feet back into town or believe me our towns are finished 😢

[@rebel1052k]

This is quite sad. I moved away from Stoke in 2017 but lived in Alsager my whole life. Went Hanley a lot shopping. Used to be decent, you had JDsports near Maccies, Games Workshop, Size, Go Outdoors. Don't forget DAZED skate store as well. Entrepreneurs Streetwear shop near the Regent theatre as well. Picadilly Arcade used to be busy as well. Don't forget Argos near the old bus station as well, and was Wilkos. Now it's basically just the potteries centre that is OK. The rest looks destitute. Shame.

[@nicholasweaver7809]

sadly that looks the same as most town and city centres now

[@DenBlackburn]

20 years ago the night life was electric, its such a shame its all gone, every weekend at Valentinos and The Place.

[@yecora10]

That used to be the town hall but even the council moved out

[@TheDidrixon]

Yes it’s really so bad.

[@si002]

Winter Wonderland is back in the old bus station!

[@rather_be_a_cat]

Wasn't Lead Bellies on that first street?

[@DarylPritchardvideos]

Not sure

[@rather_be_a_cat]

@@DarylPritchardvideos I think it was where the yellow shop is now. Good to see forbidden planet is still going. It used to be in the little arcade off fountain Square. The bond shop used to be a cafe. The spikey man used to terrify me as a child when we drove passed it cause I used to think it would fall on the car.

[@alfiesgirluk]

Online shopping, what did they think would happen???

[@lynseyleese7475]

None of us can enjoy stoke on Trent anymore

[@CyberKidXtra]

You know things are bad for an area when Greggs can't even stay open

[@julienewport392]

It's happening everywhere in towns and cities in the UK.. what a sad and depressing county we have become.. once great..no more..destroyed.

[@buildbackengland3182]

No one Ever Films Near The Woodman Pub Loads Derelict Shops Near There…

[@lynseyleese7475]

Wilkinsons is shutting down

[@timwright8785]

Feel sorry for the people who have to live here why have they let it get so bad

[@DarylPritchardvideos]

Thanks for watching

[@Moscow_Will_Burn]

When the local community do not have a stake in a place , this is what it ultimately becomes. Just another deadbeat town. It's never going to get better , only worse.

[@wanderer3475]

Where are people going instead?

[@rescuebear1818]

Shame you didn't walk up to Piccadilly and the Regent Theatre, probably the best Hanley has to offer these days

[@BryanPardoe]

Them dees are well n truly gone naar. They wutna be enjoyin thee sel up theer any tarm soon. Worra shame eh. Good owd dees.

[@mrdutch6430]

Argos was next door to bm

[@DarylPritchardvideos]

Thanks for letting me know. Thanks for watching.

[@kelvinpell4571]

Post apocalyptic, only without the nice radiation to end your suffering.

[@samadkins843]

did this happen because of the policies of the governments from 1979, 2023 ?

[@marcosteffano]

10 yrs and the town will be like Baghdad.

[@colsparky651]

Like most of the cities and towns in the Uk ,itll all go back to nature in the end

[@Lloydb723]

Horrible to see, I do wonder with it being 9.30 on a Sunday though is why nobody is about. Please do one when it's like midday as I think it would be a better reflection.

[@DavidLockett-x4b]

Hanley was always a dump even when I was a kid 78 years ago. In fact it was probably a dump when it was built in the 1800's. So where has everyone gone - Australia?

[@alexracoon4513]

From world power to banana status

[@lynseyleese7475]

The old bus station is such a huge waste of land

[@MickyG1152]

The old 'mother Town' is even worse.

[@frederickmuhlbauer9477]

Where are all the pedestrians

[@unies176]

The councils wanted you to pay and display that's why they painted double yellow lines everywhere even outside takeaways and it's back fired . nobody wants to park up further away for free because it's not worth the walking effort People would rather shop online than go to that dump

[@ReliableDriversLimit]

Where are the people? If we don't live. Who pays the bills?

[@fullywaved2859]

Positive" kind of" video about Our Stoke for once, I like it how like most of thesevideos about Stoke, you didn't start going into Monkey Dust users and trying put that spin on, we know we have them kinda issues in the city great video owd

[@DarylPritchardvideos]

Absoulety its home

[@fullywaved2859]

@@DarylPritchardvideos new Subscription thank you mate

[@DarylPritchardvideos]

@@fullywaved2859 awesome thanks so much

[@Nicholas-bl4jy]

Lovely to see how we have dropped all our standards of old . Doesn't make you proud to be British ?

[@markmawson7865]

Many of those places are where people used to socialise; people are anti-social today by design; easier to control.

[@johngreen6191]

Looks like something out of The Prisoner, Patrick Mcgoohan.

[@stokiegaz277]

God bless Hanley ❤ but to be fair to the council, unlike a decade ago there are more street furniture seats for the old folks etc. ❤