The Shambles, one of the most photographed streets in Britain, is considered one of the best preserved Medieval shopping streets in Europe. It is mentioned in the Domesday Book, recording its use for retail activities 900 years ago.
None of the original shop fronts have survived from medieval times, but many of the buildings have wooden shelves or wide windowsills left from the days when cuts of meat were sold from open windows.
The street is short and so narrow in places that you could probably reach out from one building and touch one on the other side. Many visitors assume the structures tilt toward each other because of their great age. In fact, the Shambles was made narrow to keep the meat sold there out of direct sunlight.
Nevertheless, it was a dangerous and unhealthy place in the Middle Ages, and probably a hot spot for the periodic outbreaks of plague.
Today the Shambles is lined with cafes, small boutiques and people with cameras.
