As many of you may know Emma and I live “out in the sticks” and if you need or want anything form the shops then you head to Malton.
It is a very pretty quintessential market town that we shopped in as children, worked in during our school holidays, sent sheep to market from (we grew up on a farm) and today it is the town we frequent, every week, whether for the bank, the post office, the fishmongers (amazing fish from Whitby), the butchers or just the plain old supermarket.
So far, so normal…… but it also happens to be a the town that inspired Charles Dicken’s to write about “Scrooge’s Counting House” in A Christmas Carol. It is that Dickensian feel to the town that we love, gillies and passages, old wall advertisements and shops that commit and specialise in a trade. We went for a wander this week and tried to capture a little bit of the magic.
The Shambles, one of Malton’s ancient narrow passageways, once housed 13 of the towns 33 butcher’s shops. Today you can find a beautiful sock shop (see www.selinascott.com), antiques, books and The Country Cobbler who kindly let us take a few photographs of their beautiful machines and trade in action.
The Shambles are sandwiched between the cattle market, the butcher Derek Fox and the amazing hardware store G. Woodhall & Sons.
If you find yourself in the area then carry on along the Market Place until you reach the red pillar-box and phone booth then turn left to walk down the Shambles. Rummage through ceramics, silverware, furniture, fine footware, and some very lovely mohair socks.
On the other hand if you head into your local town we are pretty sure you’ll find the same thing……independence, tradition and trade.
Thoughts From a Lone Tree 