The £5,000 Houses And Boarded Up Streets Of Doncaster

[@dawnbetts400]

hi wandering turnip, i just want to give you a bit of history to some of those buildings you pointed out in this video , lets begin with friday , saturday, and sunday nights are heaving with drinkers and clubbers also student nights get busy because of cheap drinks .The pub on the corner was once very busy with bus drivers having finished their shifts called for a swift pint before going home [ their cash office and canteen was nearby ].The red brick building was a swimming pool that had a retractable floor for dancing it also held concerts there , the most famous being the Beatles who also performed at the Gaumont cinema at another date .The grey building almost next door was the law courts ,Adrian Welch is the most popular glazer /boarder upper in the city .The horse race you refer to is the ST LEGER not the Doncaster cup , The big building down in the market place is the corn exchange which is currently under renovation and will reopen ,we are losing shops because rates are too high so they are going to out of town outlets , Edlington was at one time a decent place but always had rough areas as do most places that particular street is quite bad for drugs , fights and yes the occasional shooting ,but a lot of ex pit villages are the same you will also find pit wheels all over the area such as HATFIELD ,WOODLANDS , CARCROFT,and ASKERN its a part of history that needs to be preserved ,like ROTHERHAMand SHEFFIELD for their steel industry , sorry for twittering on but i thought id give you a bit of DONCASTERS history .

[@wanderingturnip]

Ahh thank you for this very interesting 👍 thanks for the comment (and the few corrections) 😀

[@markpowney9776]

the doncaster cup is actually older than the st leger . the leger is the oldest classic horse race

[@dinaworkman306]

Doncaster is a boarded up city.

[@ramadamming8498]

Thanks for that, I am an 'eastener' from Norfolk and I've been up to the north once or twice driving but really passing through, I lived near Chesterfield for a few months once ages ago but that is more Midlands, ie south, for you - I really think sometimes, as you and W.T. say, describing the coal mining existence, people south still I think do not always appreciate or get the impact closing all that down had on towns. It is really abysmal how things like that have been removed and nothing creative or thoughtful by any govt, to come and fill the gap - it is really like the slow crumble of the 'western' industry also ( as you referred to Sheffield for example ) - It is funny but, Norfolk was never really industrialised. There was a big cottage weaving industry all around Norwich and villages surrounding and most families involved in that in some way - but when mechanisation came it all went to Manchester and that became a city from it. Norwich conversely, became poor for the next 150 odd years, until Dutch Merchants / businessmen, came and invested in the city - and also drained the Fens with much protest, violent opposition in fact, as the villages or towns like Downham and Kings Lynn, or Peterborough in Cambs, had Eell and Reed harvesting industry, it was a massive sea, drained for industrial agriculture in the late 1800s. I guess my wittering waffle is about the swings and roundabouts of fortune often seem at the behest of some magnate company or person, or govt, who want to make their wealth or whatever, off the backs of the plebs, (us) and peasants -and when they want tot change course and tack, they say: "eff you lot" and everything gets thrown under the bus including peoples lives, mental health etc. So, I think for that reason alone, keeping the wheels is very important to understand all that, just like there are still old windmills in Norfolk. To be fair, I'm half taken to go up and but one of those places, do it up, then make sure it is sold to a local person not at a big price !

[@MrStryker2001]

not anymore. The pubs are strugging. Some are empty even on Saturday nights. Donny is on its arse im afraid

[@thisperson5294]

When so many people are homeless or overcrowded, seeing homes get into this state is heartbreaking and infuriating.

[@FemboyEngineer]

No system rigged by politics to distribute the poor into dead areas, but they should pit benefit scroungers money to use to do these up and enable the opportunity the poor people of the country to move into that large ghost town, they’ll loose their stereotypical run down traits very soon and give them another chance to hopefully become decent people.

[@Muflinn]

Yes it's true and in England there is xxxxxxxx numbers similar houses,empty shops,even whole abandoned streets and no one care about this places.Its look like bad districts from action movies.I was in shock when first time se something like this.3rd countries look the same and this is England.😢UK is sinking,this country gettin poor and poor every year.

[@5uper5kill3rz]

Yeah this house is basically ruined, might as well knock it down, such a shame, was once a family home

[@DavidSmith-oy4of]

@@Muflinn Governments not investing where it needs to. They rather try make everything private more like USA rather than for social good. This is what you get. Lots of places where no private companies or people want to invest in that could be a massive asset to help people.

[@billyosullivan3192]

​@@DavidSmith-oy4ofthe states in the USA with the best housing markets for new buyers are the more private market states like Texas and Mississippi, houstan made zoning laws illegal

[@stulincoln4874]

I proudly completed an engineering apprenticeship in a car factory in 77-81, I got made redundant! I moved into light engineering, redundant again. I retrained as a nurse, my hospital closed. I moved cities (got on my bike, remember Norman Tebbit’s advice?) I’m just about ready to retire thank God. I’d need a degree for any of those jobs now if I was starting out again, which would plunge in into huge debt. I’ve worked 46 years solid, I’ve paid my taxes. I’ve done as my betters have asked of me and my reward? My pension has been watered down, my pay (in nursing) has always been poor & I still have a mortgage to pay off. Are you young and ambitious? Emigrate before you get bitter living in a doghouse like Doncaster.

[@nbandpinportugal]

@@earlbee3196 Sarcasm.

[@leadscollector]

Depressing stu. We're in Doncaster, but only while we complete our camper conversion for work and travel.

[@wanderingturnip]

@@leadscollector I’m planning a van conversion myself! What van have you got?

[@leadscollector]

@@wanderingturnip Luton. youtube.com/@TobyCostaDunkin

[@fredflintstone1428]

Good advice. I'd do the same if I was young...in fact I might do the same unless things change drastically here in the UK.

[@zawarshah508]

One of the best channels around. Showing how things are in ex mining towns.

[@wanderingturnip]

Thanks 🙏

[@jamesdavies9918]

Thatcher fucked the miners like Saville in his prime

[@irishemperor]

Adrian Welch must be exhausted from smashing windows at night, boarding them up by day, and carrying that heavy wallet around town :D

[@wanderingturnip]

Haha yeah defo an inside job 😂😂

[@zetametallic]

That made me smile😂

[@keelo306]

You made me luff😂😂😂

[@ianandrews6890]

He does a quality job . Google reviews give him 4.9 / 5 from 133 ratings !

[@zetametallic]

@Littlemismadhead🎧📀 Adrian Welch the man HIMSELF? Local legend!

[@MrMightymind]

Like a lot of other commenters, I also grew up in Donny. To see it in that state, breaks my heart. I moved a long time a go, always said I'd never go back to live there, but still. The pool I learnt to swim in, boarded up. The library I used to borrow records from, same. Pubs I know and shops I used to go in with my Nan... also gone the same way. Just makes me sad.

