The Shambles of York

      The Shambles is York's most famous street and the only one mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. It is so narrow that, from the upper storys of two of its timber-framed medieval buildings, people can shake hands across the street. For centuries butchers and slaughter houses occupied the street.

      A hundred years ago there were still 31 slaughter houses in the Shambles. They laid out their meat in low, wide shelves (shammels) in front of the open windows. Today, gift shops have taken over the street and the last remaining butcher, in Little Shambles, displays his meat more hygenically.

      The Shambles Heading off to York by Train from Chesterfield

            Links of Interest:
          • The Shambles
          • Historic York, A guided Tour of a Beautiful City
          • York Shambles

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