A montage of views from my Penrith visit. All photographs by Graham Soult
Yesterday it was a pleasure to visit Penrith, in Cumbria, for the first time in a while.
The town isn’t without challenges – the New Squares scheme, though neatly knitting into the town’s existing grain, has never really attracted enough tenants and footfall – but there is an eye-catching Sainsbury’s with a portico.
The former Woolworths in Penrith is instantly recognisable, and is still what it has been ever since Woolies’ demise: a popular branch of B&M.
Booths does Waitrose better than Waitrose.
Graham Soult
And it’s impossible to go to Penrith without a trip to the wonderful Booths – the supermarket that does Waitrose better than Waitrose. Their Armenian white wine is always one of my favourites.
But perhaps the most memorable thing about visiting Penrith in summer is the beautiful floral displays. Apparently sponsored by local businesses, Penrith BID and Penrith Town Council, the flowers are genuinely some of the most stunning I have seen anywhere on my travels. Amazing work!
Even in a place where there are perhaps more vacant units than you would like, investment in the quality of the public realm always demonstrates a place that is proud, and working hard to improve – and it can only encourage those who might be thinking about living, trading or investing there.
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A version of this post was originally published on LinkedIn here.
