I am very happy that The Shambles in York won the Google Street View Awards! My relatives came from Yorkshire and I spent many school holidays visiting the city.

York is an ancient city, the Romans invaded in 71AD, when 5,o00 men marched from Lincoln and set up camp at a place they called “Eboracum”.

Next came the Vikings, invading on 1st November 866 when all the leaders were in the cathedral celebrating All Saints Day,

William the Conquerer also set his sights on York after the invasion, marching there in 1068 when York was still a Viking city.

The Black Death came to York in 1190 and stayed for almost a year, by the time it was over, more than 5,000 people had died

Henry VII defeated York’s favourite Richard III to win the crown in 1485 and visited the city a year later, when the citizens were determined to put on a good impression for the first of the Tudor monarchs.

The Shambles was a street even then, lined with butcher shops with the meat laid out on what now are the window sills.  At some points, if you stretch out your arms you can touch both sides of the street!

There is loads more to the story of York and you can read all about it at http://www.historyofyork.org.uk

Or better still, pay a visit……………