I had the misfortune to live in Gorton for 12 years, before I made my escape 4 years ago. I still visit friends there, and this report is based on my observations from my time living there (yes, I’ve been there, done it, worn the appropriately logo’d t-shirt, and lived the lifestyle) and from time spent visiting the area since my escape.
Gorton chavs are better known as ‘scallies’. Their uniform (male) is generally made up of half-mast trackies, tucked into Disney socks; Nike Shox, and baseball cap worn low under a tightly fastened hooded top – to conceal identity. The female uniform is similar, but ‘birds’ wear their hoods down to show off their collection of giant hoop earrings (the more earrings in each ear, the better) and gold chains.
Gorton scallies like to ride around in modded old bangers with R’n'B or ‘Gangsta’ music thumping out of the bass boost system. It seems preferable to have a car full of ‘heads’ than just one or two people riding. Younger scallies who haven’t yet ‘acquired’ a car (although most scallies can drive from the age of 11) prefer to ride around on pedal-bikes, following people, intimidating pensioners and acting as ‘runners’ for the bigger boys.
The young ladies of Gorton like to breed early, therefore waiving them of the responsibilty of disciplining young Tonisha/Kai/Malika. The streets of Gorton are full of prams, usually attended by the slightly older green-candle-nosed sibling of a new arrival and accompanied by a fierce-looking dog (‘naaaah he’s soft as shit really…’). A trip to Gorton on Monday morning will see the queue at the Post Office, stretching around the corner, and continuing for most of the day, as these founders of a new generation wait to collect their ‘social’.
After collecting their money, they will then proceed to Gorton Market, although this emporium is now a mere shadow of its former glory, when rip-off labels, cheap make-up and gold jewellery could be purchased in abundance. The next stop is then Kwik Save, and then a taxi home to watch Trisha repeats on ITV2, before collecting their little darlings from school and awaiting the return of their ‘men’ from a hard day (or night) ‘grafting’.
After settling the ‘sprogs’ into their beds, the scallies will then watch the usual no-brain TV shows whilst listening out for sirens and the police helicopter overhead and tuning in to their ‘scanners’ to find out which of their unfortunate comrades is being pursued; to laugh at the misfortune of the person and to take to opportunity to ‘do one’ if it looks like it’s ‘gonna come on top’.
The highlight of the year is the funfair at Debdale Park, where all the scallies converge for a good honest night of proper old-fashioned fighting, which is even better if scallies from neighbouring towns (Longsight, Clayton, Reddish etc) join the party.
The rest of the year they have to settle for hanging around Debdale Park, Gorton Park, and Delamere Park; drinking alcopops, harassing moshers/skaters, attempting to breed more scallies, and ‘taxing’ the mobile phones/shoes/money from lesser unfortunate people stupid enough to be passing by.
The ultimate status symbol for a scally is the ASBO. Scallies who win this coveted award earn the lifelong respect of their peers, and only need to live a slightly restricted life for just a few years, whilst being treated as gods by their younger ‘less hard’ followers.
Gorton – the jewel of East Manchester – visit soon! (but watch your gold, your phone, your car, your shoes….)
LOL i must say this made me giggle i lived in gorton for 11years till i was 19… and growing up there it seemed posh compared to living in longsight and harpurhey as a child and was quite. But im not saying it’s like that now though, and as for scallies you get them every where including teen mums and druggies gangsta wanna be’s… i still visit gorton now as i have family there but from my kid years to the kids now living there is a bit of a shock.. you do get kids that rob but the kids that do that r mainly in family’s that do the same so you know whos a scallie by what family there in ( wont mention names lol ). and as for 113 massive when i first moved round there i never seen a mixed race person till i lived there 2years..but mixed race ppl did move in my street and there was no racist 2wards them they blending in like any other family and the kids played with the kid, if you went there now you would see the diversity of races especially now there dumping all the asylum seekers there.. ( FACT) who thinks its good to rob old lady’s out side the post office. As u see you get scallies ever wher from the chavs above well soz girls i was you 8 years ago lol yes hooded jumpers chilling in the park’s gold everywhere lol But its not the ares in the ppl who live there that make the difference and as the kids grow its the next generation that will be the next scallies tramps drugies nd the parents of 2day that need 2 teach the kids of 2morrow.. obviously the guy that wrote this never got excepted in to gorton as he was properly a little tool because he would of never slagged of a place he lived.. whats wrong wouldn’t no one played with you did you get robbed and wouldnt no 1 make u a teen daddy.. And who wears trackys tucked in 2 there disney socks u plonker get your facts right thats a openshaw thing.. total tool.
I was born in Machester and bred in Gorton for 20 years until I left to study. It might not be the Ritz but it was home and I did feel really safe living there. It also felt like people actually cared about each other whether they had a little or a lot. My family still live and although I don’t visit often, the people there still make me feel like ‘one of them’ and its as if I never left. I can relate to of what you guys are saying but its always going to be home, and for me its the people who make the place.
ermmmmm i live on ryder brow and u making out we are like the irish not ever 1 is a fcking tinka its ppl like u that make this fcking country stink with ur bull shit gorton is no where near as bad as u are trying to make out u full of bull and ppl dnt wear nike no more its all about addidas u dumb shit and its mostley little kid u see going round in track suits only the odd adult wears them most men i see in gorton wear jeans if ur so much better than every 1 from gorton what u doing in gorton in the first place and how come u know so much about the post offices coz i can tell ya u where cashing ur money proberbly from the social and about listerning for sirens and hellicopters what do u think this is america bloods and crips and shit and no 1 sits there with there scaners that must of been ur own experience coz u know quite a lot dont you what u wrote i actually laughed at and thought u know so much coz ur a fcking scally ur self like every1 u made out in gorton to be
None of that rambling, unpunctuated, badly spelt, grammatically error strewn nonsense makes any sense. Try paying more attention when you eventually go up to ‘big school’.
