The gorgeous little UK market town that's frozen in time - not an abandoned shop in sight

详细摘要

The area also left an outsized mark on British design. World-famous gardener Gertrude Jekyll lived just down the road at Munstead Wood, pioneering the naturalistic cottage-garden…

Few English towns can claim to have outshone the entire planet, but in September 1881, Godalming did just that when it switched on the world's very first public electricity supply. Nearly a century and a half later, this picturesque settlement tucked along the River Wey in the Surrey Hills is still illuminating how modern towns ought to run.

While nearby commuter-belt towns battle hollowed-out high streets, Godalming is thriving. Fresh from taking Gold honours at the national RHS Britain in Bloom awards, the market town is packed with hanging baskets, but it's the fiercely loyal trade for local independents that keeps the streets full. You won’t find rows of boarded-up shop fronts here. Church Street mixes traders who have been there for 50 years with brand-new shops and confectionery spots, drawing in impressive online reviews.

Attention to detail here extends to the most surprising corners. Godalming Town Council recently made headlines after its rescued Crown Court public amenities swept the national Loo of the Year Awards, taking home a Platinum prize and earning Godalming a spot in the UK’s local authority "Premier League".

Framed by the River Wey, the town centres on The Pepperpot – the 1814 Old Town Hall that marks the bustling junction between Church Street and the High Street.

Godalming's trading roots date back to 1575, when Elizabeth I granted it a royal market charter. For generations, it thrived as a busy coaching stop between London and Portsmouth, but it was the Victorians who truly put it on the map. In 1881, the town made history by hooking up water turbines on the River Wey to Siemens generators, beating London, Paris and New York to become the world’s first place with public electric street lighting.

The area also left an outsized mark on British design. World-famous gardener Gertrude Jekyll lived just down the road at Munstead Wood, pioneering the naturalistic cottage-garden style that reshaped British gardens for the next century.

By the time the…

Albe…

文章开头，摘自Daily Express。如需阅读全文，请前往媒体网站。