UK Trip #23: York's Bootham Bar, Shambles and a Ghost

Tom acting "Fabulously British"

Despite being in York, England, only one afternoon, night and morning, we did manage to walk the town and explore a number of things. Today's blog takes you on a tour of some of the things that we found entertaining and interesting.

"FABULOUSLY BRITISH" - Tom saw that saying on one of the windows of a shop in York, and loved it. It's actually a casual clothing line from a UK specialist supplier named Jack Wills.

Bootham Bar

Bootham Bar was next Lion and Lamb. Tom in the doorway

HANGING OUT AT THE BOOTHAM BAR - Nope, it's not a bar-room. It's actually the name of one of the medieval gates that led into the city of York from the wall that surrounded the city.
   The walls  that surround the city of York have 4 main gatehouses, or 'bars.' The 4 "Bars" are: Bootham Bar, Monk Bar, Walmgate Bar and Micklegate Bar. These restricted traffic in medieval times, and were used to extract tolls, as well as being defensive positions in times of war.
    Although much of Bootham Bar was built in the 14th and 19th centuries, it also has some of the oldest surviving stonework, dating to the 11th century. It stands almost on the site of porta principalis dextra, the north western gate of Eboracum.


DINNER AT THE LAMB AND LION - When we met our friends at night, we all dined at the Lamb and the Lion. It's located in the heart of York, facing the side of Bootham Bar (gate). The Lamb And Lion has award-winning food, real ales,rustic dishes, and great fish and chips (I - Rob, had it!).
  The Lion and the Lamb is more than a restaurant, though. It's also an Inn. The Inn was ravaged by fire in the 17th century then rebuilt. 

GHOST AT THE INN - As soon as we walked through the door of the Lamb and the Lion, I (Rob) got my usual headache in the back left side of my head that indicates a ghost or spirit is present. It was the ghost of a man.

A clothing store

He was a former shopkeeper from centuries past, that was dedicated to his job and never left. 



MISS DIVA- We came across this quirky store and immediately thought our friend Jeff would get a kick out of it. He loves a lot of the musical divas. 

Tom and Rob at the Shambles

WHAT IS "THE SHAMBLES"? - The Shambles is an old street in York with overhanging timber-framed buildings, some that date back as far as the fourteenth century!
It was once known as The Great Flesh Shambles, probably from the Anglo-Saxon Fleshammels (literally 'flesh-shelves'), the word for the shelves that butchers used to display their meat. As recently as 1872, there were twenty-five butchers' shops in the street but now there are none.
 "Shambles" is an obsolete term for an open-air slaughterhouse and meat market.
  If you're ever in York, you need to walk down this famous street. It was interesting how the buildings are leaning toward each other.

Sign about the history of the Shambles

   We stopped for a picture there, went into one of the art galleries, and also took a picture of the sign about the area.
   The Shambles may not have any more butcher shops, but it has plenty of clothing, jewelry, art and trinkets for sale.




Below - A picture of the crowds that continually flock to the "Shambles."


NEXT: Dog Rescue Event - then...
TRACKING THE HISTORY OF GUY FAWKES (Remember the movie "V is for Vendetta"?)

Crowds enjoy the Shambles' shops