My man! Thanks so much mate really appreciate it! So true though isn't it... Class rooms are boring, get the kids out exploring & learning! Thanks again brother 🙏
Thank you for visiting Bridgwater and showing it in a positive way. I’ve lived here all my life and get so frustrated with the bad press it gets all the time. The carnival is spectacular.. you must come back and watch it in November. Also, the majority of people are hard working with good hearts. Even the drunk man was friendly! 😂
Hey 👋 thanks for the kind words and for watching! No problem, I try to be as honest as possible with my videos if it's not as bad as I was expecting than I'll switch the video to positive and Bwater deserved that I thought... Hope you enjoy the future videos!
The Hinkley workers require a clean DBS so they aren't the cause of any problems. It's the unemployed drug addicts who hang about near Nationwide and Blake Gardens.
The Hinckley workers are regularly drug and alcohol tested without notice . I know a nurse that tests them. Also Bridgwater used to have a huge cellophane factory that gave its famous smell of sulphur / rotten eggs , you could smell it from the M5! Now it’s a housing estate ! Thanks for the videos , I love them ! I was born in North Somerset , still here ! Take care , Stay safe . 🙏🏻✨
if you think the hinkley workers dont know exactly when they have a drug test coming ive got a bridge to sell you. usually if you snort a few lines on friday you'll piss clean by monday anyway. i used to work there
Great video. Even though the towns within Somerset are dying, the folk within Somerset will always remain joyous and positive. Great to see the channel grow so fast!
Bridgwater has a rebellious history and was the industrial centre of Somerset which has declined over the last 30 years.......Bridgwater is a grand old Town.
Hi Joe. Look at YOU! Almost 1,000 subscribers! I'm so glad I was one of the first. Thanks for this one. All your vids are SO good. I just love your approach. See ya soon, American Jen
Hey Jen! I know it's crazy... Thanks so much for the support & kind words! I always look out for your comments! I hope you enjoy the upcoming adventures! Thanks again 🙏
"I Was Shocked!" Ohhh, I see what you did there ─ shocked to see it in such good condition? 🤗 I liked the exploration and meeting the locals...Glad you subtitled the intoxicated dude in the mall. 😂
Was glad you caught our character, some lovely local pubs & restaurants here. New cocktail and coffee bar with entertainment which is fab. Also our new cinema and bowling is a great asset to our town 🙂
I was really surprised by the town, hopefully the video will bring more visitors to the town. Thanks for watching and the comment! See you on the next one!
From what was presented Bridgewater didn't look so intimidating. The church and some shops did spark some interest. Definitely wouldn't feel unsafe during the day out and about. At night, I'm sure it is a different scene but so is nearly any other community in the US or UK. Thanks for the video! Chuck
Hey Chuck! Thanks for watching & the comment! Yes Bridgwater was a total surprise to me, the locals were so friendly and the town was bustling... It shocked me! Thanks for watching
Really good video Joe, it's nice to see someone doing a video that shows Bridgy in a good light for a change! It's a nice little town surrounded by lush countryside, no worse than anywhere else really!
As someone who’s from America, been watching Bald and Bankrupt and Backpacker Ben for years and I gotta say I especially agree with y’all on the rich history and the friendliest mates of The UK and I’ve been fascinated as a cousin from the across the pond. I’m glad to find you’re channel Joe! Love the content brother 🤙🏼
Hey 👋 welcome aboard thanks for the comment and for watching. I hope you enjoy the content and get a balanced view on my channel it's not all doom and gloom. Thanks for watching hope you enjoy the upcoming adventures
I grew up there, it is only rough in the evening, as drink takes its issues, with fights & misbehaving. Otherwise it is a nice place, with so much history & interesting buildings or infra structure to see. Most people are great. But a few spoil the place to give it is notoriety of a violent place. TY for going to see & hope you had a good time visiting. Plus uploading for others like myself to see. P.S; Bridgwater Carnival is fantastic.
Thanks Joe...just some thoughts Isambard Kingdom Brunel and Marquess of Bute. Both in your neck of the woods Bristol and Cardiff. Loads of history both good and bad. Good luck.
No problem honestly went to Bwater with the intentions of finding out if it was as bad as stated in the media but honestly didn't get that feeling... There's places 1000x worse in the UK, that you'll see in upcoming videos! Thanks again
Bridgwater is a lovely town i been here over a year and i never see myself moving. Its brilliant and incredibly well located. Your video was brilliant. I feel bridgwater is only gonna get better
Bridgwater... one of the few places in this country that still has a sense of local community spirit. The November carnivals bring folk from all walks of life together with hard work going on all year round for one grand night of entertainment. Great vid showing a nice little town.
