Ah, Harlow… a very strange place indeed. A small, poor town in Essex, geographically cut off from civilisation. This can very easily be seen in the faces of the genetically mutated cousins, brothers and sisters that inhabit the town centre (look carefully into their eyes!) – (..to locals – if you want to argue this point… swear to God that you’ve never had sex with one of your own family, ever… see…you know what I’m saying right?).
They even dress as twins in their Burberry outfits and gold chains. This social experiment should clearly be stopped. You cannot put travelling people in mass rows of terrace housing and call it a town. It is merely a massive static gypsy site with all of the problems that this brings. I know that this observation will provoke hostility, but that is very much in the nature of the people. Being completely unable to intelligently (or even logically) argue their point, they will swear, spit and punch you into submission if you so much as look at the Chavs in the wrong way or disagree with them.
I lived in Harlow for 12 months (moving from central Surrey) and actually got used to it for a while (even enjoyed it!!!!). I got used to eating in McDonald’s and seeing 13 year old mum’s throwing fucks and slaps into their children (for God’s sake don’t try to stop them – you’ll be smashed in the face with a big gold ring and stamped on). I even had my head shaved to blend in the the crowd. The accent was difficult to copy but you get the hang ov it in ve end dunnit, but no, but yer – shut up and vat you don’t no nuffink does yer?
If you look in the outer areas of this ‘town’ you can find some decent non-chav types.
The fact that the original poster is anonymous speaks volumes. I’ve lived here for about 11 years now and yes parts of it are run down, but I have seen some regeneration – widening of the A414, new leisure centre and shopping centre and plans to rebuild the rest of the town centre. I hear there are lots of drug dealers travelling up from London at weekends which would be bad for any area.
It is time to move on though…I can’t see me spending the rest of my life here, but as places go I’ve seen far worse.
what a load of shit how the f**k are we all inbreeds you silly twat look at places like new hall and church langley you surely can not say there chavi
I was born in Harlow and lived there for 33 years. Admittedly I left because I wanted a better life for my daughter and now live in Cambridge. One thing I have learnt by leaving Harlow – is everywhere has its problems. I used to think Harlow was the pits and couldnt wait to leave and Im glad on hindsight that I did, but now on reflection, it wasnt as bad as I thought. I go back regularly as most of my family still live there and I often go shopping in Harlow. Yes there are chavs, but tell me a place where there arent chavs. Yes there are some undesirables, drop outs, pikies etc., but Ive known worse places. I have fond memories of growing up there and ALL my family who still live there are decent, hardworking people. Unfortunately, a lot of the unsavoury people have come from outside Harlow and have changed Harlow – the majority of people who have grown up in Harlow are the ones trying to keep it as a nice home town and can’t be held responsible for the types of people who move in from elsewhere. But then again, that happens anywhere.
This article should be changed completely.
I am aware this post is very “Me, me, me”, but I’m just doing the best I can to explain what a shit-hole Harlow is – I’m glad I got out.
SOCIAL
The biggest Social problem Harlow has, is everybody knows everybody.
I hate to generalise, but I’m not accusing everyone that lives in that town a attention seeking, self-pitying, lying, advantage taking, uneducated moron – but I am talking about an extremely high percentage of around about 99% who are; and you at least know someone I’m describing.
A lot of people who live there, never amount to anything more and they never leave; only for a holiday to the same place every year, which is usually Spain.
SECONDARY SCHOOL’S (1999-2004)
I will say that Mark Hall School is the best secondary school there; although I’ve never been to any of the other secondary school’s in the area – I know this is a fact from friends; other people in the same year group (1999-2004) at different school’s that we (Mark Hall) received better information on life experience issues such as Sex Education, STI’s, CV’s and Employment etc. than any other school.
Despite one scummy girl who had no interest in her education in our year group getting pregnant; there was always ONE girl in every year group in Year 10 or Year 11 pregnant – an achievement seeing as Mark Hall is the biggest school in Harlow land and pupil wise (30 people in each forum – 8 forums in 1 year group = 240 people in each year – at least at the start of each September, as people would drop out).
