You can tell a lot about a history of a British town by the names of the streets. For instance:
A Bar was a defensive gateway to a city, usually set into the city walls. Frequently the old gateways remain although the wall has long gone.
A Gate was actually a street, from the Norse ‘gata’ of the Vikings
Many old towns have an area called The Shambles. York has perhaps the most famous example. This derives from the term shammels or slaughter houses. Butchers would slaughter their own meat and the gutters outside their shops were often littered with blood and bone. Hence the term ‘shambles’ meaning untidy and disorganised.