[@curtisducati]

And me , I'm from Donny , moved to the midlands in 1990 , was back up Doncaster last year , almost sat there in shock at the town centre and everyone dressed in rags , had to leave after two hours or I would have been robbed ! Not nice now up there ...

[@5uper5kill3rz]

One of my friends grew up there, we went for a night out a few months ago and I actually really enjoyed it, some nice places to get food and some lovely, friendly people, not the worst town I’ve been to honestly, maybe we stuck to nicer parts but the bars and pubs we went to were awesome and people I met in the smoking areas/takeaways were so damn friendly, as a southerner it was really strange lol… I was born in the midlands but from about 8 years old have lived in a little village in the Cotswolds, very lucky to live somewhere that will never really decline or end up boarded up but I can’t afford to move out of my parents, swings and roundabouts I suppose

[@ImperfectionGuaranteed]

@@5uper5kill3rz Don't get too comfortable.

[@Venus-19]

​@@5uper5kill3rz🥰🥰🥰

[@Slynell1]

Why did you lot mess it up?

[@LauraTaylor-nt2id]

Tell you what, I have binged your entire back catalogue of films! To echo the rest of the comments section, you have a great way of presenting these homes through a non-classist lens which is so refreshing. I appreciate the amount of research you put in and can’t wait to see what else you do! Thanks for the content 😊

[@wanderingturnip]

Hey thanks for this! I’m glad you’ve enjoyed my stuff 😀 definitely lots more to come so keep an eye out I appreciate it 👍👍

[@FONASDeadlock]

The only people that should be buying up these streets is the local council. Proper economy of scale to rip these out and bring them back to life as affordable housing. They should also be training people to do the work and make some inroads into the skills shortage we're suffering from right now. There has to be some joined up, long-term thinking here instead of dealing with all of these problems in isolation or leaving it to private developers to turn these over for a profit. The Tories destroyed these places without a care for the people in them. It's caused multi-generational poverty and deprivation. It needs local councils and politicians of all stripes to step up with some feckin big vision for the country instead of all this crap about identify politics and small boats as a distraction from the real problems people face.

[@samt366]

Couldn’t agree more. Was going to comment something very similar but you said everything I wanted to more poetically

[@a6703]

Absolutely right! Makes sense as would reduce the housing benefit bill, provide much needed training jobs to make up for those non existing govt apprenticeships!

[@MrVorpalsword]

I'm not sure there is a single councillor in Doncaster Council with a degree from a proper university (meaning not a day release planning degree from Hallam) ..... you have to have some brains to have good ideas. Its a bad start.

[@dinaworkman306]

Why the tories Labour ate doing a magnificent job of ruining the city they have decimated the best market in England

[@dinaworkman306]

@@MrVorpalsword doncaster Council look after themselves labour of course

[@ForgiveMyMadness]

The high street in my home town of Hitchin (Hertfordshire) was dying a typical death about 10 years ago. There were loads of dodgy phone fixing shops, pop-up seasonal shops that would close down after a month or two, and it was just a sad sight. But then, over a period of a few years, somehow Hitchin town centre started to thrive again. Lots of independent cafés, restaurants and bars cropped up, dotted in between regular chain shops and other independent shops selling bits and bobs. The weekly market always stayed strong, and now with these new and interesting food and drink spots to rest and recoup at, the town began a new life. I have since moved away due to high house prices in the area, but I think Hitchin did it right. The town centre adapted to what people want; it became a place for old and young generations to enjoy, rather than being a central place to get your shopping or buying clothes it became a place for hanging out with friends, meeting up with family and taking your children. I hope other towns can follow suit!

[@naturerazzi7shi495]

I lived in Hitchin a few years ago. I loved it. Beautiful place to live if you can afford it.

[@Kellycreator]

It’s all expensive now. I remember hitchin in the 90/00s. So glad it’s nicer now. 😊

[@Eva_H]

I lived in Graveley in 2002-2007, was homeless in Stevenage for 18 months, and then I lived in Stevenage for 9 1/2 years.

[@rakayabarre9528]

Hitchin is beautiful, I've visited for work from the West Midlands a couple of times. Such a pretty town centre, nice mix of shops, lots of quirky little boutiques.Quite surprised to hear that it didn't used to be that way!

[@dcoughla681]

The great advantage of Hitchin is that it’s half way between London & Cambridge (about 30 minutes’ journey time to each city from there). A beautiful market town.

[@DomingoDeSantaClara]

Nothing like a quick poverty tour to make me feel positive about my life.

[@sami2503]

I live in a town in Greater Manchester called Ashton-under -lyne. It was once a thriving market town with a nationally famous market, people used to come from all over the north to see the market. The town 10-15 years ago was pretty much dead though, boarded up shops,, all the big brands left and was replaced by betting shops and poundlands, the people were more and more likely to be unemployed or on drugs..... But then its been getting a lot of funding to turn the town around, and now I can feel its on the rise again, I hear different accents like London etc and its clear that people are now choosing to live here and commute to Manchester on the recently built tram line, instead of the more expensive options like Didsbury. So its an example of what can be achieved if you give a dying town funding.

[@teebee8905]

Good to hear that some of these struggling towns can be turned round 👍

[@mangoman9290]

It seems that one of the massive problems with those terrace houses is that you can make yours as nice as you can but if the next door house is derelict and someone torches it then your house goes up in flames too. Why would anyone try and improve their own house with that sort of risk?

[@MuzzaHukka]

Buy the house next door then, innit

[@xvsupremacy7190]

I think Doncaster is far far worse than Horden and rough areas of Middlesbrough. You couldn’t pay me to live there. Why don’t the Cannabis growers do what other Would be wealthy Hustlers do. Move to Portugal and pretend to keep a few Goats, and fool the world they are living off the land growing a few vegetables 😜

[@Nyarlathothep]

Even with plenty of space to build regular, standalone houses, in Britain they still put up these uninterrupted walls of brick, with nothing to indicate that it's a block of homes except the front doors. The average house size in the UK is 60.94 square meters. That's an efficiency apartment anywhere else.

[@robbit2]

Have you never heard of insurance?

[@yateleyhypnotherapy2111]

Ours almost went up in flames because of a vape battery. I don’t think it makes much difference where you live.

[@TomBot22]

Looking forward to your 'Death of the High Street' series

[@wanderingturnip]

Yeah I’m excited for this should be really interesting. Thanks for watching 👍

[@7an7rum]

Wow. That moss and mould! I've never seen a house in that state before. I can't help but feel for the people in these towns, abandoned by their government, left to rot. Such a same.

[@MsYingyang2]

It is really unhealthy to be around those conditions. He should wear goggles and a mask and gloves.

[@daydays12]

The UK government since 2010 are scum.

[@TheJanainaSena]

My husband and I are enjoying watching your channel! I am from Brazil and we don't find houses for such prices in crazy conditions! Keep going with your work! :)

[@ramalama9650]

Janaína, I have been to Brazil many times. I would much rather live there than in England now. This place is going down fast, it's getting worse, day by day. You steer well clear of areas where these houses are for sale.

