The Google Street View Awards are a celebration of Britain’s best streets, to be voted for in a nationwide poll supported by VisitBritain, Lonely Planet, Fashion Editor of Vogue, Consumer Editor of The Sun, Deputy Editor of GQ, Deputy Editor of Dazed & Confused, Fashion Editor of Grazia, Founders of the Mr & Mrs Smith Guides, TV presenter and founder of MySingleFriend Sarah Beeny and the Travel Editor of Metro Google have today announced the nominations for the second year of the Google Street View Awards, a celebration of Britain’s best-loved streets as voted for by the public in a global poll.
With the success of the inaugural Street View Awards last year, coupled with new research released today on Britain’s use of Street View, it seems that Google’s revolutionary tool is more popular than ever;
The survey results reveal that Brits are using Street View an average of twice a week to discover new shops, restaurants, hotels and businesses across the UK. More than half of Brits polled (55%) use Street View to plan a visit to a UK tourist attraction and the surrounding area, stating that the look of a street will affect whether or not they choose to visit.
Street View currently allows users to view and navigate 360 degree street-level imagery in over 90% of the United Kingdom. For 2011, three new categories have been created for the Street View Awards; Britain’s Most Romantic Street, Best Shopping Street and Hippest Street, with 20 nominated towns in each category.
Shortlisted nominations for each of the award categories have been compiled by a panel of experts from the worlds of travel, lifestyle and popular culture including tourism authority VisitBritain, author David Else (Lead Author of the The Lonely Planet Guide to Great Britain), leading journalists Miranda Almond (Fashion Editor, Vogue), Bill Prince (Deputy Editor of GQ), Tim Noake (Deputy Editor of Dazed & Confused), Kay Barron (Fashion News and Features Editor, Grazia), Jane Hamilton (Consumer Editor, The Sun), Lisa Scott (Travel Editor, Metro), Jade Beer (Editor of Bride Magazine), TV personality Sarah Beeny (Property Ladder), Chrissy Illey (renowned lifestyle journalist),TV presenter Dawn Porter, X Factor Stylist Grace Woodward, Rebecca Holman (Editor of Handbag.com) and Juliet Kinsman (Editor in Chief of the Mr & Mrs Smith Guides).
The experts were asked to nominate streets that fulfilled a pre-set criteria for each category. Their nominated streets highlight a series of British treasures ranging from famous tourist attractions such as The Mall in London and The Royal Mile in Edinburgh, to hidden avenues and courtyards such as Ashton Lane in Glasgow and School Lane in Dedham.
Voting opens from today, and closes on Sunday 22nd May. The winning three streets will be awarded the Google Street View Award trophy when they are announced in June. To vote, go to http://maps.google.co.uk/beststreets
Britain’s Most Romantic
Each street nomination should offer a reason as to why this street is romantic, such as beautiful architecture, stunning views, a romantic ambiance, secluded getaways, restaurants and street lighting.
- Deal Castle Road, Dover
- The Mall, London
- New Road, Robin Hood’s Bay
- Montpellier Hill, Harrogate
- Marine Parade, St Mawes, Cornwall
- The Street, Castle Combe, Wiltshire
- High Street, Lavenham
- School Lane, Dedham
- Church Street, Stratford Upon Avon
- Copse Hill Road, Lower Slaughter, Gloucestershire
- A591, Grasmere, Lake District
- Tib Street, Manchester
- The Royal Mile, Edinburgh
- A83, Loch Fyne, Cairndow
- Front Street, Bamburgh
- Quayside, Newcastle
- Mwnt, Y Ferwig
- Bodfor Terrace, Aberdovey
- Whitepark Road, County Antrim
- Main Street, Crawfordsburn, County Down
Sandie Dawe, Chief Executive at VisitBritain said: “We are really pleased to be involved in the Google Street View Awards for a second year running. VisitBritain is very active in using social media to engage with audiences across the world and inspire people to explore Britain. These awards are a great opportunity to continue that engagement and showcase the breadth of the experience that awaits our overseas visitors.”
