Diagon Alley is a cobble stoned alley and shopping area that features in the Harry Potter series of books by J.K. Rowling. Harry and his friends buy all their wizarding supplies for Hogwards School from Diagon Alley, including their wands.

The inspiration for Diagon Alley is said to be The Shambles, one of York’s most popular tourist destinations. The Shambles is a narrow cobbled street lined with delightful Elizabethan buildings.

The Shambles gets is name from its original purpose as a street of butchers and the main place where local people bought their meet.

We visited The Shambles during our recent trip to York on a dark and rainy day. The weather really added to the air of mystery and delight for us all as we splashed down the street under our umbrellas and dashed in and out of the quaint shops.

Through the Nethergate is available from the following outlets:

https://tslbooks.uk/product/through-the-nethergate-roberta-eaton-cheadle/

http://www.lulu.com/shop/roberta-eaton-cheadle/through-the-nethergate/ebook/product-24208518.html

Through the Nethergate

Blurb

Margaret, a girl born with second sight, has the unique ability to bring ghosts trapped between Heaven and Hell back to life. When her parents die suddenly, she goes to live with her beloved grandfather, but the cellar of her grandfather’s ancient inn is haunted by an evil spirit of its own.

In the town of Bungay, a black dog wanders the streets, enslaving the ghosts of those who have died unnatural deaths. When Margaret arrives, these phantoms congregate at the inn, hoping she can free them from the clutches of Hugh Bigod, the 12th century ghost who has drawn them away from Heaven’s White Light in his canine guise.

With the help of her grandfather and the spirits she has befriended, Margaret sets out to defeat Hugh Bigod, only to discover he wants to use her for his own ends – to take over Hell itself.