[@robertkustos2931]

I was born and raised in Doncaster, (Fort on the river Don) but now live elsewhere. One must appreciate the town of Doncaster how it grew up from the Roman era. Where you stood on high street was the roman road that went to the river Don where a massive fort was built, (where the Colonades shopping center was in the vid) DANUM, as it was called then, and the road crossed here to go north. It was called The Great North Road. Doncaster was a massive trading centre for many centuries, but now looks like its going downhill fast. There was also a fort in Edlington woods, where you was looking at another property. I enjoyed your vid, thanks for the upload

[@markymark7803]

​@@littlemismadhead3292copley road is now where the new foreigners live, not has skilled as the Romans tho

[@markymark7803]

@@littlemismadhead3292 It's now Mecca bingo 🤣

[@markymark7803]

@@littlemismadhead3292 Yes I lived in the town centre on Vaughan avenue then Christ church road. Live in Hyde park now.

[@mikeskaife473]

This video is such a shock, I haven’t been to Doncaster for a few years. It used to be such a fabulous place in the 1980s and early 90s, like many places it’s suffered since the pits closed. Thank you for posting, but I think it unlikely that I’ll return any time soon.

[@bonobo2go]

OMW, that upset me. I used to go to Doncaster regularly to spend time with a friend who died at the beginning of covid. We'd go into town, have fish and chips and go shopping. I've not been back to Donny in three years and I'm so shocked to see all the boarded up buildings. The massive building is the Corn Exchange, it's Grade 2 listed. Just Googled - apparently closed last year for refurbishment!! I think we all know what that usually means. The thing with buying a derelict property in Donny is do a flood check before you buy. There's areas where homes regularly flood so they may not be quite the bargain you think it is. 🙂

[@alexbrown975]

I'm from Doncaster. It once use to have a busy nightlife and a popular high street. Now its become a commuter town where you enjoy the cheap property but have fun elsewhere. This makes me sad as I had plenty of fun growing up in Doncaster. Unfortunately this is the fate of everywhere that isn't a major city.

[@Floortile]

Very well-balanced and interesting content on your channel, Mate - each upload brings something different; hope you go from strength to strength ✅

[@wanderingturnip]

Cheers mate thanks for this 😀

[@itchydez]

Except it's not. Dude never actually showed you the centre of Doncaster which is typically busy. You wouldn't even know Doncaster had a shopping mall from how the guy went on. Moreover, the Corn Exchange isn't closed down, as the uploader suggested. It is, in fact, being revamped at the time of this recording. Strange video to say the least. He had some fixation with finding and showing boarded up buildings. Odd indeed. EDIT: all that's left is bookies? Are you joking? The amount of retailers and resultants surviving in Doncaster hahahah. Also, if I have it worked out, this guy went on a Tuesday which honestly, it isn't a busy time. Go back on a Friday or Saturday and show the actual town centre.

[@Marenqo]

Doncaster is like so many cities in the NE. Some beautiful buildings, such rich history but all boarded up

[@dinaworkman306]

Don't worry doncaster labour council will knock them down

[@LacitsyM]

@@dinaworkman306 no joke there, they will. Shocking.

[@willgrundy9432]

@@dinaworkman306 You don't happen to be married to William Workman by any chance?

[@llanieliowe794]

Doncaster is Yorkshire not NE.

[@Marenqo]

@@llanieliowe794 Doncaster is North and it is East, whats your problem?

[@Anglianwanderer]

👋 Found your channel by accident. Your attention to detail and storytelling abilities are truly top-notch. Thank you for sharing your adventures . Keep up the fantastic work, and I look forward to seeing future videos.

[@wanderingturnip]

Hey thanks for this. I really appreciate it 😀

[@sharonellor7274]

Hi & wow !! how interesting I really enjoyed your tour of Poor Doncaster. St James Baths was particularly sad to see as I swam with my sister there every week in the 60's. You arrived in your film in front of Regent Square at South Parade still beautiful, & further down is Bennetthorpe & Elmfield Park, still in good order. Keep going & you reach The Racecourse, then Bessacarr, houses here are expensive. Near by is Townmoore Ave where I went to a private school in Imperial Crescent called Richmond House, closed now, but still well cared for & beautiful. Don't write Doncaster off, still nice if you can afford it. The Council should be ashamed of our High Street. Looking forward to your next film. Regards Sharon x

[@d1btd3265]

20:27 wandering turnip accidentally discovers new antibiotic.

[@danielhopwood5985]

Im a handyman so i love knackerd properties, almost everything can be fixed, , im glad i found this channel.👍

[@mariajefferies8555]

Oh wow, I can not believe the state of the mouldy house. Never seen anything like it ever😮

[@wanderingturnip]

Yeah gross wasn’t it. I wanted a shower after I left there 😂

[@saxon-mt5by]

I drove within a couple of miles of Edlington yesterday, and the daft thing is there are vast new housing developments being built on greenfield sites in the immediate area and yet there are these houses available for peanuts.

[@marklittler784]

Maybe it's the size of the rooms or the internal layout middle terraced houses are usually quite warm, you can open plan the downstairs put a kitchen extension in back yard and put a door upstairs to the roof and have it as a roof garden balcony.

[@richardgallagher4880]

They'll go for 50k's 55 with fees then need 15 20 spending on them. Don't believe the media.

[@marklittler784]

@@richardgallagher4880 Yeah most know you don't get owt for nowt.

[@marklittler784]

What they're like on the outside can be a completely different picture to the inside, not to say some don't have some positive surprises with regards the amount of land and car rear access to the back others next to might not have.

[@richardgallagher4880]

@@marklittler784 You didnt

[@camelotenglishtuition6394]

UK: Massive homeless population, also UK: loads of empty houses.

[@Charlotte-wx4jz]

If all these empty houses were either done up and rented cheaply to homeless people or people who couldn’t get on the property ladder were given the opportunity buy cheap (I know £5k is cheap but I think there clearly needs to be a whole community change, not just in Doncaster but in so many place around the UK). I don’t get why owners of buildings would rather them stay empty than them sell a little cheaper.

[@pyewackett5]

Re-generation costs money friend. The homeless haven't got the funds ...

[@camelotenglishtuition6394]

@@pyewackett5 My question is, how much does it cost 'the system' to have a massive homeless population. I'm thinking NHS, local gov services etc. Also regeneration projects could employ homeless people. Just a thought.

[@Joan-COYI]

Of course a decent Government could rebuild these towns. Bring builders and tradesmen in with apprentice schemes. It must be done or what will happen, ghost towns? We need billionaire investment. If I was Elton John I’d take over a town like Doncaster and rebuild it. Of course I dont know what would be needed but I believe it is possible. We’ve got so many families struggling lots of people😢 needed homes and trades and a purpose. It breaks my heart to see what government has let happen here. It’s shameful. How much is it costing to look after our refugees and homeless people. People who want community and to work to create a future. If there was a war here we’d find the money to regenerate these towns. Thanks for a brilliant video.