Juliet Kinsman, Editor in Chief of the Mr & Mrs Smith Guides said: “I love our country for its rich history, multiculturalism and mishmash of classic and contemporary; Britain’s landscape flaunts the same kind of wonderful diversity with quaint cobbled coastal lanes here, grand city promenades there and all sorts in between.”
Britain’s Best Shopping Street
Each street nomination should offer a broad range of shopping options from independent boutiques to high street, clothes, food and home wares; across a diverse price range.
- Market Place, Kingston-Upon-Thames
- Gardner Street, Brighton
- Low/High Petergate, York
- Skipton High Street, Skipton
- Milsom Street, Bath
- Promenade, Cheltenham
- Bull Street, Holt
- King’s Parade, Cambridge
- Francis Street, Leicester
- Low Pavement, Nottingham
- Lord Street, Southport
- Bold Street, Liverpool
- Buchanan Street, Glasgow
- Union Street, Aberdeen
- Grey Street, Newcastle
- Bondgate Within, Alnwick
- Castle Street, Hay On Wye
- Narbeth High Street, Narbeth
- Lisburn Road, Belfast
- Royal Avenue, Belfast
Jane Hamilton, Consumer Editor of The Sun commented: “Despite the downturn, shopping is still Brits national past time. And as the shortlist shows, tough times have made retailers even more innovative in getting consumers through the door.The sheer range and variety of shops on show on the shortlist prove we’re not just a nation of shopkeepers – but a nation of serious shoppers too.”
Britain’s Hippest Street
Each street nomination should offer a hip ambiance and vibrant atmosphere. This could incorporate a variety of clubs, art galleries, shops, cafes, bars, restaurants or street art.
- Redchurch Street, London
- Whitecross Street, London
- Call Lane, Leeds
- New Quay Road, Whitby
- Park Street, Bristol
- Fore Street, Totnes
- Mill Road, Cambridge
- St Giles Street, Norwich
- Spon Street, Coventry
- St Paul’s Square, Birmingham
- Thomas Street, Manchester
- Seel Street, Liverpool
- Broughton Street, Edinburgh
- Ashton Lane, Glasgow
- South Shore Road, Gateshead
- Lime Street, Newcastle
- High Street, Cowbridge
- Mill Lane, Cardiff
- Howard Street Belfast
- Henry Street, Belfast
Tim Noake, Deputy Editor of Dazed & Confused commented: “The Google Street View Awards are fast becoming an essential resource for inquisitive cultural consumers everywhere. I can’t wait to see which street wins!”
David Else, Lead Author of The Lonely Planet Guide to Great Britain, said: “As the lead author of the Lonely Planet Guide to Great Britain, I’ve travelled the length and breadth of the country, and seen many of these streets firsthand. For the second year running, selecting the shortlisted streets has been great fun. I hope people have as much fun voting for their favourites.”
Competition is expected to be fierce as streets from all over Britain battle it out for the coveted awards. Will Londons’ Redchurch Street, with its cool reputation and trendsetting attitude be crowned Britain’s Hippest, or will it be beaten by Manchester’s Thomas Street, with its crowd of diverse fashionistas and bohemians? Is Belfast’s Royal Avenue the undisputed shopping champion, or will it be upstaged by Liverpool’s Bold Street – or perhaps Cambridge’s King’s Parade will take the crown? Can Aberdovey’s Bodfor Terrace bring home the Most Romantic title for Wales, or will Newcastle’s Quayside pip it to the post for the North East?
Ed Parsons, Geospatial Technologist for Google said: “After the success of last year’s Google Street View Awards, we want to continue to celebrate the beauty and culture of Britain today. With Brits using Street View twice a week to check out various UK locations, we feel it’s more important than ever to showcase some of Britain’s Best Streets in three new categories. We hope people will once again get involved and vote online for their favourite.”
