Lady Peckett's Yard is one of York's many Snickelways. These are a fascinating network of narrow alleys that run between the main roads, and which reveal some amazing hidden architectural gems when they are explored.The entrance to Lady Peckett's yard is on a bustling street containing a number of shops. Only rarely does one see another person in the alley; and they usually have a camera or Snickelways book in hand.
You have managed to capture the essence of York and the wonderful quaintness of the narrow lanes. They can often look so dark so nicely done on the lighting front. Lovely :-)
Fab shot... have been to York a couple of times but had no idea they were called snickelways. What a great word!! Must try to drop it casually into conversation at some point!!
I've always found it really difficult to get good photos in these kinds of alleys because of the light and perspective - but this is a great shot Katharine. Thanks for the information too.
@pyrrhula Is there a special name for your alleyways. I didn't know of snickelways until I came to live in York. They were gennels in my area of Sheffield. Katharine
@fishers The word comes from the fact that at night the alleys would be gated shut particularly to stop welsh marauders etc. I don't think any of them now have a gate. Snickelways is an equally great name :)
Snickelways is a fairly modern name. It was invented in the early 1980s by local author Mark Jones who wrote a book about the narrow passageways in York, which at that time had a variety of local names. The term Snickelways has now almost completely replaced the earlier terms here in York. It's interesting to hear the origin of the term shuts. Recently a number of back alleys in areas of terraced housing in York have been gated to reduce the risks of burglary.
I love these little alleys - this is a nice capture of one!
I also like the idea of doing a family project together! It's probably much more fun that way :)
katharine
Snickelways is a fairly modern name. It was invented in the early 1980s by local author Mark Jones who wrote a book about the narrow passageways in York, which at that time had a variety of local names. The term Snickelways has now almost completely replaced the earlier terms here in York. It's interesting to hear the origin of the term shuts. Recently a number of back alleys in areas of terraced housing in York have been gated to reduce the risks of burglary.
Ian
I also like the idea of doing a family project together! It's probably much more fun that way :)