[@ianhosier4042]

None are ever advertised on any of the reputable property sites.

[@mrpmsfootyshirts8906]

It's shocking seeing all them shops border up keep these great videos

[@rolybellamy956]

i live just 3 mile outside Donny town centre . not been to town for about 5 years what a shock to see it all boarded up ! , all the surrounding villages were built on coal same as Barnsley , Sheffield and Rotherham were steel works !

[@leahbrookes9936]

My heart goes out to the people of donny I would never of imagined things had got so bad it makes me feel very grateful for my little high street that’s thriving right now it also hits home what the cost of living is doing to the working class

[@TheDarkLandsMusic]

absolutely NO sign of this going on where we are (in Sweden).. not a single shop anywhere boarded up, even houses that were abandoned since the 1980's in the countryside are now snapped up and being renovated..

[@avancalledrupert5130]

O you won't get abandoned houses in the countryside in Britain. There all worth a fortune. All rural property in Britain is expensive. It's the town's nobody wants to live in .

[@danielthomlinson3052]

OK? You want a medal?

[@excusetheblood7397]

Good video. Im from Doncaster and moved away in 2009. The decline of the town centre in recent years has been unreal. Areas specifically such as the Armdale Shopping Centre, where barely any of the buildings save for a pub, The Staff Of Life appear to be functional. One of the boarded up buildings adjacent to that which you featured near to the city courthouse and renovated council buildings used to be a swimming baths. There are some breathtaking places here though too, especially the Trans Pennine Trail linking you through to Conisbrough and Cusworth Hall.

[@alicebutler2007]

I haven't been to Doncaster in 25 years. If you hadn't said where you was, I'd have no idea. Wow!

[@DavidSmith-oy4of]

I remember when they were selling houses like this for £1. The conditions were you couldn't sell it for at least a number of years(5 I think?) and had to spend money doing it up. Doesn't look like it worked. If I had any money and the ability to work remotely I'd buy 3 and live in the middle house. Would be bliss. Couldn't care less what people say about the area.

[@suratullahkhan6158]

Yes and pay council tax for three

[@ann-marierigby5967]

Doncaster is my home town, and this video made me so sad :-( I left in 1987 to go to Uni and subsequently moved down south for work. It's not often I get "back home" these days. Back in the 80s I was a member of one of the local Brass Bands, and Yorkshire Main was a well known band doing well.........until the Miners Strike and the closure of so many pits. The closure of "the Plant" didn't help either. Donny did rather lose it's heart then. Here's hoping the new "city" status helps improves things.

[@oliverwcm4248]

Blame Scargill the pratt

[@pamt7740]

@@oliverwcm4248 My late dad (ex miner) said no one should have trusted Scargill at the time. He got well paid for what he did and, instead of 4 mines gettin shut, there were far more because they refused to let safety men down. He also bussed in the troublemakers to start riots and then they would be taken off to other areas, saw that myself!

[@tammydavis3404]

I grew up in Edlington and had an amazing childhood! It was a great community back then. I don't remember why it started to go bad but it happened to the street I grew up on and eventually the street/streets were torn down. Such a shame 😢

[@chris425amp7]

It's cheap tho 😂

[@jamestony775]

The first house looks like an amazing fix and flip opportunity just the rewarding aspect of refurbing and bringing life back to it after it’s had such an interesting former use case. I don’t reckon a survey would find any very serious issues but that survey would be interesting . Would look incredible being put back to use for a family with a decent kitchen and bathroom plan, even potential for loft and basement conversions. What a beauty. I don’t know about holding it long term but just putting your finger on it and turning it into gold for someone else would be a delight.

[@angeladitchfield2791]

Right? Looks like amazing potential!

[@Silky1968]

The second street is Dukes Cresent, with Edlo Victoria school there at the bottom.

[@keepingupwiththejonesy]

The thing is it is great thinking the housing crisis can be solved but who will buy them and do them up if they cannot make a profit? With the new EPC rules coming into force landlords are already looking to sell old stock that will cost a tonne to bring up to standard and with more rent reform on the way there will be even less. I would be interested to see how the rules apply to housing associations though and whether they need to do the same? Are there any not for profit loopholes that could be used to bring properties back to use? I did wonder whether a rent to buy could work - if the council helped a housing association with compulsory purchase orders, the houses get done up and then residents get to pay rent for the value the house took to renovate it rather than the supposed market value and when rent is paid up to that value the ownership is transferred. I bet they would be looked after better if they knew it would be their home in the end. And high streets are dying all over - my home town of Gloucester is a prime example. Money was spent upgrading the docks area but the centre is struggling - all hairdressers, vape shops, charity shops or empty.

[@steelcitydomains2356]

Great minds as they say ..rent to buy...grants are available...even to biz etc to bring these back to life..would need literally all buying up though to make it really work... Literally 50 houses would start snowballing the area... And the outlay being so little would also offer a great roi

[@keepingupwiththejonesy]

@@steelcitydomains2356 Looks like it's through existing housing associations and covering new build properties? Wales mentions doing it through landlords but again appears to be a new build not existing stock. The idea of renting for up to 5 years and then getting part of the money from rent back as a deposit seems a good idea as does 50% of the value of the home.

[@Cheezit-ib3pr]

What's the demographic that opens these vape shops and barbers I wonder 🤡

[@alanturnbull6177]

I grew up in Doncaster, it's such a shame to see the state it's in, the decline in the high streets like many in the country is compounded by high business rates, poor accessibility and large out of town retail parks, this i think is especially true for Doncaster, but this was made even worse when the new interchange was built with immediate access to the frenchgate centre, the resulting closure of businesses in the parts of the town away from the interchange seems to have been devastating, but not surprising, your film shows this really well, it used to be such a lovely lively atmosphere around town, but like many seems to have had it's soul torn out.

[@barryluke589]

dont i know you alan did you grow up in stainforth?

[@alanturnbull6177]

@@barryluke589 no, but i did live in Stainforth at one time

[@jon7939]

The city centre is a dump, but there are some decent out if town shopping centres. I prefer Donny to London!

[@jackcharlie9322]

@@jon7939shopping centres are a load of shit

[@johnmclaughlin8955]

Being from Doncaster I'm so shocked as to how bad the town centre has become. I haven't been to the centre for quite some time now (maybe 10 years) and no longer living in the area. It's totally surprised how bad it's got from what was once a bustling town centre. As said before by someone else, Doncaster did (and hopefully still does) have a great night life.

[@thomsmith9394]

Are you the famous John Mclaughlin from Doncaster?

[@johnmclaughlin8955]

@thomsmith9394 No, I'm not the famous one. Didn't realise until just now there was one.

[@sptvids]

Really interesting video, didn't realise how bad some of these areas are.

