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Monday 10am - 5:30pm Tuesday 10am - 5:30pm Thursday 10am - 5:30pm Friday 10am - 5:30pm Saturday 10am - 5:30pm Sunday 10am - 5:30pm

http://www.yorkghostmerchants.com/

York Ghost Merchants, York (2026)

24/12/2025

A message of seasonal benevolence.

When snow dusted the rooftops, and the cold froze the dewdrops
It brought a shy delight; all of us smiling and wide-eyed
All happy exchanges, no longer strangers
watching it fall and subside
There was a certain togetherness, a seasonal benevolence
A warmth incongruous outside.

Our final post of the year is one of warmth & gratitude.
Gratitude to everyone who purchased a Ghost from us for the first time, and to the regulars who visit again & again. Warm wishes to customers who have become friends of the business. Those who stand on the sun-baked Shambles in the August heatwaves or choose to endure the early, dark, cold mornings under dripping umbrellas. Thank you to those who have managed to purchase online this year, through the lottery of the Bowler Hat or the fortune of catching a Clandestine release. Our hats are off to everyone who has entered a Charity Ghost raffle, your generosity & support have helped raise over £100,000 for ten charities in 2026. We still don’t believe there’s a business in the land which has such a dedicated, and devoted community of customers & collectors. Every great shop needs great customers and we really do have the greatest. Thank you one & all.
As founders of the business, we always like to take this opportunity to publicly pay respect & give thanks to our team of Merchants who make, sell, pack, meet, greet, entertain, plan & organise ( and so much more besides … ) We are blessed to have such a wonderful bunch of talented, creative, kind and hardworking people who wear the bowler hats each day. Their incredible efforts are what make our business possible, and we are supremely grateful to them all.

The shops close today at 2pm and the Merchants will take a well-deserved seasonal break; we will not reopen until 10am on January 2nd. The offices & workshop will not be fully staffed over the next week and emails will not be responded to until the new year.
2026 will begin with an online release of 5,000 Ghosts which we will preview on January 2nd.

We wish you all a joyful festive holiday and a happy & healthy new year to come.
TYGM

23/12/2025

Black Box Edition #29 The Little Silver Ghost. Edition of 15 hallmarked and numbered.
The most exclusive and valuable Black Box Ghost that we have made to date. In late 2023 we began working with an artisan jeweller on a project to create a little Ghost in pure silver. The result is an exact replica of our little sized Ghost (5cm tall), which is made from UK standard 925 sterling silver, 2.5mm thick. Weight approx 50g. The eyes are black enamel. On the base is the WRA makers mark, hallmark and edition number. The making process took six months, the skill and time invested make each piece a real labour of love. Silver is a metal which will tarnish (a natural chemical reaction) dependent on conditions, some may enjoy the different shades of grey to black others will want to keep the silver shiny. A silver polishing cloth is provided to clean the Ghost, please do not use any abrasive shop bought products as they will damage the surface.
We have held these Little Silver Ghosts under wraps for over a year as we decided the best & fairest ways to sell them. The first ten are to be sold by raffle on the Raffall.com website with individual tickets costing £2 each. The raffle is open to people outside of the UK, although if an overseas winner is selected at random then they will be responsible for covering any signed for shipping costs and any associated taxes or import tariffs. UK winners receive free postage, or the option of collection from our offices.
Multiple ticket purchases have equal opportunity for success as ticket numbers are selected from the entire range of tickets purchased including individual tickets purchased as part of a bulk buy. We have an extended 3 day ticket bundle opportunity, offering early bird free ticket incentives. 10% of ticket revenue will go to Macmillan Cancer Support. Tickets are available now, go to www.raffall.com and search Silver Ghost or click the link in our Stories.
Winners will be notified by Raffall immediately after the draw is made on Monday 5th January.
Five Little Silver Ghosts have been retained to sell by other methods in the New Year. The retail price of these Ghosts will be £950 when sold via standard channels.

19/12/2025

This weekend we are offering the opportunity to watch a rendition of the Charles Dickens classic “A Christmas Carol” performed by James Swanton. This is the version that we streamed last year, and you will be able to view it as a short film on our YouTube channel at any time from 6pm on Friday 19th December until 11pm GMT on Boxing Day . The performance was pre-recorded in The Guild Room at St Saviourgate last December and lasts approximately 1hr 20 mins.
Christmas Carol was written in 1843 at a time when there was a strong tradition of ghost story readings at Christmas; this will be the fifth Christmas that Mr Swanton has performed it with us, it has become part of our own traditions.
Tickets now on sale from the SHOP on our website only using an honesty box donation system. We kindly ask that anyone who watches donates in advance or immediately following the event. The ticket donation price is £2.50 with £1 from every ticket sold being donated to St Leonard’s Hospice; an independent charity providing specialist palliative care and support for local people with life limiting illnesses. The remainder after VAT will go to Mr Swanton himself.
In his previous performances of “A Christmas Carol” critic Charles Hutchinson wrote: “Dropping into character should really read dropping in and out of myriad characters, as the storytelling Swanton plays narrator and every role from Dickens’s story: men, women, children...ghosts et al. His face is as elastic as his voice in this tour-de-force solo show, where physicality, keen intelligence in editing, dark humour and chameleon acting skills all come into play.” If you still haven’t seen him perform it before then we recommend that you find the time, fill your glasses with good cheer and prepare to be entertained in the old-fashioned way.

