Step back in time... (The Shambles (Chesterfield, Derbyshire))

Member Name: lolly23

Product:	The Shambles (Chesterfield, Derbyshire)
Date:	01/04/09 (66 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very peaceful,and historic

Disadvantages: Very small, not much to do?

I recently wrote a review on Chesterfield and was suprised to see The Shambles as a topic as it is such a small area and isn't really noticed by anyone who lives in Chesterfield!

I can see how it can be of interest though as it is quite a pretty feature of the town and very historic. The Shambles is basically a square plot of buildings with three streets running through it. One running through the middle and two cutting across it.

Most of the buildings date back to tudor times and one building dates back to the 12th century. This building is now joined to another building from the 16th century and forms Chesterfields oldest pub, The Royal Oak.

Nowadays, the streets seem very narrow (more like alleys) and feels very different to the wide open pavements surrounding The Shambles.

The Shambles contains a health food cafe, a coffee shop, The Body Shop, a decorative clothes shop (filled with sequinned and embroidered designs, very unique and sophisticated - my mum loves that shop), a handbag shop, a high quality bra fitting shop and some 'new age' type of place with candles, scents, beads and stuff. I think that's it. At the end of one of the streets, leading to the High street there is a flower stall which adds to the ambience.

It is a peaceful area which is quite strange as every street that surrounds it is extremely hectic. I would recommend strolling through one day and maybe stopping for a coffee, the coffee shop has outdoor seating and it is a nice place to stop and rest your feet between shopping!

Summary: A lovely little piece of history that is worth a look