27th April 2026
Traces of history
Have you spotted these intriguing animal-themed ceramic tiles above the bar in the Angel on the Green on Bishopthorpe Road? They were uncovered during its recent refurbishment.
They’re over 100 years old and date back to when one of the shops here, in the 1920s, was a pork butchers, Angel & Co.
You may not know that our history group researches for our Bishy Road book in 2016 inspired the name for the bar.
Henry Angel was one of a number of German pork butchers whose families would have suffered from anti-German feeling during World War I. Angel had several other shops in York, in Fossgate, Bootham and Micklegate as well as a factory in James Street making meat pies. Sadly he seems to have expanded too quickly and went bankrupt in 1932.
The Angel on the Green extends over three former shop premises, all with a long history. Most recently of course it was Cycle Heaven, who still retain their bike workshop at the rear, as well as a splendid base over the river on Hospital Fields Road.
Cycle Heaven actually started off over the road at 5 Bishopthorpe Road in 1993, in a shop which was previously The Motorists Mecca. In 1998 they moved over here to no 2 on the corner. A successful business, by 2005 they had expanded across the three premises.
We’ll leave you with an intriguing puzzle. You may be familiar with the delightful decorative carvings on the Angel on the Green, embellished with gold paint. But their origin is still a mystery to us, because at some stage many years ago, what was originally a plain corner frontage changed into the more elaborate arrangement today, with carvings of grapes on decorative wooden supports. Was it a wine shop at some stage, or was it connected to the former grocers? Can anyone solve this puzzle?
