Our Forgotten Towns

Interesting blip today; this is one of those shots that was largely accidental at the moment it was taken, and only seemed to acquire a story later on. That story is, of course, the tale of the high street as a whole: the man leafing through children's books on a market stall; his mate trying to make a serious point even though he hasn't got the bloke's attention; the payday loan company behind them; the reflection of another closing down sale.

While you're pondering that, have a blast of The Levellers. Pay particular attention to the line "the death of Albion they're mourning"; it has special resonance on this high street.


Remember those parades and the county fair
Wearing Sunday best, so debonair
Now only ghostly spectres brawl
Echo the pavement's hard footfall
Torn by wind through empty roads
On the closed bypass, abandoned loads
No ferry boat, pub or general store
There's nowhere open any more.

Our forgotten towns are calling
The death of Albion they're mourning
Cracks show in the market halls
Dying in the shadow of a shopping mall

These are our forgotten towns
Slowly raised now quickly drowned
A legacy of industrial jails
The steelworks rusting and the concrete fails.

Our forgotten towns are calling
The death of Albion they're mourning
Cracks show in the market halls
Dying in the shadow of a shopping mall

One more community implodes
And you're nothing, nobody
Just another barcode