In Defence of Maghull

From the age of 3 and for the next sixteen years of my life, I lived in a town called Maghull, a small town north of Liverpool – fairly nondescript in the grand scheme of things, but it was home.

Many of the affirming moments of my life have taken place in Maghull. So it is a place I look back on with fond memories. You could say the demographics tend to be lower Middle Class and on the whole it’s a relatively pleasant place to live.

That is why it was a shock to find Maghull an entry in the book Crap Towns.

This is a book that lists 50 of the worst places to live in the UK. Here is the actual entry.
Crap Town 37

Population - 50000, Unemployment - 6% Famous People - 0

This dormitory town seven miles outside Liverpool is a mean-spirited, characterless and deluded suburb, which fancies itself as a cut above the rest of Merseyside. Queuing up outside B&Q on a Sunday morning is the closest it gets to culture.

Contains Ashworth, that institution full of psychos which is always in the news. Every Monday, they start the sirens, which wail mournfully at the start of another week in Maghull. (Matthew De Abaitua)


I have to say this is fairly harsh assessment and factually inaccurate assessment of Maghull. The B&Q is actually in Aintree and Frank Hornby, the Inventor is actually from Maghull.

Ok, its quiet, but its certainly doesn’t deserve to be listed with a number of other crap towns that are listed. I could name you five towns in the Liverpool area alone, that should be in book ahead of Maghull.

The wrong has been righted, as it were. In the follow up book, Maghull is not listed as a crap town.

I don't live there and haven't for nearly fourteen years now (god is it that long) I seldom go back these days - though I do drive through it occasionally.

Would I go back to live there? Probably not. I have done my time there. There are other parts of the world that I like to live.

That said, it’s certainly not a crap town.

Crap Towns is quite mean spirited and funny...well worth a read I’d say!!!

Incidentally Hull is Crap Town number one in the copy I have. I have never been there so I can’t pass comment.