I was in Bridgwater, many, many years ago doing contract work. A friend and I went to a pub one evening and had a few games of pool with some of the local girls. When we left the pub, we were met by about 10 local lads who obviously thought we were trying to crack onto their girls. It didn’t end well. I’m not slagging the place off, it can happen anywhere. The same thing happened to me here in Australia, local blokes thinking I was cracking onto their Aussie sheila’s, and once again, it didn’t end well. Great content, Joe, thanks.
I live very close to Bridgwater. I often use the public transport in the area and the trains are usually reliable but the buses are often delayed or cancelled, you were lucky to get one on the High Street. I think the person talking about the indoor shopping centre was talking about the ‘Eastover Indoor Shopping Centre’ which you must have last on your way to the station. I’m 13 nearly 14 now and I don’t think I’ve been in there since I was 5 or 6. I walk past it a lot to get to the bus station behind it and it’s filthy, it’s basically a rubbish dump on the outside and stinks of fat. Apart from Eastover, the town centres pretty decent and well connected.
New subscriber here Joe. Came your way (as many did I’m sure) via the Bald and Ben video that you did with them in Weston. Drove through Bridgewater yesterday on my way home from Wellington to Pill. A crash on the M5 brought me up the A38 instead. I’ve driven through Bridgewater a couple of times and have visited Highbridge once. I never got the best impression of either place and always viewed that as very economically deprived and run down - as much of that Somerset estuarine strip is. I spent the drive through town knocking it to the missus who has never visited before. Nice to see that Bridgewater isn’t as bad as my previous perceptions led me to believe. Good to see that there are some thriving independent businesses there and an attempt to lift the town from its decline. Keep up the good work matey 👍
Bridgwater is great until some bastard comes along and spoils it. And there are a lot of bastards in Bridgy. And the police protect them. 😞 In fact, that's pretty much _all_ the police in the Bridgwater area do. Much the same story in Taunton. You won't know there's anything wrong until you see it. Always trouble on Parkway. It's certainly not the most dangerous town in Bridgwater though; Chard has some problems, and Weston Super Mare is full of druggies - and stay away from the Bourneville Estate. It's a wonderful part of the Country compared to many other places, but it could be -should be - so, so much nicer and happier than it is.
Hey thanks for watching and the comment! Check out the video on my channel on Weston-Super-Mare... I was shocked. Thanks again for watching, see you on the next one!
Greetings from Sweden Fisk! Your absolutely correct about history. When I was a kid it was very much about reciting years when king this and that did this or that. Off course that isn't the best way to make children interested in history. But learned the right way it's not only fascinating. It's essential for us to understand what happens now and who we are. A people without knowledge of their history is easily manipulated.
Walked through Bridgewater in 2022 (coming from the Offa's Dyke Path and connecting to the South West Coast Path). Had no bad experience at all (though I went on to suffer in the fields along the River Parrett to the north). Shout out to the guys from Phone Tech Central on Fore St who cobbled together a USB cable for my drone to replace the one I had lost - and didn't even want to take any money for it. Had a lovely time on my trail through in the UK, found the Brits polite and friendly and the scenery outstanding.
Thanks for this Joe. Ive lived here my whole life. It isnt that bad. From watching more videos by yourself and other youtubers id say we are doing alright. We just had a new complex built with plans to expand also. So that should be good
I have lived here all my life and it's not that bad, yes there can be trouble in the evenings with all the bars and nightclubs, but no more than any other place,st marys church is a lovely church,one that i was lucky enough to get married in, there is a lot of history in this town and if you followed where Robert blake was pointing you would of seen his house that's now a museum
That's amazing to hear you were married in the church! I honestly was surprised by the town, the articles online make it sound like a warzone! Thanks for watching & the comment! See you on the next one!
Interesting.. you were by the River where Insane games is and owner of that has a Retro Arcade called Timewarp just over the river to the left, it is one of the oldest in the UK and attracts visitors from all over (i work in the repairs part). Drop in next time and you might be amazed on whats on offer for £8 all day. Also... you didn't mention the Carnival once? it is quite amazing ....
Hi Dave, thanks for watching & the comment. That's interesting I'll check it out on my return! I mentioned the carnival towards the end of the video whilst stood next to Guy Fawkes! Anyway was shocked at how decent Bridgwater was tbh.
