Glastonbury is a community of about 32,000 people that is about 8 miles southeast of downtown Hartford. Glastonbury lies along the eastern side of the Connecticut River and it's per capita income of $40,820 makes it the wealthiest town on the east side of the river.
The town has come a long way since being settled in 1693. Glastonbury has grown immensly over the years as thousands left Hartford in search of suburbs. To this day though Glastonbury has retained its small town charm. The town still has a quaint downtown that is fairly walkable and features dozen of historic homes and churches. Outside of the town center there is a mix of a office buildings that are situated near Route 2 which brings drivers into Hartford. Over the last 20 years significant development has been made in the luxury housing department in town but nevertheless there are still many rural parts of town and the town still has a small town charm.
Anway enjoy the tour...and as a note these pictures were taken at differant times which is why some pics show the town a few days after a major snowstorm.
First we have to start with a shot of the Hartford skyline to get our bearings.
Here we go....
Main Street
Town Green
Saint James Episcopal Church
School Street
CVS on Main Street
Concord Street
Derr Plaza
Somerset Square - Many view Somerset Square to be one of the first "lifestyle centers" ever built. The center features a group of shops placed in a circular design surrounded by offices and now across the street from a supermarket and bookstore. However the area lacks any residential component.
Williams Street
First Church of Christ
Saint Pauls Church
Flanagan Brothers Furniture
Eric Towne Square - Built off Main Street this is a new development of two buildings of retail and office space. This project was built on a very small lot though and has sidewalks facing the main road and even underground parking.
Fox Run Mall - A 1970's shopping mall that thrived in town for years. The mall was home to many locally opened and operated shops and restaurants and for many years its anchor was a Shaw's Supermarket. As retail became more competitive though and newer malls and plazas were built Fox Run Mall hit hard times and in 2006 Shaw's closed up shop. But a new developer has come in and with him is coming Connecticut's third Whole Foods. Over the last year the entire mall has been redone and work is being done to create a new Whole Foods.
The pictures show the mall before and after the renovations!
Main Street & Welles Street
Katz Hardware
Hubbard Street
Welles Street
Melrose Street
Medford Street
Post Office
Rankin Road & New London Turnpike by the town's post office
Glastonbury Blvd.
Glastonbury High School - The town's sole high school home to about 2,300 students.
New London Turnpike
Glastonbury Heights - An upscale subdivision by Toll Brothers
Tall Timbers Drive
Paxton Way
Riverfront Community Center
Route 17-New London Turnpike on the town's south side
Barnes & Noble
Classic Car show in town
Griswold Mall
Monaco Ford
Homewood Suites by Hilton and the Hilton Garden Inn (VERY hard to tell apart)
Awesome! I can't wait to see what other Hartford suburbs you get to. I grew up in Cheshire, about 25-30 miles south of Hartford. Not quite a suburb, but if you ever feel like taking a drive and some photos to make a fellow SSP-er feel nostalgic, I'd be all for it! Seeing any photos of Connecticut makes me nostalgic, though. Thanks for posting these!
Awesome! I can't wait to see what other Hartford suburbs you get to. I grew up in Cheshire, about 25-30 miles south of Hartford. Not quite a suburb, but if you ever feel like taking a drive and some photos to make a fellow SSP-er feel nostalgic, I'd be all for it! Seeing any photos of Connecticut makes me nostalgic, though. Thanks for posting these!
I dont have any pictures of Chesire BUT I do have tons of pictures of Hartford, New Haven, East Hartford, West Hartford, Manchester, and Wethersfield, that ill work on posting!
Some lovely churches and pleasant old houses. Thiose drive n park retail zones were utterly hideous though and ruined the quaint image given by some of the other pictures. The town doesn't hold a candle to the real Glastonbury, though, in Somerset, which is one of the most ancient and mystic in England.
Some lovely churches and pleasant old houses. Thiose drive n park retail zones were utterly hideous though and ruined the quaint image given by some of the other pictures. The town doesn't hold a candle to the real Glastonbury, though, in Somerset, which is one of the most ancient and mystic in England.
Yea there are some great historic homes, churches and shops in Glastonbury but the town wasnt spared from those drive and park developments sadly..but the historic buildings the town does have are fully occupied by shops, congregations or proud residents.
Some lovely churches and pleasant old houses. Thiose drive n park retail zones were utterly hideous though and ruined the quaint image given by some of the other pictures. The town doesn't hold a candle to the real Glastonbury, though, in Somerset, which is one of the most ancient and mystic in England.
This is true of course, but bear in mind that unlike the original Glastonbury, this version is a suburb of a fairly large city and therefore subject to all the drive in stuff and general blandness that entails. Since you are going to get that kind of stuff anyway its essentially a damage limitation exercise and the buildings at least make an attempt to fit into their surroundings.
Getting on to comparisons, speaking as someone who lives in London but visits New England a lot i'd say that Boston Ma is a billion times than Boston Lincolnshire (not saying much). Portsmouth NH is far nicer than Portsmouth UK (largely thanks to german bombs and urban renewal) and Haverhill MA is just as rubbish as Haverhill Suffolk, although the UK version does now have the only known laser sculpture on a roundabout in the world, which probably gives it the edge
Seeing any photos of Connecticut makes me nostalgic, though. Thanks for posting these!
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