Walking through York’s past

Now I shouldn’t be surprised that this image of the Shambles in York from around 1902, is pretty much what you will still see today.

After all cities like York have an interest in retaining those bits which the tourists love to see and photograph.

Of course, the intervening century and a bit have seen a change in the businesses but there is still a food shop roughly where the butcher’s was located at the beginning of the last century.

And of course, it remains a reminder of the twisty turny narrow streets which dominated our medieval towns and cities.

My Wikipedia suggests that it was there at the time of the Conquest and many of the buildings along its length date from the 1350s through to 1475, some still retaining evidence of the association with the meat trade.*

And the house the card was sent to has also survived.

True it is not as old as the Shambles, but 127 Graham Road in Hackney is still there and looks to be late Victorian or Edwardian.

In time I will go looking for the directories for York and Hackney around 902 and see what else emerges about the story of the two places.

Location; York and Hackney

Picture; the Shambles from a picture postcard, sent in 1902 from the collection of Tony Goulding.

*The Shambles, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shambles