Christmas Shopping in York

This is the Shambles in York, dating from as far back as the fourteenth century, with its very narrow cobbled street and overhanging timber-framed buildings. Apparently the name comes from an Anglo-Saxon word meaning ‘flesh shelves’, indicating that this is where butchers once plied their trade. Today the butchers’ shops have been replaced with lots of quirky souvenir shops and eating places, including a glorious shop called ‘Chocolate Heaven’, and a must-visit fudge shop. Five ‘Snickleways’ lead off the Shambles. These are small paths or lanes between buildings, wide enough only for shoppers to pass through, (we’d probably call them ‘snickets’ or ‘ginnels’ locally) and the whole area is vehicle free. The Shambles is definitely the place to find that individual, one-off, special little gift and since it is such a unique and curious part of York, I thought I would try to give it a ‘Christmas Card’ look.