As someone who lives in Bridgwater and was born here thank you for sharing such a positive perspective I am proud to be part of Bridgwater and all its history that usually goes unnoticed by people repeating the NFB (normal for Bridgwater) like sheep without taking the time as you did to research its hidden qualities We also have a new development called Northgate yard with a new state of the art Scott’s cinema and that’s why the old cinema was recently boarded up but that is tucked out the back of Angel place so easy to miss if you are not in the know I used to be an independent trader in the town and I as others did experience some vandalism usually perpetuated in the evenings by teenagers but I feel this is not unique to our town and is unfortunately common in most towns and cities but like most towns we have positives and negatives and that’s just life
Hi and thanks for the comment! No problem, I'm glad you enjoyed the video. Honestly I was surprised by Bwater, the media made it sound like a war zone! But I found it to be thriving and the locals very friendly! I hope you enjoy my other videos as well. Thanks again
Small world this internet thing. Saw you on baldandbankrupt and then now as im around Bridgwater i saw your video posted on a local page 🤣. Nice work showing lesser known places in an open way.
I've been to Bridgewater and I found the people friendly and helpful. I was there during the day so perhaps it's different at night. but it seemed like just another town to me.
I think it's Priorswood which was certainly a rough place years ago and I doubt it's better now. It had a sink school that was of the ten worst in the country when it was closed.
Hey Joe, check out Stoke Sub hamdon, Ham hill, great views, orchards in the woods, and hippy community tinkers bubble that make their own cider and cider orchards, 23 minutes from there you can get to Lyme regis :) happy travels ...
I would love to check it out, I've found an email that I'm going to send today to try spend some time there! If you have a contact there please get me in! Message me on Instagram regarding it!
You should have gone to Blake museum !! It's so lovely I often go when my son's at nursery! I live on St John street, only get trouble on a Friday/Saturday when everyone is walking home from the club! Sure there's some trouble from the nittys and the teenagers who think they're gangstas 😂 but doesn't every town centre !
Hey thanks for the comment and for stopping by! Bwater was a pleasant surprise, I'll be heading back in the summer. The 'nittys'... brilliant 👍 thanks for watching
Cheers Joe for an excellent video 👍 It's amazing how Bridgwater is doing better than it's larger neighbour Weston-super-Mare! Shows what a little bit of hard work can do.
@@JoefishJ No worries Joe. I think the problem with Weston is, there are too many careerist politicians and those with many vested interests backing and supporting their friends. I'll check it out mate. Thank you 👍👍
That’s one way to polish a turd lol good video ..Recon if ud of turned right instead of left at the end of the town centre ud have a different ending lol
The estates surrounding the town (Sydenham, Hamp, etc) are where most of the issues are. They account for a tonne of the negative stats around there sadly.
I never understood the terrible reputation it has. I moved to taunton from London. I would often hear the phrase "normal for bridgwater". Honestly i'd rather live there than in Chard or Yeovil.
Having made a recent video in Yeovil I totally agree with you. I found Bwater to be pleasant on the surface of things. Thanks for watching and the comment
Hi Joe, just subscribed to your channel. I found you from the person you were talking to when you were in Weston super Mare. I live in Cheddar Somerset. Found your video on Bridgewater very interesting. Looking forward to more and thank you for doing the video.
I dont think you meant it like this .... but....from the people working at hinkley point, building the 'C Reactor' i wouldnt expect every member of staff to flood the local areas with mental illness and crime!? From what i gather they have boosted local economies with purpose built/rented staff acomidation.
Who knows... Definitely an stark increase in crime rates around the time construction started. If you've ever been on a building site you'll know what people get upto. Away from wifes and family, darkness begins to creep in! The stats don't lie
Happy to see Bridgewater is thriving with its nice Parish Church of St. Mary, the stained glass windows & vaulted ceilings, and the indoor market with wardrobes sold, etc. It's like the thriving Carlisle, Stratford-upon-Avon, Canterbury, Northamptonshire, etc. I've been. I love the towns of England rich in history & saddened to see some fall into derelict state. Hope if there's employment on construction there, the Authotity should enforce those doing substance abuse, alcoholism, & unlawful acts should be banned from getting work there and have them leave Bridgewater so as not to damage its good image. Seeing this video made me intetested to visit Bridgewater.
Good work yet again Joe! thumb up! Bridgwater aint state of the art for sure but it isn't that bad either. I'm asking myself a question: what will it look like in 20 odd years? and I have no answer to that. And last but not least, I may say you've got an engaging manner to presenting these places and that helps a lot ))
Another positive to add in regards to Bridgwater, I was honestly surprised by how bustling the town was... The media made it sound like a war zone! Thanks for watching
The people who work at Hinkley get random D and A checks so new people in the area who work there might not be the main problem in the increase of crime, drugs etc
Great video again mate and glad to see you’re gaining interest on here. As someone who grew up in Burnham, the only time I ever went to Bridgwater was on my way to Minehead 😂
Hey mate thanks for the kind words & support! I know it's definitely one of those places you wouldn't really go to but I was genuinely surprised actually! Minehead video incoming over next few weeks! Hope you enjoy the upcoming adventures mate, thanks again for the support!
