Odd thing

[Oma]

Isn't it strange how you can live somewhere all your life and not realise some things,

Last week when we dropped MIL off just up the road there is a Herons store so we popped in and had a browse,
Nearing home about 4-5 minutes away there is a little shopping parade we never go to but as I glanced at it I was sure I saw a Herons there.

Last night I remembered so I googled it and it came up as Chester road ,
Now Chester road is in Sunderland, so I said to B that can't be it ,
He said it might be as it's a long road, but I wasn't convinced as we are Washington.
I always classed it as starting in the town center and finishing at our Hospital.

So again I googled it and I was shocked to find it is almost 8 miles long it goes from Sunderland town centre to where this shop was, all Chester road.

All my life I didn't know.
You learn something new every day don't you 😁

[Daisy]

Oma, you had no need to question how long Chester Road is, so it wouldn't occur to you. What is a Heron store, please?

By the way, I read somewhere recently that of all the new towns that have sprung up over the years, Washington is considered to be the best designed and most liveable place.

[Oma]

Herons is a local food store,

Washington like all places has it's good and bad parts , it's designed with no pavements as you can get anywhere by going through the estates and through underpasses or over bridges, but the underpasses are not the nicest or safest places to be especially at night ,

We do have a superb shopping centre, plus retail park so we can't complain.
It was designed that each estate had district numbers but that fazed out some years ago as it was difficult for people to understand,

I wouldn't say the 1970 design of some houses are attractive , some look like army barracks 😁
Lots of concrete although they are re building some areas,

For instance where we live now used to be a half moon block of ugly flats ,
Lovely in their day I suppose when Washington was a new town, but lots of building problems that was to expensive to rectify, so they pulled them down .
Then built out lovely red brick houses 😁

[Daisy]

Oma, I think the article claimed that Washington has stood the test of time better than some new towns (Milton Keynes comes to mind).

There have been some truly awful so called "modern" monstrosities round the country. One that sticks in my mind is the Tricorn Centre in Portsmouth, built in the 1960s and demolished in 2004. It was a huge grey concrete monstrosity.

[Plantaholic]

Very interesting Oma

[Gemini]

That's a long road Oma

We have Heron stores around here, food at low prices.

[Nanto2girls]

There you go Oma, you learn something new ever day.

We used to have a Herons shop in our town, but i think it closed down.
I'll take notice next time we are in town.
I'm sure i've seen on when we have been in Wakefield.