An « amazing » town designed to look exactly like a British village was built over 5,000 miles away. Thames Town reportedly cost around £530 million to build and is located just 19 miles away from central Shanghai in China.
It is based around an English market town complete with cobbled streets, red phone boxes, Victorian terraces and corner shops. Thames Town, named after the River Thames, was part of the One City, Nine Towns development unveiled in 2001 to ease overpopulation in Shanghai. The development was also due to contain villages based around German, Dutch, Canadian and Spanish styles.
Thames Town was once described as a « ghost town » however thanks to high property prices and the number of closed shops. YouTuber Ben Morris visited Thames Town and initially felt as though he « could be in Milton Keynes » when he arrived.
In a video, he said: « I am from the UK, I have lived most of my life in the UK, and I feel as though I could be in the UK right now, except for the Chinese number plates and the lack of crime. »
Ben, who visited Thames Town during a downpour, added: « I’m actually at home, this is amazing. What’s even more homely about this place is, the sprinkle on top, the weather is stinking, it couldn’t be gloomier and it’s cold. »
House prices in Thames Town were initially said to be around £400,000 but many were snapped up as investments, pushing them up higher. It has since become a popular destination for Chinese couples wanting to make their wedding look quintessentially British.
As well as the pedestrianised British streets and Tudor buildings, Thames Town is home to a church modelled on a Christ Church in Clifton, Bristol, a chippy, a KFC, and even a mock Costa Coffee. The houses in the village were based on Georgian and Victorian style properties.
Ben concluded that Thames Town could offer families a « taste of England » or a chance to step back from the hustle and bustle of city life in Shanghai.
He said: « Honestly, this town is a lot nicer than many towns I’ve been to in the UK. I don’t know what anyone is on about when they call this place a ghost town because it is full of activity. »
He added: « It was weird walking around a town that felt so familiar but, at the same time, not at all. »
Fellow YouTuber Harvey in China felt Thames Town looked « eerily close » to Britain when he visited a year ago. Although Harvey felt the town was « very, very empty » on a Saturday.
He added: « It is so surreal walking along the cobbled streets. It is a lot bigger than I thought it would be. It seems everyone here is some sort of vlogger, live streamer, or photographer, just here to take photos, or obviously tourists. »
Tripadvisor reviewer Dean called Thames Town a « worthwhile visit » for tourists. He wrote: « It worthwhile to visit if you’re in Shanghai for longer than a week. You’ll have to spend more than one and half hours to travel to the place »
While Anna in 2021 added: « The town is very nice! It really does feel like I’ve stepped back into the UK! Lovely little town to just walk around and escape Shanghai! »
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