[@Dublinireland5]

If they gave this house away for nothing it would still cost more than it's worth to do the house up and put it right... If the Investment landlords don't want to buy it that tells everybody very clearly that it will cost more to do it up than What It's Worth

[@jon-kp2rq]

er nope, 15k max if you can be bothered to do it yourself WISE UP FFS!

[@gaz3]

​@jon listen pal don't talk rubbish ..each one of those buildings has serious damp and structural issues ..these are not normal renovations..I do this for a living..done renovations on the exact same type of properties..Next time you comment do your home work also with the cost of living prices for materials pfft you make me laugh 😂😂😂😂😂

[@steelcitydomains2356]

​@@jon-kp2rqspot on with that maybe less if you find some decent bargains most folk have no clue and just pay trades for everything bless or think everywhere costs the same as London 😂

[@jon-kp2rq]

@@steelcitydomains2356 yep, simple fix, but some so called cowboys on here love to con people into parting with their hard earned lol!!

[@itsasmiththing4749]

The whole street suffers with subsidence.

[@Buffalo31]

If there's no need/demand from people to use towns for shopping/socialising anymore why don't the powers in charge force them to be refurbed into housing instead of wasting money destroying the countryside building new homes.

[@DOSeater]

because there needs to be places for people to work, learn, spend money, etc. Places like this where people are moving away from usually has a reason, because the main industry is gone. You can spend loads of money doing up all these houses but if there's no reason for people to move there then you can't sell them.

[@dinaworkman306]

Good old labour. Not

[@girlsdrinkfeck]

​@@DOSeater fit for migrants lol

[@MrHorserider15]

BLAME THE TORIES. BEEN IN POWER 13 YEARS

[@girlsdrinkfeck]

@@MrHorserider15 lol typical lefty response

[@AntipodeanNZ]

I reckon Adrian owes you some beers you for the free advertising ! Those properties were really interesting. My partner and I were just sitting here going " oh my God" as you were walking through the rooms and of course lots of "ewwws" at the house with "its own eco-system".

[@kathleenreid8332]

Wallpaper topical to the use of the house! That's hilarious 😆

[@twasb2000]

Well done for highlighting this criminal lack of investment. I grew up in Doncaster and whilst it was always a little rough, it never looked as bad as that. The library is now closed and empty. The redbrick building was the swimming pool and all those derelict houses. How can a G7 country justify that when so many people are homeless. There was a row of houses next to my school that was boarded up and then demolished due to subsidence. But never anything as bad as what you have shown.

[@JFrizey]

If the council refitted these and rented them out they would make their money back in a few years, but local authorities would rather pass it off to private landlords, developers ect via the brown envelope under the table, really sad state of affairs, really enjoying your videos!

[@rossatkinson8621]

To be fair, the council doesn't have any money to build/develop housing , and if they do rent it out they'd have to sell it on a few years later at a 35% discount thus they'd lose money. it's a losing game, govt creates laws to stop councils building then workers get stuffed

[@pgpython]

It doesn't work that work, you can't just refit houses and expect people to want to live there. The opportunity to work in a desirable area has to be there and that's what Doncaster is sadly missing. I finished uni in 2002 was considering working in Doncaster in IT but the opportunity just wasn't there so now I work and live in Sheffield for that reason and I wasn't willing to comute at the time. Doncaster problem is that it lacks the investment to attract high end jobs that would revatlise the area. That is not an easy problem to fix.

[@daydays12]

If they had the money! The government has cut their funding by 40% since 2010

[@jontelling]

The building at 08:01 is St James' Swimming baths. I used to go there as a kid, but it has been closed a long time now. There's a few urban explorer videos on YT about it.

[@RazORKful]

Grew up in Donny from the late 80's and town was always bustling, its shocking to see this...

[@MIGHTYRIVERS19]

BRAVO WONDERING TURNIP , LIKE WHAT YOU DO , BUT LOTS OF SADNESS TO WHAT THE UK HAS BECOME

[@Sophie-kk3st]

I've read a few year ago that doncaster has the highest number of loan shops or uc shops in the whole uk, not sure if I remembered correctly. a friend bought a massive mansion there for 500k pre covid

[@revertakh1235]

Edlingtin is a village within the city/town of Doncaster, the whole of Doncaster is an old mining town

[@moonshot2738]

These videos are excellent. I can’t believe how these places have been abandoned and forgotten. Once hustling and bustling. Interesting to see the death of some of these towns.

[@peterpearson1675]

As an expat Brit,native of Doncaster,living in Denmark for the last 54 years I was totally shocked to see this video.I did my first teaching practise in Edlington - can't understand how people can let things go to such an extent.I'm actually from Armthorpe on the other side of town from Edlington.The pit was closed here too in the 80s,but Armthorpe is ok.Perhaps because of its history as a farming village.

[@Talkathon408]

It has a lot to do with Thatcherism and more recently coalition/Tory government austerity in my opinion. I know it's a bit political sorry but I just wonder what the UK would be like if wealth was distributed throughout the country like it is in Denmark. I'm no fan of Starmer or even the Labour Party that much to be honest but I think there is hope for the north if they get in next year, particularly if the House of Lords is replaced with an elected chamber of representatives from the different regions of the country. But clearly it's going to take a long time to fix these problems.

[@Belisarius1967]

Don't let Labour of the hook. They've run Doncaster as a virtual one party state for decades. They're at least as responsible as Westminster for what's happened

[@markymark7803]

​@@Talkathon408must be joking. This was all happening under 13 years of new labour. We have a labour mayor too who has done nothing. Ironic that the only one who seems to be speaking up for Doncaster and trying to fix things is the conservative MP nick fletcher. Under Thatcher manufacturing went up btw and labour closed just as many pits than the Tories.

[@Talkathon408]

@@markymark7803 public spending increased in real terms under New Labour year on year, even after the financial crisis. This is the exact opposite of what's happened the last 13 years. Under Labour there was a focus on regional development, whereas the Tories scrapped regional development agencies and much of the funding that came along with them. Labour also had a focus on urban regeneration in cities outside of London affected by deindustralisation. The Tories also made swingeing cuts to the central government grant local authorities received. Worse still, northern regions tend to rely more on public sector jobs and the Tories cut hundreds of thousands of them. Obviously this had an impact on the vibrancy of local economies, as people had less disposal income to spend locally.

[@markymark7803]

@@Talkathon408 under labour the country went bankrupt and they bailed out bankers. They also bankrupted NHS hospitals with pfi. Under labour council house building went to record lows, Tories built more council housing in 2017 than whole 13 years of labour. Under labour vocational training like apprenticeships was removed. Tories brought back apprenticeships and have record levels now doing apprenticeships not to mention research development centres built and university technical colleges built. Blair wanted everyone to be doing media studies.

[@guitarboogieboogie]

Interesting video. Glad I moved to Australia 50 years ago

[@llanieliowe794]

Greenock a town in West Scotland is currently facing a huge amount of decline, with house prices dropping, boarded up properties spreading over the streets and unemployment rising. I heard that the town's population is currently the fastest decreasing in the UK. It's really sad to see, as the town was so beautiful.