HARLOW FOYER (2004-2007)
When I moved in, in 2004 there was only ONE of about 150 people living there who was either pregnant or had a child; by the time I was asked to leave the Foyer, 2 years later, because I occupied a ground floor flat; they wanted that flat because there were now 30 girls out of 150 pregnant or had one or more children.
I helped build that place up community wise, no idea what it’s like now. I imagine still overrun by young druggies and alcoholics with a single-digit IQ, who are popping out unwanted human beings left, right and centre to rinse and repeat the vicious cycle again.
But hey, after I put up a good fight of how much I’ve put into the community and it’s projects; which was only destroyed and into my own education by keeping my head down and my nose clean from any trouble – I finally got nominated for a brand new council flat in First Avenue instead of being thrown out on the streets because of a dozen irresponsible f**k-wits; I believe that’s 1 – nil to the decent people of society who deserve council accommodation.
HARLOW COLLEGE (2004)
Harlow College was a really big disappointment, incredibly lazy and doesn’t give a toss about it’s students; so I transferred to Hertford Regional in Broxbourne in the very first weeks of the very first term.
First of all, they put me on the completely wrong course for my level; I should of been put on a BTEC instead of a GNVQ. Apparently there was space to be transferred to the BTEC, but I guess they couldn’t be bothered with the paperwork and told me to waste 3 years instead of 2 years at college with them. I then tried A Level’s instead, again the Media Department refused; couldn’t be bothered.
Secondly, I asked to be transferred to another college and they said it couldn’t be possible. Although Hertford Regional did all the transferring process within a week.
Hertford Regional paid for my bus and train fares, my breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as informing me of EMA and Income Support because of my situation of living alone at 16. Harlow College didn’t inform me what I was entitled to or wanted to help my situation.
Before any judgement is cast upon me for living off the Tax Payer between the ages of 16 and 19, while in full-time education, trying to make something of myself; my parents and their parents have never sponged off the state.
And you’ll be happy to know I am now a Tax Payer myself; working to help improve the lives of young people and now I own my own home instead of council accommodation; I gave it up in the hope that someone else now has it, who deserves it; but I very much doubt it, as the Labour government around this time was paying thousands of pounds to immigrants to move into towns like Harlow from London.
I would just like to point out although people are saying Harlow is a shit hole, I was born in Harlow lived here for 8 years and then moved to Kettering, Northampton, County Durham, Bradford and now I am living in Harlow again with my fantastic wife and lovely little boy. I have never touched illegal drugs and neither has my wife, I work hard to support my family and i would rather bring up my kids in Harlow than Bradford I’ve lived in Bradford and would have to say that living there for me was a nightmare i got assaulted in my own back garden at the age of 15 i didn’t leave my house for 2 years, I had lost 2 years of my life that i believe that i wouldn’t have lost if I stayed in Harlow, This is just what i think, i agree with some comments and disagree with others.
I lived in Harlow from when I was 8 years old until I was 29, with a 2 year break in Moenchengladbach as a kid and 5 years in Northamptonshire between the age of 23 and 28. I enjoyed growing up in Harlow, it was a great place to live. When I was 29 I moved to Goettingen in Germany and stayed for several years and then moved to New York and then on to North Carolina. Harlow has gone a bit downhill in the past few years, actually since Church Langley was built strangely enough, but I can still see the Harlow New Town that I used to live in and love. I think with a little regeneration and not allowing vast sprawling shopping centres on the edge of town the High can stay vital and alive. For pity’s sake Harlow (and the U.K. in general) don’t fall into the trap that America fell into. Many towns are huge Church Langley like subdivions (American for housing estates) endless suburbia and the down towns areas are dead, often no go areas. Towns and cities built like donuts, with no live centre. Anyway, Harlow is not nearly as bad as people would like to make out. There are just as many chavs and hooligans in Sawbridgworth, Bishops Stortford, Stanstead and other surrounding older towns and villages. And for those of you who still live there, be responsible, stop slagging Harlow off and start being part of the solution to the things you don’t like. Harlow was a first, it was a classless utopia, lets bring that back. Invest in your town, be proud of it and do everything you can to make it a better place to live, don’t neglect it and then complain because it looks neglected.