I lived in Gorton for 20 years until the mid eighties and I agree with most of your respondents-it’s no worse than a lot of inner city areas. I spent 5 years in a tiny, isolated village in SW Scotland and the chavs/scallies/yobs are all there with an additional weapon in their armoury;racism. I’ve lived in multi cultural districts before(Longsight, Rusholme) and have always believed in racial tolerance, so it was a real shop to be called an “incomer” or to be told to “f**k off back to England!” Truth is, you’ll find trouble everywhere and I’m convinced the only way to avoid it is to buy your own island!
Hi! I thought your account of Gorton was hilarious!!! Come on guys, you have to take it with a pinch of salt! I used to live in the Gorton area until I was about five. My Dad moved us to Longsight (?!!), Im not sure why! It was difficult living in Gorton in the late 80s as a mixed race kid. It was a predominantly white area at the time and perhaps not so used to the multi-culturalism that we have so much of today. Personally, I would love to live in a more affluent area, but let’s be serious now! Even with a degree, a post-grad and two jobs, I still live at home with my parents!! I read somewhere recently that Gorton is going to get a huge re-vamp over the next ten years. Yes, even with the current economic climate! Let’s hope things start to get better for everyone! Peace out! x
leah and charley…………learn to spell you punk chavs…………………..i bet you are fat chavs with chavettes in the pram………………shouting at your kids………..have soem respect……….get a job you wasters…………..lol
Gorton_Gal says: “everywhere is da same no matta where u go”
You stick to believing that and perhaps you will never stray into my home town which thankfully has a small cross to bear in the shape of a local estate. Everywhere is not the same, North and East Manchester has some of the vilest places West of Gaza.
Try west gorton, shameless was not filmed there for nothing! they actually renovated some of the houses to make them better but they were still scum holes! market = chav. end of. inferiority complex gets to most chavs but forget about it shit heads there is nothing you can do about it. born and inbred that way.
Even though your account is an entertaining read, I have never had a problem with Gorton. I don’t actually live there, but I regularly visit family members who live in Gorton and I find it to be no worse than any other inner-city area. Never had a problem with ‘scallies’ either, even though there are, admittedly, many of them about. Gorton’s alright in my book – there are certainly many, many more hideous places to live!
gortonn aint evenn that bad:S
were dya livee now? eyy, obviously somee where were you ca walk around finkin yourall that, sorry bt u aint, i livee in gorton , wot you trynaa say?, that w’re all little tramps that cant afford our own thing so we rob it, and yeh we do chill in debdalee and gorton park, would you rather us sit inront of the TV ll day or summat?!, theres nout else to do, and i dont think there is ANYTHING worse on this planet than some one that can sit ifront of there computer and SLAG OFF gorton, or ANYWERE in the world, cos you cat be anything special can you lovee? obviouly you havent got anything ese to o, HOW SAD?! you dont now how much YOU and your little ESSAY about o called ‘chav town?!’ i mean comee on are you gelous or summat?, you try coming to gorton now and tell me ho many girls you see wearin what you said they wear, compared to the amount of people that live in gorton theres hardly any! oh and yeah, sure there are a few peoplee that are ‘chavs’ but it aint the majority lovee, d me a favour and jusd GROW UP will you?! oh and SOME boys go round robbinn people but MOST dont.
have you seen th new gorton market,oh nd theres a lovely new tesco next to it!
TRAMP!
well u must b a scallie 2 have lived in gorton just coz u dnt live here no more dont think your better then the rest ov us ive got a child in on the social but i anit no scally i gud go to work but i choose not to ive not had a child 2 parm him off wid sumone ive had a kid 2 enjoy him n yh there is ppl everywhere tht rob ppl n drive rnd on bikes n rob cars not just gorton i lived in gorton for 21yrs n wudnt move anywhere else
u all go ova da top, Gorton aint that bad… if u a bitch wiv ppl in Gorton there a bitch bak !!!
y u all slaggin Gorton off… thers nowt rong wiv it, i have lived in gorton for 16 yrs. everywhere is da same no matta where u go!u lot avnt bin rond gorton propa n da skools r alrite there actually !so wot if we can drive yung, thats a gud fing, WE DNT AV 2 BLOW ALL R MONEY IN ON DRIVIN LESSONS !n u all missed summut out, we go out on motorbikes n get chased by da police for a laff !
y u all slaggin Gorton off… thers nowt rong wiv it, i have lived in gorton for 16 yrs. everywhere is da same no matta where u go!u lot avnt bin rond gorton propa n da skools r alrite there actually !so wot if we can drive yung, thats a gud fing, WE DNT AV 2 BLOW ALL R MONEY IN ON DRIVIN LESSONS !n u all missed summut out, we go out on motorbikes n get chased by da police for a laff !