This is the last weekend my mom is with us here in the UK, and so we wanted to do something fun even if the weather was a bit uneven, and she was battling a head cold. The Shambles street market in York seemed like a good idea, allowing us to do some last-minute shopping for her trip and some sightseeing as well.
Formally known as Great Flesh Shambles, The Shambles in York has a rich history, dating back to 1086. The street was mainly occupied by butchers, who proudly hung their meat off beams and hooks outside their shops.
The last butcher closed in the 20th century, but now the street is full of souvenir shops, bookstores, bakeries, potion shops, and the like. It only takes a couple of minutes to walk the length of the street, although that lengthens considerably with window shopping and getting stuck in crowds. Behind the street are a group of food trucks and a pop-up market selling everything from sweets and handmade crafts to tacky Chinese-made souvenirs.
The market is particularly famous for its inspiration for Harry Potter’s Diagon Alley, although I don’t think Rowling herself has ever said anything like that. It’s all just hype.
The hype works, though, as the streets were crowded with very little room for us to move about.
The street totally leans into the Harry Potter theme. There are shops selling Harry Potter memorabilia, and witches conducting tours of the place.
York is supposed to be the most haunted city in Europe, and on this street, and there are many ghost tours you can take. They seem to be incredibly popular judging by the long lines queueing up for them. There was even a queue to buy a ghost from a shop!
None of us quite understood the fuss, but we queued up for the most important item on our agenda – chocolate! York is also famous for chocolate, and the most famous chocolatier is Monk Chocolaterie. The Potion Cauldron is another magical gift shop full of weird and wonderful drink concoctions, such as their Spellbound Butterscotch Beer, which the girl absolutely had to have. I tried a sip, and it’s pretty much like a salted caramel milkshake, with a whole lot of cream on top.
Plenty of other bric-a-brac to choose from in the various shops on this street. It’s not cheap stuff though, so we did more of window shopping than actual shopping.
There is a slice of genuine history here, too. One of the buildings houses the shrine of St. Margaret, an English woman who provided refuge to Catholic priests and was tortured and killed during the time of Queen Elizabeth I. It wasn’t until my son pointed it out and told me the story that I noticed it, and I felt such a surge of pride learning this fact from him. He’s really adapting and thriving in his school!
In short, there’s something for everyone at The Shambles, regardless of your age or interests. Whether you’re a Harry Potter super-fan wishing to visit Diagon Alley, a foodie fanatic, or just appreciate old architecture, you’ll love wandering up and down this curious street.