Love the video , the young man in the hat and suit you talked to is my step son and weve enjoyed showing the family , he thinks its cool that he is in the video , keep up the good work and come back to burnham in the summer when everything is open its like a different town 🙂
Hey that's awesome to hear! He was a lovely young man, I hope you guys enjoy the upcoming adventures! I'll be back in Burnham in the summer! Thanks again for the kind words and for watching!
Top reporting Sir... Not many in prayer within the beautifully ornate church.. such as the place was built for . Seems more of a tourist attraction... 😢 but thumbs up to Bridgewater... 🎉
I've lived in Bridgwater from 2014-2022 and while danger hasn't been a significant thing unlike how the tabloids are fear mongering the town, but its really good even though I was born in Gosport yet I live in Taunton now.
Trouble is at weekends when the clubs kick out, it’s a small town but has quite a lively night life. Some times it’s a bit quiet but at others it’s bustling. Getting into Palace can be a drag at times if you’re wanting to do late night clubbing. Lots of foreign nationals have flooded the town over the years, lots of Poles and Indians for example but most of the problems are druggies and people pissed out of their heads fighting. It’s a bit like a temu version of Cardiff centre. Gangs of kids to young to be out also hang about the town at night but the police don’t appear to be able to see them or the drug dealers frequenting the town at night. I’ve been out sat in Duke of Monmouth and saw dealers bringing patrons out of what’s now The Abby club to shoot lines inside their car parked on the main street. The police will turn up if a fight kicks off though, the police station is on Bristol road. Fare week, Easter and Carnival are busy weekends. And Christmas.
The majority of (former) market towns in England have gone the way. It started with pedestrianisation of town centres in the late 1980’s. This robbed shop-keepers of passing traffic and people who need to load goods straight into cars. High quality shops closed and were replaced by estate agents; poor quality takeaways; and, charity shops. Now, the block paving is covered by rubbish and addicts drinking super lager (while rocking backwards and forwards in the international signal of despondency). Compare this depressing sight to the Edwardian elegance for which these towns used to be known. When Julian Temple persuaded Joe Strummer to live near him in Somerset, he warned “Bridgewater is a sh1thole Joe, but it’s an interesting shithole”. I feel it is no longer as interesting, thirty years later…
Moved here from Surrey .... have never regretted it , people are ultra friendly , look out for each other , Bridgwater is the home of Carnival .during the day the streets are filled with entertainers .. Carnival night ,100's of thousands of people people come together to see the carts ..and crime rates are extremely low .. if non existent ! the rubbish from the event which can be knee high at the end ... is dealt with and the streets are immaculate by the next morning .. ! Bridgwater should be acknowledged for being the first town in the country to actively abolish the slave trade .. ! also The town is unique ... beautiful and home .. sadly an MP who did not represent his constituents and their problems questions , for many years ,! The influence Bridgy played in History for changing a whole worlds perception of right and wrong is overlooked and should be respected ...Also the villages who come under Bridgy umbrella .. are beautiful ... less than 3 miles out of the town and you are in very rural Somerset ...
22 дня назад
Technically, they were the first town to petition for the abolition of slavery, in 1795. Also, on November 18th 1938, after Chamberlain's signing of the appeasement with Hitler on 30th September, they elected an 'anti-appeasement' independent candidate as MP. People should know these things about their town!
It's the town I grew up in and I remember it buzzing with people through Penel Orleiu, High Street, Fore Street, Eastover and St John Street. It's a shadow of its former self, sadly.
30, 000 extra workers in the area for the power station mate.. 70 % of them are Welsh apparently.. 200 different languages on site.. random drug testing there so not a great deal more drugs and if there is... its out of town based.. lol we have alot of STD clinics added and motels as most of the hinkley workers are men... away from there familys and plenty of cash... same as any very large building project.. 👍
This is a good video. Bridgewater looks nice. Most shops look like they're open unlike so many UK towns and it looks peaceful, at least in daylight. The nuclear power station workers may bring their problems but they also bring their pay packets, which helps the town economy. So, swings and roundabouts. If they have money to spend some spend it in the pubs, and overdo it with predictable consequences. Much antisocial behaviour is related to C2H5OH. That's just how it is, and it's nothing new. Anyway, good luck and keep your interesting and educational videos coming. 📹 Ta.
It's a shit hole. I've lived here for 22 years. Had someone nearly killed outside my window. Someone was killed across the road not long ago. 2 weeks ago 2 lads was stabbed. Palace nightclub is beyond violent. Doorman has just put someone in a coma with a sly punch. Now the man has life changing brain injury. Somerset is literally a dive. Nothing to offer to anyone unless you want warehouse or work at hinkly. You haven't been round here long enough to make a decent video showing how bad the place really is.