[@nervousheadache]

UK isn’t relevant but yes.

[@mrg8537]

Most of those boarded up buildings looked quite nice. With a bit of investment they could make some nice properties

[@MoviesNGames007uk]

Lots of pubs and bookies in Donny lol And personally I'd say Hexthorpe village is probably more dangerous than Edlo

[@neymarcairn8974]

I work in a Doncaster school , I live in Sheffield . What you find is people and finding has gone to the suburbs and new areas where it’s green and planned urbanisation But the centre has been left to rot . There are lots of nice places in Doncaster . Maybe in another series you can show the good areas or thriving areas of each town . As you have only told half of the story .Thank you for showing us.

[@jasonwhittle5008]

I’d knock on the doors around the property and speak to the ones left to live there and see what real life is really like. Great video 😊👍

[@baz-wc4fi]

All in Prison!!

[@Cheezit-ib3pr]

Why, so you get stabbed? 🤡

[@jasonwhittle5008]

@@Cheezit-ib3pr 🤪

[@jasonwhittle5008]

@@Cheezit-ib3pr 🤞

[@jasonmck7323]

Great work man , shame no one is listening that can make a difference like councils who are 80% to blame

[@simonbeasley989]

It's just mad that we are short of housing and even using green areas to build on for the first time ever when this is going on.

[@MrHorserider15]

Blame the tories. All these brownfield sites in cities just left and not spoken about. And crazy keir for wanting to build on green belt when alike before so much brownfield land sits with derelict buildings on making everything look drab.

[@mangoman9290]

@@MrHorserider15 Are these building protected in any way or is the cost of bulldozing and removing most costly than just building in a new estate?

[@Threadbow]

Shocking

[@bryanmearns]

Let's see a wandering turnip house renovation!!

[@willporter7884]

Ive lived in Doncaster all my life and alot off these boarded up shops in the town centre in this footage have been like it for over 10 years, well before covid, they moved the town in 2007 by extending the frenchgate centre and putting the bus station near the train station, after this that side of town died.the big older building u film in this video is the corn exchange which is getting refurbished by the council as its a listed building.

[@shelleycarey1860]

And it’s costing millions

[@misscoutts6193]

What will it be 🤔

[@johnmitchell2269]

Once it's been refurbished, the Home Office will no doubt buy the entire property. And then we all know what happens next.

[@13Sleeps]

I went to school in Edlington from 2000-2007. It was a common occurrence for house fires on Baines or Thomson Avenue pretty much every day. I hope the village gets some strong investment. Lots of good people there abandoned by governments. Going to the school there was a character build for sure.

[@lg_believe333]

Those boarded up houses might be cheap to buy but would you want to live there if people are growing and selling weed in that area. I’m not saying it’s unsafe to live there, but usually where there’s drugs there’s crime. As for that house which had mould and damp everywhere, and was used to grow weed inside, you’d have to spend tens of thousands on that property to make it liveable and remove the organisms deep inside the walls so it’s no longer a health hazard. More headache then it’s worth.

[@grayhalf1854]

Was thinking the same. It's all very well picking up a 'bargain' but if you're constantly feeling under siege in your own home the price is still too high.

[@NatureSymphonicMusic]

Its sad to see so many home allowed to crumble this way. Unfortunately the government simply doesn't invest in the councils and economy of the county.

[@bigalxyz]

I grew up in Scunthorpe (about 20 miles east). Donny was a bit of a destination for me in the 80s. Arndale Centre, the market, the races, nightclubs (Electric Avenue?), etc. My Mum and Dad still visit once in a while but they tell me that the town centre is a shadow of its former self. Like a lot of town centres I suppose. Shame.

[@ksweet696]

😢

[@Faith_Chi]

Great Yarmouth looks so rough and empty now, it's terribly sad what's happening to our town centres.

[@MrLightstudios]

Thing is why is it happening? feels like we are in the end times, everything is just getting worse, seems we are living in the decline, pretty annoying as im in my early 20s so would be nice to have booming town centers.

[@Bob-iv9hr]

@@MrLightstudios buy your goods and services in person then and not on line

[@bigalxyz]

@@littlemismadhead3292 that’s the one. It rhymes, so it must be true!

[@YameJN]

Seeing you go into a house on one of the streets I grew up on hit pretty hard. Thanks for raising awareness. It's so sad to see places allowed to fall into this state.

[@wanderingturnip]

Hey cheers for the comment. How was it growing up on that road?

[@YameJN]

@@wanderingturnip I lived in that area (Hyde Park) between 1995-2010. We moved a couple of times over the years - all within a few minutes walk from that street. Childers Street was actually the last place I lived before going to uni. We moved in maybe 2006/7, and since I left in 2010, I luckily haven't had to go back. Nobody lives in those areas because they want to. There are good people who are stuck due to circumstance, and without any real help, it'll spiral. There are some areas of Donny that are genuinely really nice, but for a large part there's poverty, and a huge lack of investment, which makes it all worse. But as for growing up in the area, and on that street specifically, I remember it was only really in secondary school when you mixed with people from those nicer areas when you really started to notice. Small things like if I got dropped off home by a friend, I'd make an excuse and get them to drop me off a few streets away, so they didn't have to see the street. I'm in Hull now, which has it's own problems, but looking back, Doncaster was a different world. (Sidenote) Hull could be a good opportunity for your Death of the Highstreet series, actually. There was a big investment with the City of Culture not too long ago, which has seen areas of the city centre get refurbished, but then Covid, and just generally smaller businesses struggling has seen the same area become totally boarded up and unused. Really sad.

[@wanderingturnip]

That was a really interesting read so thank you for the insight 👍👍 Yeah I think Hull is on my list to come check out…just need for this rain to stop 😂

[@YameJN]

@@wanderingturnip Haha, good luck with that! It's been on/off all week. I'll keep an eye out if you're heading to Hull - happy to point you toward some of the areas to check out. Some really cool transformations on the Marina over the last few years (it's literally gone from derelict warehouses to bars, restaurants, boutiques, etc). And then there are some questionable business and highstreet choices by the council across both the 'New' and 'Old' sections of the city centre. For something a little different, I reckon you'd enjoy walking up Bankside, too. It's an historic industrial zone along the river Hull. Loads of buildings that would look at home in Gotham City - really cool, and within walking distance of the city centre.

[@THEREALDANNYD]

Thank you for showing the high street in Doncaster. I live in Oregon, USA, so I love seeing walking about English towns. I enjoy your touring properties. I especially love seeing the towns. I didn’t think Yorkshire has slum towns like Doncaster. I thought Yorkshire was a posh/tourist area of England.

[@damionyates4946]

😂 it isn't really. Ok the dales are nice and so is York. It's extremely working class. However most of those shops in town centre being boarded up doesn't make it a slum it's just struggling economically because they voted Brexit

[@THEREALDANNYD]

@@damionyates4946 Thank you for taking the time to respond.

