On your right, you will spot a wide, arched metal sign spelling out Shambles Market, suspended high between the brick buildings and guiding the way toward a corridor of canvas-roofed stalls. After treating ourselves at York's Chocolate Story, wandering through a local market feels just right. The story of this space is actually quite bittersweet. Back in the 1950s, the city needed a new home for vendors after closing the market at St Sampson's Square and scaling back the one on Parliament Street. To create this open space, the city made a choice that still frustrates historians today. They demolished an entire street of medieval buildings known as Little Shambles. So much centuries-old architecture was lost forever to the wrecking ball. Initially, planners almost named the new space Gell Garth, an old medieval term for the area, but they settled on Newgate Market instead. It wasn't until a one point six million pound refurbishment in 2014 that it finally became Shambles Market. Today, eighty-six stalls and several food kiosks fill the area, and the heart of this market is its people. Families here have been setting up shop for generations. At the permanent stalls built for meat and fish, you will find Cross of York, a fishmonger that opened in 1957 and took home the national Fishmonger of the Year title in 2020. Nearby, Swain Family Butchers celebrated their fiftieth anniversary in 2022. It is wonderful to see that deep dedication to a craft. The market is open every day from nine to five if you want to browse. It is a wonderful community that keeps the city nourished. Take your time exploring the stalls, and let's continue on to The Blue Bell whenever you finish browsing.
