Fury has erupted in York over one of the city’s iconic streets being turned into a “Disneyfied theme park.”
Neighbours have voiced their anger at “tacky” off-brand Harry Potter merchandise shops blighting The Shambles, a centuries-old cobbled road.
The street is widely thought to have inspired Diagon Alley from JK Rowling’s book series – though the author herself has said she has never visited.
Locals now claim their city has become little more than a “York Disney theme experience” as tourists arrive in droves.
One resident, Gabrielle de Yorvick, accused businesses of turning the area into a “Diagon Alley replica.”
Ms de Yorvick said: “As a child, it was a pleasure to walk along The Shambles, almost like walking through a page from a history book, fascinating for residents and visitors alike.”
She recalled how visitors once stopped to admire the jettied architecture with its oak beams and mullioned windows.
“These days it is a place I avoid like the plague,” she added.
Neighbours have voiced their anger at ‘tacky’ Harry Potter shops blighting The Shambles (pictured)
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In a letter to the York Press, she claimed the street was “dying” while those responsible for its protection were allowing it to happen.
Fellow resident Joanna Scott argued the historic thoroughfare needed “protected from undignified commercialisation.”
She said: “What will fill the beautiful shops when the Harry hype dies down?”
Despite the criticism, some traders on The Shambles have defended the street’s attractions – and the footfall they bring in.
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The medieval street is thought to have inspired Diagon Alley in JK Rowling’s series
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Kelly Blair of the Kings Inn called the thoroughfare “incredible” and “iconic.”
She said: “Having travelled all over the world, it’s one of the most amazing streets.”
Blair added that every shop was full and thriving, questioning what could be better than having such an amazing street.
Mike Gaskell of Little Saffron souvenir shop, who chairs the Shambles Traders’ Association, said: “I think trading in the Shambles is fantastic. It’s a happy place.”
Some traders on The Shambles have defended the street’s attractions
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He acknowledged that while Harry Potter was never filmed there, “it does bring people in.”
Chantelle McCarthur of The Shambles Tavern agreed that Potter “brings all the tourists” – though she admitted tour guides and queues can block the street.
April Robin from The Cheesecake Guy said: “It is good for business. We get a lot of tourists because they think its Diagon Alley.”
However, one unnamed shopkeeper revealed he was not benefiting from the tourist influx.
Sean, who works at Hedben Tea Shop said: “It’s bad for business, because visitors are just blinded by this look.”
He added that York used to be about history, Vikings and Romans, but now “it’s become Harry Potter world.”