[@Belisarius1967]

Oh FFS you're not one of them. Brexit !! @@damionyates4946

[@Belisarius1967]

He's a middle class leftie who can't handle the peasants not knowing their place.. He knows eff all about Doncaster.

[@MeiinUK]

Consider Yorkshire as a State... like the US.. it is very big... but what he is showing you, is just more or less like, one street or maybe two. So around maybe like 8 houses or under 20 houses. The whole area isn't always like this. The village which he is talking of, only has around 8000 people. Which is NOT a like, but it is a very CLIQUELY place... I live in a city of around 500k. I do have families living in the same city, but there is breathing spaces... and you do feel like you don't always be on top of each other in disagreements sometime. For such a small community to survive, they need to commute to nearby areas to work, and to play. Otherwise, they will drive each other crazy. This is why, sometimes, it is good to be in an actual union... So the whole parliament thing, and the whole... "you must speak out and to find out what else is going on" is important.. whether you're from a big city, or small town. Democracy is far more important.. and it is workable and doable. Decisions do get made.

[@OldGuyChillin]

What you are seeing here in this video is innovation according to the Mayor! I have lived in Doncaster all my life working in the care and transport sectors watching this once thriving market town slowly been destroyed from within. The local council fought to get city status saying that Doncaster would prosper with the tag. Since then the airport has closed, the newly built railway college has closed after only 6 years, the streets of the city have got more boarded up shops than not unless it is a bookies, bar or coffee shop, the main Frenchgate Centre has got more and more boarded up units because of extortionate rental fees. I spoke with the Mayor and her sidekick for business and commerce and they said that they had a massive innovative project for the city, that was 3 years ago and the city is only heading in one direction!

[@alastairnicolson4992]

I walk up South Parade regularly on my way to the racecourse. It breaks my heart every time to see the state of the Pillared House. Do you know what's happening with it and why it's in such a rotting state?

[@obersoth09]

The railway college closed because there weren't enough students interested. The final blow was the government's change of heart with the HS2. The council can only work within a certain environment and the current Tory environment is distopian

[@Awatchandy]

Fantastic video as always. Such a North / South divide, the houses that fall unkempt are usually poor OAP's or rentals where the landlord wants the tenants out, but then a builder or developer gets it improves it to sell on. Admittedly the high street Banks are vanishing and the larger stores are selling up to move to cheaper trading estates, some smaller shops are closed but that's because it is such a gamble to open a new shop with little help from the government or council, but some independent traders are still opening new businesses occasionally.

[@dantemedici8179]

A lot of my extended family live in Doncaster , not a place I warm to, isn’t it now a city ? Maybe that will help regeneration . Mate you are a natural narrator , you need to get you foot in on bigger platforms .❤

[@MrVorpalsword]

'Maybe that will help regeneration' how? its just a badge, they argued that the population of the town was commensurate with becoming a city, but even that was a pompous lie. Doncaster town is fairly small (a market town) but in the biggest Metropolitan Borough by area in the UK. Therefore it includes many smaller towns in its population and it looks like there are 310 000 of us. There aren't. Its a useless medal, that stands to induce even more conceited arrogance in the burgers than exists already. And there is a lot of that here.

[@dinaworkman306]

And maybe not

[@lumo7461]

They changed a few towns to cities, they're getting ready for 15 min cities laws!!

[@kujouk]

I live about 4 miles away from there and don't think I'd buy anything around Princes Crescent in Edlington, they might be cheap but it's finding someone that wants to live there once you've done it up, and that's if they don't rob everything that you've put in there, but move away from those streets and it's not that bad, some newer houses where the pit was and even newer ones on the back road into Doni. Save your money and buy that one with the weed.

[@wanderingturnip]

Ah nice good to hear from someone with local knowledge cheers 👍

[@ScottyD17]

Hey :) Another quality video, really enjoying the content! One little tip from an ex-police officer, proceed with caution if you discover a grow house/drug den in the future, a lot of them are booby trapped and the booby traps are typically set to cause serious injury if not worse.

[@spearfroth]

Should check out Blackburn, some town shops are boarded up, otherwise you should check the mills in Blackburn.

[@charshill2978]

The red brick building at 8.01 was the council swimming pool and the next building was the family court Shocking.

[@emmagardner9385]

I moved from Leeds to edlington because we couldn't afford rental prices and I have to say its much nicer here! That's only one estate, the rest is lovely

[@SandraBellamy]

Great video. Always wanted to know about what's inside those low priced houses. Watching this video made me so happy and grateful I live in Exeter UK, which is thriving. People do guided tours outside my home in Exeter, as it's an old building with a lot of history.

[@fleshboundtobone]

The worst thing about converting a home to a grow house is that it will be targeted for burglaries going forwards by scumbags looking to steal weed and ready to fight for it

[@statementleaver8095]

Problem is Currency. Rest of the world Tax Cannabis Uk = Built on Lies Even claims Religious.......Rule#1 Thou shalt not kill......Blair escapes charges of War mongering. You pay Soldiers to Kill. Pay Police to Fine Thieves and Repeat process. Whilst Owners of Companies Earn through Machines NOT People. Nation has been Fuck'd since the early 80's......Only getting worse!

[@SlurpyDave254]

It's amazing the price of the houses, I remember back in late 80's, in Langworthy, salford selling terraced houses for a fiver. Good vid David👍

[@Hadesdetecting]

Such a quaint family run hotel lol.Its seems crazy with the shortage of homes we still see streets like that in the UK (I understand areas suffer for different reasons)Great video as ever

[@debrandw246]

I have never seen a grow house. Could be a lovely house with a huge makeover. But I enjoyed seeing it also. You have great video s.

[@MohammedZaman-nt8pk]

Second house could fix up . The leaks firsty and the damp . Huge garden . A house like that in london would be mimuim half a million

[@Marenqo]

Happy to show you around in Gateshead

[@LucAbroad]

Please come to Wellingborough, Northamptonshire. This town really needs a shake up.

[@GenialHarryGrout]

Doncaster lad and it is shameful how the council have let the town decline over the last 40+ years. The council have put up a few nice buildings but a lot needs to be done, especially in the centre.

[@andrea2007andrea2007]

That's just what 15 years of tory austerity can do....

[@markymark7803]

​@@andrea2007andrea2007Come off it, Doncaster has always had labour in charge. That's what labour does to a town. Ironic the only Tory MP and first ever is the only one trying to fix Doncaster while the labour mayor does nothing.

[@daydays12]

Their funding ( all UK funding for councils ) was cut by 40% by the government from 2010 --- "austerity". The councils don't have money to do anything and the government doesn't care.

[@sfjnet]

If we had a government that gave any kind of a **** about homelessness and deprivation I would advocate compulsory purchase of all the boarded up houses so they can be renovated and repurposed as low cost/social housing. I think if people were offered somewhere decent to live and the community in general could see that there was improvement rather than hopelessness then you would see the whole area reviving with people taking care of (and pride in) their surroundings. Every boarded up house and shop is the fault of all of us.

