In a homage to Slough, Adam Whitty writes convincingly in favour of the apparently much-maligned Berkshire town.

Amongst the many things it’s famous for – snooker, the Mars Bar, the wheelie bin, Thunderbirds, Caroline Herschel, the Ford GT40, Lydia Simmons and Tanmanjeet Singh  (surely all that’s now peaked your interest?) – Mr Whitty also tells us about the “Slough Experiment” …

“The Road Research Laboratory was set up in the Langley area of the town in 1946, and was tasked with creating a pedestrian crossing with road markings that were visible in all conditions.

The “Slough Experiment” began, during which all kinds of ways of getting from one side of the road to the other were tested across the town, with laboratory boffins eventually settling on the zebra crossing.

The sad news for any road-crossing spotters out there is that the original, created in 1951, is no longer in existence as the area has since been pedestrianised.”

I’m happy that the Slough Experiment took place and that the zebra crossing was its output. But I am a little sad that the original crossing no longer exists. A piece of history that can never be replaced. Change so often comes at a huge price.