14th January 2022

The old corner shops and pubs of Bishophill

Our first Zoom talk of 2022 will be Susan Major, highlighting our new research about the old shops and pubs of Bishophill, on Friday 28 January, at 7.30pm. This will be online only, as unfortunately we still cannot use Clements Hall as a large group.

What sort of people moved into the new Bishophill streets in the mid-19th century?

 Did you know there have been two cycle shops in Bishophill, established 70 years apart? 

Many people remember learning to dance at Mary Mac’s dancing school, next to the church in Bishophill, and meeting future partners. Did you know about the ghost of Mary Mac? Did you or your family take part in an intriguing music video, shot at the Hall back in the 1990s, with the Leeds group The Wedding Present, when it was Dennis and Rita Cole?

In 2021 we merged with Bishophill History Group, and we were delighted to be able to be able to share our resources. Our Bishophill Corner Shops project has been supported by the Council's Micklegate Ward Fund, with the aim of encouraging older people, who might have been excluded socially by pandemic restrictions, to come out and talk about their memories. Our researches in Bishophill have also been supported by YAYAS (Yorkshire Architectural and York Archaeological Society), and so we are most grateful for the help from these two funds. 

Over the last 200 years there have been many corner shops and pubs in Bishophill and along Skeldergate (some even older), almost all gone now. Along Skeldergate there were as many as eight pubs in the mid-19th century. Our small group of volunteers is investigating how shops and pubs changed over time, using historical resources to explore trade directories, photos, maps, the census and old newspapers. We’re also keen to attract people with memories and photos, and we’ve already had some remarkable ones. Television programmes such as David Olusoga’s A House Through Time have enticed people to see how tracing the history of a building can highlight many aspects of our social history.

Traces of the old Bishophill shops can be seen on almost every corner, similar to those we researched in South Bank. We have so much to find out and we’re still in the early stages, but our recent event at Jacob’s Well attracted a lot of interest and we have much to show you.

Anyone interested can join our history group for £5, plus £5 to access five local history talks during 2022, including the first one about Bishophill. Alternatively non-members can access these at £3 per talk. Details of how to pay and get your Zoom talk invitation are here.

Don't forget our latest book, Nunnery Lane and Clementhorpe: exploring old shops and pubs in York, is still on sale locally at Pextons, Frankie & Johnny's Cookshop, The Trafalgar Bay and The Winning Post, price £8. It makes an excellent present for friends and family with memories of our area.