"Rome of the North" - now that is somewhat delusional and undermines your arguments for Slough. I could add Swindon and Braintree, along with Crawley or Croydon could contend for the southern title.
Sloopy, it's a very nice pub for Sunday lunch. Incidentally I traced Mrs Zacs family back to people who used to live on the Humber in barges in the mid 1800s.