{"id":185952,"date":"2025-06-15T08:56:08","date_gmt":"2025-06-15T08:56:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/185952\/"},"modified":"2025-06-15T08:56:08","modified_gmt":"2025-06-15T08:56:08","slug":"the-beautiful-uk-market-town-thats-died-such-a-death-locals-see-no-point-in-high-street-uk-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/185952\/","title":{"rendered":"The beautiful UK market town that\u2019s died such a death locals see no point in high street | UK | News"},"content":{"rendered":"

A pretty market town<\/a> with a rich history and a vibrant present is facing a high street<\/a> crisis, as locals lament its deteriorating condition. Residents in Darlington, a market town in County Durham, raised concerns about the high street as a number of shops have closed down recently.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It comes as a 70-year-old shop recently announced its closure. The Art Shop on Bondgate, Darlington, revealed that it will be shutting its doors to the public, leaving many residents shocked. Michelle Blackburn, 55, a lifelong resident of Darlington, said the transformation of the high street over the years has been dramatic.<\/p>\n

She told The Northern Echo<\/a>: \u201cThere\u2019s really nothing to come to town for anymore. People used to come in to go to the market \u2013 it was a market town. But it\u2019s died a death.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was younger, I used to come in \u2013 there were lots of shops to look around and browse around. And there\u2019s just not anymore.<\/p>\n

\u201c[The High Street] seems to be taken over a lot by charity shops, vapes, that sort of thing.”<\/p>\n

Darlington is a charming market town in County Durham, England, with a rich history and a vibrant present. Its market heritage stretches back over 1,000 years, and today it\u2019s home to a mix of traditional and modern experiences.<\/p>\n

Darlington Market stands at the centre of the town\u2019s vibrant scene, nestled inside a striking Victorian covered hall. Step inside and you will discover a buzzing Street Food Hall, alongside independent traders\u2014from greengrocers to traditional butchers\u2014and the Market Tap bar, a local favourite for live music, quizzes, and performances.<\/p>\n

Just outside, the West Row Street Market springs to life every Monday, Friday, and Saturday, brimming with fresh produce and artisanal delights.<\/p>\n

The town also bursts with character through its themed markets and seasonal celebrations\u2014think food festivals, farmers markets, and eclectic night markets featuring everything from tarot readings to sizzling street eats. I<\/p>\n

However, residents believe that the rise of online shopping has led to the downfall of the high street.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Emma Arnett-Davies, 43, said: “I think it is still worth coming, but it definitely feels on the decline.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do worry about the future of the high street. I think there\u2019s a strong possibility that it could become extinct.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A pretty market town with a rich history and a vibrant present is facing a high street crisis,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":185953,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[51,13465,9180,16,76251,76252,76253,76255,76254,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-185952","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-high-street","10":"tag-towns","11":"tag-uk","12":"tag-uk-market-town","13":"tag-uk-market-town-high-street","14":"tag-uk-market-town-high-street-dead","15":"tag-uk-market-town-latest","16":"tag-uk-market-town-more","17":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114686550580825250","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185952","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=185952"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185952\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/185953"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=185952"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=185952"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=185952"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}