The UK is home to many beautiful seaside and port towns. The country has a rich maritime history, and it shows. However, some towns seem to be better taken care of than others. King’s Lynn in Norfolk was once one of the most important trading hubs in England. But according to one online reviewer, the modern-day version is a far cry from its historic roots.
In a video from the YouTube channel Turdtowns, which explores struggling places across Britain, the creator described King’s Lynn as a town that has “some facts which make it worse than other places in the county.” He said: “This was once the third most important port town in England. Nowadays, it wouldn’t even crack the top 100.”
While he admitted he didn’t hate it, he criticised several aspects of the town, starting with the roads.
“It feels incredibly busy on the roads in and around King’s Lynn, no thanks to the one-way system,” he said.
“I seriously hate Norfolk’s roads and I am somebody who loves driving, it’s the only time so far where I’ve really not wanted to drive anymore.”
Even the town centre didn’t leave much of an impression. “It was just kind of bland and lacking in personality,” he said.
“So much so that I genuinely don’t remember ever coming here and had to look back at my footage when writing this script.”
He also slammed recent regeneration efforts, saying: “They’ve tried to spend some money on regeneration, but it must be one of the cheapest-looking rebuilds I’ve ever seen.
“Take this new street here for example, it looks horrendous. Everything is mismatched and piss-coloured. It truly belongs in the bog.”
Outside the centre, the picture didn’t improve much. “The middle was decent,” he said, “but the outskirts, wow. They were scruffy.
“They take ‘derelict’ to a whole new level here in King’s Lynn because the buildings they’ve abandoned are all massive.”
He also mentioned the long wait to see progress on redevelopment: “Ten years to start work on the old post office building is a bit ridiculous. Why does it take so long to do anything in this country?”
Crime was another issue raised. The YouTuber said: “King’s Lynn only just misses out on taking the top spot for the worst crime in the county, with a rate of 124 in a thousand. It’s much worse than you would expect from a quick look at this place.”
Despite the criticism, local tourism bodies paint a different picture.
Visit West Norfolk describes King’s Lynn as a Hanseatic town rich in history, with fine old merchants’ houses, cobbled lanes, and the elegant Custom House overlooking the harbour.
The town is home to the Alive Corn Exchange, King’s Lynn Arts Centre and Majestic Cinema, and hosts events such as the King’s Lynn Festival and Festival Too.
Visitors can follow the self-guided Hanse Trail or Maritime Trail to learn more about the town’s seafaring history, or hop on a ferry across the Great Ouse to take in the views from West Lynn.
Visit Norfolk adds that the town “has a wonderful heritage of buildings, museums and stories to be discovered,” and highlights its two market squares and busy shopping areas including the Vancouver Quarter.