A Walk Down The Shambles in York

My back and sciatic nerve have not exactly been cooperative during this trip to England, and the thought of sitting in a car for roughly two hours to get to York wasn't particularly appealing.

In fact, by the time I arrived, I was wondering whether my back might have been plotting against me.

But I'd come to England to photograph and explore….”never surrender”

So, York it was.

Stepping Back in Time

The Shambles is probably one of the most recognisable streets in York — and it's easy to understand why.

Walking into it feels rather like stepping backwards through time.

The street is narrow, the buildings lean towards one another, and the upper storeys almost seem to be having a conversation across the street.

It's wonderfully crooked, wonderfully old and, from a photographer's point of view, wonderfully difficult to resist.

York itself has more than two thousand years of history, with Roman, Viking and medieval influences all leaving their mark on the city. The medieval character is still particularly obvious in the old streets and the famous network of little passages and "snickleways" that weave through the city. (VisitYork.com)

And then there is The Shambles.

Why is it called The Shambles?

The name actually gives us a clue about what the street was originally used for.

The Shambles was historically York's butchers' quarter.

The word "shambles" is believed to have developed from an old term associated with a bench or stall used by butchers to display and sell their meat.

And once you know that, some of the features of the street start to make a little more sense.

The buildings originally housed butchers' shops, with the upper floors projecting out over the street. The narrowness of the street also provided some shelter from the elements.

It probably wasn't quite as picturesque in medieval times as it is today, though!

Rather than charming little shops selling souvenirs and Yorkshire treats, you would have had butchers working in the street, with meat hanging outside their premises.

The street's modern appearance may be charming, but its original purpose was decidedly practical.

The Buildings

For me, though, it's the buildings that make The Shambles so fascinating.

Some of the timber-framed buildings date back several centuries, and many have the characteristic overhanging upper floors that make the street feel almost enclosed.

Look upwards and you start to notice all sorts of details.

Crooked timbers.

Old windows.

Tiny architectural details.

Buildings that don't quite seem to agree on where the walls should actually be.

And then there are the little shops tucked underneath them.

York is famous for this mixture of medieval timber-framed buildings alongside later Georgian architecture, and wandering through the city's old streets is rather like looking at several centuries of architecture all at once. (VisitYork.com)

For a photographer, it's a gift.

There are leading lines everywhere, endless textures and details, and a wonderful sense of depth created by the buildings leaning towards the centre of the street.

The Photographer's Problem

Of course, there is one slight problem with photographing somewhere as famous as The Shambles.

Everyone else wants to photograph it too!

And it is a busy little street.

Very busy.

So getting the perfectly empty photograph of the ancient buildings that you have seen a thousand times online can be something of a challenge.

But perhaps that's not really the point.

I actually enjoyed photographing the street as it was — people wandering through, shoppers stopping at the little stores, visitors looking upwards at the buildings and the general bustle of York happening around them.

After all, this is a living piece of history.

It isn't a museum exhibit.

People have been coming down this street for hundreds of years, although I suspect today's visitors are considerably more interested in taking photographs than medieval shoppers were!

York's Snickleways

One of the things I particularly like about York is that The Shambles isn't really an isolated attraction.

It is part of a whole maze of ancient streets and little passages.

York's famous snickleways connect many of these streets, creating all sorts of unexpected routes through the historic centre. Visit York describes York as a city made for walking, with narrow streets, ancient passages and buildings that reveal something different around almost every corner. (VisitYork.com)

And that is exactly how it feels.

You can set off with a plan and, five minutes later, find yourself wandering somewhere completely different.

You keep thinking, I'll just have a quick look down here.

Then you see another interesting doorway.

Then another building.

Then another little passage.

Before you know it, you've walked considerably further than you realized.

Was It Worth It?

Absolutely.

Even though getting there wasn't particularly comfortable, I'm really glad I made the trip.

The Shambles is one of those places that photographs beautifully, but seeing it in person is different.

Photographs give you the buildings.

Being there gives you the atmosphere. Unfortunately I couldnt hang around until dark to get the empty street in the setting sun but at least I got there.