What a load of bollocks. There are shit people in every community all over the world. To sum things up you must be one of the tossers. Ive lived in Harlow for 6 years and now live in Cyprus. Ive had some good times and bad but overall it is a pleasent town. I was born ın East London and lived in North London too. Bigger cities have bigger problem and smaller cities have smaller problems. As it comes to the scums, there are scums from the lower class and also scums from the posh class. If you prats dont like this town that much why are you there for f**k OFF. Harlow today is now rich in Culture there are alot of ethnic minorities, and everyone is blending in gradualy. Harlow is an up and coming town. I guess thats why the retards from towns around are jealous. I coud go on all day, but there is no piont in talking to so called posh ignorant educated village prats. Educated ignorant twats are the worst out of the ignorant people. Long live Harlow.. Im proud of being a Harlowian…
I want to apply for a teaching job in a secondary school in Harlow. I am an Irish 28yr old woman who lives in sydney australia at the moment.
what advice can any of you give me, has the area changed that much in 6 years?
Guys, Gells (Harlow pronnounciation for girl) I think your surrey boy was just taking the pee, pardon my french…..
Course there isn’t any inbreeding or Chavs in Harlow, it’s such a beautiful place to live full of finely well bred women & gentlemen; I guess that’s why every1 i know from there who’s lived in London have moved back too…. It has nothing to do with it being being cheap & affordable….
This fact is further higlighted that so many offended residence of Harlow have taken up to so articulately putting your views across without having to use offencive language which subsequently would only serve to show a complete lack of education…. or bachelor honours in complete chavanism
….Sorry but i have to disagree with most here…..Harlow???? is up there with the worst & biggest shit-hole’s in the UK next to Glasgow, Hull & Grimsby. Trust me!! I’ll planned & designed, cheap local resource, completely outdated & a f**king long drive from London!! LOL sorry – just my opinion (n everyones got one like an asshole, in this case being Harlow)
:/
I would disagree about the inbred comments, most people are pretty decent in the town but there are the elements of chav and scum, the worst being the scum element with drug addicts and aids infected scumbags mugging and murdering people. People have had their heads cut off, been stabbed and all sorts in this town. Dont walk the streets at night or you make become a statistic too. Its amazing to find how many people who were growing up when I did are now dead there, murdered or just killed themselves or OD’d.
Stop paying the scumbags money to buy drugs I say.
phil, your an idiot. i live in harlow, have done for 20 years, its pretty shit, but blaming it all on drug addicts lol, i smoke weed everyday, uve emcompassed me into this generalisation, and im a university student studying sociology. lets face it, your part of the scum, you dont understand complex social issues. ” stop paying the scumbafs money to buy drugs” what kind of an argument is that? who is paying them? plus, do you not drink coffee or tea, smoke ciggarettes, chew gum, do anything regually? your an addict, every living human is, just to different things. your a f**king idiot. u belong in my beloved home town, and hopefully one of my friends will one day stab and rob you to feed their uncontrollable addiction that you so graciously pointed out. retard.
Sully- you really are a moron-camparing chewing gum to drug addiction? You fuckwit.
The argument here is that most drug addicts (particularly in Harlow), are state sponsored dole scroungers, SO YES they are being paid for by the tax payer. Also stupid students like yourself, end up so stoned they do mickey mouse sociology degrees!!! Try getting a job with that worthless piece of paper, you stupid essex scum.
