Durham Saddler Street Card

Durham Saddler Street Card. A5 greeting card, with a photograph of Saddler Street in Durham City. Saddler Street, known historically as Saddlergate joins the market place from the south and is the main route for tourists heading up to Durham Cathedral and Durham Castle. Saddlergate was presumably the street where saddles were made and sold for horses but the lower part of the street which joins the market place was originally called ‘Fleshergate’ or ‘flesh hewer’. This was the street that contained the butcher’s shambles as ‘flesh hewer’ was an old name for a butcher. In days gone by the flesh hewers slaughtered their cattle in this narrow street – a very unhealthy practice. Saddler Street does not really begin until a little further up where it splits into two, either side of the Magdalen Steps. Up to this point the street should really be called Fleshergate. Saddler Street is in fact the street on the right hand side of the steps, while the street to the left leading to Elvet Bridge was known historically as Souter Peth. A souter was a shoemaker, so this street was the street of the cobblers.

This photograph was taken from restaurant beside the Magdalen Steps and looks back to the Market Place. Waterstones bookshop is prominent on the left side of the photograph. After Waterstones is the sign above the entrance to Saddlers Yard. In the eighteenth century the western side of Saddler Street near the entrance to Saddlers Yard was the site of a factory which produced the famous Durham mustard which was highly esteemed throughout the country for its pungency. It is now home to local art and craft business as well as a nice cafe.

This photograph has been processed with a posterisation filter to enhance the cobbles on the road and the brickwork of the buildings on both sides of the street.

Durham Saddler Street Card, comes in a clear cello bag, with a white envelope. Card is left Blank Inside for your own message.

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