[@Neko85508]

❤

[@nicolemurphy2629]

No Actually it isn’t the fault of all of us….. For example My gran brought a semi derelict house for me She passed away It’s not in my name!!! Not my fault It isn’t legally mine

[@matthewburns7989]

Doesn't help we keep voting in conservatives who have unleashed austerity and caused the most poor to get worse off. They have destroyed the NHS. They have not addressed housing crisis whatsoever. The housing issue had been neglected going back to the 1990s but by 2010 it should have been No.1 priority for any government of the day. Private rented sector is now extremely powerful and that's not good for the poor and most vulnerable. We NEED social housing as this is the only hope for people (like myself) who just aren't they well off in the money game and realistically never will. We should all have some realistic ability to live in a DECENT home. Social housing offered us hope. Now all we have is extremely high rents and dealing with corrupt pigheaded landlords who themselves know they have all the power over their tenants who have to suck it or be out on their arse on the street. Same story with zone employers too who pay their workers absurdly crap wages in manual work and not good working conditions. And yet we won't do UBI because it apparently means we stop working and it's scrounging off the state. Yeah, because the current situation in this country is the way to go. Open you're eyes people, the country is a mess, and the fact is the current government have caused it. I feel things have got worse since 2010 and I'm not in favor of any particular political party. I voted for Camerons party in 2010! (I now wish I hadn't even though). It's horrible what's happened and is continuing to happen. I just feel sad about it all. There seems little hope right now. I understand some people are doing OK but many of us really aren't at all.

[@dcoughla681]

They need jobs first in the area & then the council should get tenants to clean & decorate the places in return for zero rent. The council to provide them with tools & materials.

[@TatyanaValdaBelindaHill]

I just saw the drug factory house with a guide of 5K, sold at auction for 64K! Considering the prices of renovated properties and tired properties - just in need of a little brightening up - alike in that area, I don't think they will see any money out of it soon. :/

[@wanderingturnip]

Yeah that is mad that

[@daydays12]

64 K?? That's crazy!!!

[@TatyanaValdaBelindaHill]

@@daydays12 Yes. I honestly don't think they ever had any intention of letting it go for 5K. It is just a scam to get people interested. The way of the world now with everything, sadly. And the law that we pay for with our taxes to protect us against this stuff doesn't seem to matter.😔

[@daydays12]

Yes you are right.@@TatyanaValdaBelindaHill

[@steverock4329]

Enjoyed your video. I’m a born & bred Doncaster bloke but retired to live abroad 10 years ago. I’ve heard a few people say that Donny has ‘gone down the pan’ so it really interesting to watch your film. It’s a bit of a tragedy really because the Doncaster Town used to be buzzing. They did really well to attract new industry after the pits and the railway works closed down. Due to its geographical location it serves well as a distribution hub for many transport companies with the vast majority of new jobs being in transport. The real people of Doncaster are brilliant, they’ll do anything for you, proper friendly but I understand these days there’s lots of foreigners living in the area, probably people who don’t share the true Yorkshire friendliness. I was rather shocked to see that the town centre was almost derelict but, with the exception of one or two brands, most of the popular high street chains are inside the Frenchgate Centre these days. Those boarded up houses in Edlington are just crying out for attention aren’t they? They’d be perfect for people trying to get on the property ladder. Shame really ☹️

[@andreawood6312]

Correct. But the council has run it down. About time they went with a toe up there arse 🤔😐

[@MrVorpalsword]

Yep Donny's looking bad right now. I'd say one of the particular losses of Mining Towns and Doncaster was also about Railway Manufacturing too ... is (unfashionably) an educated middle-class who scattered to the four winds when the industries shut down. The Engineers etc. were often imported to pits from Wales, Scotland, Northumberland etc. just like the miners themselves. I think one of the overlooked aspects of the diversity of a successful town is this stalwart bunch of people who would keep decent pubs going, and a lot of the culture + of course some 'polite-society'. The council don't know this but they are as brutalised as the general citizenry in their own way. Pretty dumbed down to say the least, inexperienced and isolationist and defensive, try to do ANYTHING here and you're slapped down. I live in Doncaster.

[@salkoharper2908]

You hit the nail on the head. In order for any town/community to thrive and prosper, it needs a balance of all classes of people. Enough low level jobs for working class, enough small business owners, educational, commercial and skilled jobs for middle class and a smaller but important number of large business owners, industrial/manufacturing factories. Instead what you have is now a tiny % of very wealthy landlords and some low level working class jobs, but nothing left for the middle class. Therefore the town has been ruined.

[@MrVorpalsword]

@@salkoharper2908 spot on ....

[@TheCatlady63]

I live in the east of Doncaster another mining town, I haven't traveled into city centre Doncaster in years and you can see why.

[@ZombieATAT]

Late eighties I used to go to a skate shop in Doncaster called Round Ocean. The town centre was doing alright but as you say, the loss of numerous heavy industries had an adverse effect on many northern counties. Any growth or decline is directly linked to whichever political party is in power. Labour creates opportunities and the Tories let these areas rot. Right now, after over a decade of Tory rule, crime and dereliction is yet again destroying people's lives.

[@garybarfoot9856]

Wow ive lived one and a half mile away from donny centre all my life I'm 61, i haven't been in the centre for a year or two its a right dump I'm really shocked. I wouldn't touch them houses with a barge pole.

[@paulJF]

I was born not far from there and spent many happy years in Doncaster before moving to North Devon, not been back there for years and it has gone so far downhill i'm not sure i would ever want to go back.

[@rrain3375]

From Canada I have never in my life seen so many boarded up buildings. So sad.

[@Whatt787]

That last building for $10 grand was a nightmare

[@bingobongoyippee]

Im from the outskirts of Doncaster and it’s so gutting to see the decline in the town with shops being boarded up. While there are many nice areas dotted about, I wish it would be different. I’ve since moved away for Uni, and it’s a shame but I’ve started missing out the part where I say I’m from Donny :(

[@markymark7803]

That's what happens when the mayor lets addicts takeover the town centre, shoppers don't feel safe and don't want to be pestered for money every 5 minutes

[@PomEllie0806]

Adrian Welsh should pay you for this video lol. Hamster house was my fave, indoor waterfall and a home for lots of rodents… what more could you ask for?

[@MrVorpalsword]

Adrian Welch was a glazing company who did chipboard on the side - now its a chipboard company who does some glazing on the side.

[@ksweet696]

You were standing in front of a Travelodge talking about the quaint place you spent the night....I hope it wasn't the Travelodge! 😂

[@wanderingturnip]

Aha unfortunately it was…£30 though so can’t complain 😂

[@ksweet696]

Well, I guess I just missed the sarcasm. You guys (and I mean everyone who grew up in the islands off the coast of the mainland) have an absolutely deadly sense of humor. Love it.