How unfair! I have lived in Harlow all my life, enjoyed school & happily live with my partner in Harlow. Yes, HArlow does have the reputation of being a ‘new’ town like Basildon with plenty of young mums pushing their kids around the town, yes it has its not so desirable areas as every town does, & yes it has it ‘spongers’ who tae advantage of taxpayers paying for them to have a home & claim to be poor while they spend their (OUR) money on clothes, cars & nights out but that happens everywhere. Harlow offers lots of employment opportunities in & around the town, is being regenerated & has lots & lots of snobby residents of Bishops Stortford, Epping & the villages nearby happy to slag the town off while frequenting the town to use its facilities (sports centre, cinema, shops, bowling, town park, free firework display etc). That is what truely annoys me. These people happily slate the town & its residents whose coundil tax pays for these facilitites but will come into the area to shop & socialise. With its easy access to London Liverpool Street & countryside just a few minutes away I wish people would think before they criticise. Their are some lovely people in Harlow who do care about where they live & would apprecite it if the sort of people who think its helpful & funny to post such exampes as seen here of negativity on this page would keep their opinions to themselves.
what a load of f**king wank!! where the hell did you get everyone fucks there brothers and sisters err no that dirty and wrong, your f**ked up. I feel strongly in saying that this actually is a load off SHIT! seriously. IM NOT A CHAV never wear burburry or joggers any sort of chavvy stuff. Yeah maybe its a bit of a shit whole but NOT this bad! cock.
This is rubbish… I have lived in Harlow almost all my life and I think it is great and I seem to have turned out all right .. there are lots of snobs around especially in Bishops Stortford who look down on us and I can’t see why… there are arses in any town. aha
I know this was written in 2005, its now 2009, I have lived in Harlow all my life, apart froma stint in Cardiff and Herford and I must admit It aint that bad, A few Pikys about but not as Bad as North London.
So to the man who Posted this from Surrey, You have not lived my Friend. You watch to Much Danny Dyer you MUG!!! LOL Prick
Actually people, you know nothing, im 14 and i lived there for 11 years okay? and it wasnt that bad at all you arent giving Harlow that much credit thankyou. Are you actually serious though? Have you checked out LONDON? that is 100 x Worst than Harlow idiots! At the age 11 i had the vocabulary of a 13 year old! and not being big headed am highly intelligent. You have really offended me.
‘Highly intelligent’ – well, as to that, it’s hard to know from your comment: you come across as badly educated at least. Please learn to punctuate, and please don’t come back with a silly comment about “oh, it’s only an online post”. That’s just lazy.
Having a vocabulary only two years above your age isn’t all that noteworthy, honey; sorry to burst your bubble.
well i agree harlow is a shithole and i am a chav infact i am also inbred (y)
WTF IS THIS ARTICLE ABOUT LOL
xactli i mean i live in harlow & i admit it is a state of a area but not all the teenagers r xactli the same but were all judged the same coz of where we live & wen u did live in harlow u wulda seen that not every single perosn u saw had a burberry hat on yea theres chavs in harlow but where abouts aint there but it aint all ppl frm harlow that r chavs yea sum r but its the ovaspill frm london n everywhere else hus comin in here & doin wot they do but realli if ppl r chavs y do ppl even realli care ?!
How funny, look at your spelling and grammer and tell me again you are not a thick Harlow idiot. LMAO
i lived in harlow for 28 yrs and so glad im away from there now.
i agree with the guy, that said aboput how many people/school friends are now dead? Personally my last count was about 15 and yes that is mostly due to being murdered or suicide
Harlow is depressing and the people in have no hopes for s better life, All they are intrested in is where there next giro is coming from
FACT
Yeah I had the pleasure of getting lost in Harlow when doing my Theory test there. Apart from the fact I couldnt find a f**king crossing to safely cross the road that criss cross the place, with the endless round abouts, prime Nova thrashing territory I guess. I was thinking really this place does make Croydon look like Kensington. Lmao
yeh, i live about 20 mins away from harlow, and harlow is deffinately chav central for the area, though mi area is building up quite a few. help!