05/12/2025

The Gilded Messenger - Charity Ghost.
For most scheduled large online releases this year a small number of the style have been made as Rare & Unusual limited editions to be sold exclusively by charity raffle. This is the Charity Ghost version of our Messenger Ghost.
This Charity Ghost is a Messenger from the latest release, carefully treated with a gold finish to highlight some of the more intricate aspects of its serendipitous pattern. The parchment which accompanies the Ghost (and rolls to fit within and can be completed with a message of your own choosing), will also feature gold highlights. Each Ghost will be stamped with the charity stamp of the heart and anchor. There are six Ghosts to win in this Raffall.
The Raffalls are open to people outside of the UK although if an overseas winner is selected at random then they will be responsible for covering any shipping costs. UK winners receive free postage (or collection) from our offices if appropriate.
Multiple ticket purchases have equal opportunity for success as ticket numbers are selected from the entire range of tickets purchased including individual tickets purchased as part of a bulk buy. Ticket bundle opportunities are offered as early bird incentives. Tickets are available now, go to www.raffall.com and search Gilded Messenger or click the link in our Stories.
Winners will be notified by Raffall immediately after the draws are made on 12th December. For the funds to be released to the charities all winners must press the ‘accept’ button located on their Get Prize screen that is accessible via the claim button located on their winning tickets.
We are supporting The Tiny Lives Appeal. Every year, around 375 babies begin their lives in the Neonatal Unit at York Hospital. These are babies born prematurely or with health complications. Babies who need specialist care, and families who need comfort, reassurance, and support during one of the most challenging times of their lives.
86% of money raised will go directly to the charity (after the 9% Raffall commission & 5% Ghost Merchants apportionment). Thank you as always for your support, kindness and generosity.
Good fortune
TYGM

24/11/2025

Christmas Tree Hanging Ghosts 2025
These are somewhat of a York Ghost Merchants tradition; we have made Little Hanging Ghosts each year since 2019, sometimes to sell in the shop only and sometimes online too.
This year we are only able to supply enough Ghosts for The Shambles, Dispensary and Guild Room, there will not be any released online.
Next year we hope to be able to sell Hanging Ghosts online too but our making schedules this year have not allowed it. We have approximately 1100 tea-stained Ghosts to choose from while stocks last, each one is different, and we hope that you enjoy choosing if you are visiting over the coming weeks. We are operating a one Ghost per customer per visit policy.
They will be on sale at The Shambles & Dispensary on Friday 28th November and at Guild Room appointments on Wednesdays in December only, £25 each.

Please be aware of our seasonal opening hours: The Shambles & Dispensary will be open seven days a week throughout December, we will close the shops at 2pm on Christmas Eve, we will be closed completely for our festive holidays, re-opening at 10am on 2nd January.

17/11/2025

Upcoming Changes to Guild Room Appointment Releases
We are updating the way Guild Room appointments are released to make it clearer, fairer, and easier for everyone.
From now on appointments will be released quarterly, on the morning of the last Monday of the following months:
November 2025, February, May & August 2026.
Each release will include all available appointment slots for the next three months.
To help ensure fair access, guests may book one appointment per quarter. If you have already visited within that period, you’ll be able to book again in the next quarter.
We hope with these changes, we’ll be able to open the Guild Room up to more people who haven’t been able to visit but also provide fairer opportunities for all guests.
If you have any questions, please first visit of Guild Room FAQ page or contact us via email guildroom@yorkghostmerchants.com

Hanging Christmas Tree Ghosts will be available to purchase in both shops from Friday 28th November. There will be a Guild Room special edition Hanging Ghost on sale in December Guild Room appointments only. There will be a preview of the 2025 Hanging Ghost on our Instagram Stories early next week.

If you are visiting the shops in York over the coming weeks may we politely remind customers to be respectful and polite to the Merchants on duty. The Shambles can be very busy during the festive period and regrettably we have witnessed incidents of rude, unkind & unnecessary behaviour towards our staff over the weekend.

07/11/2025

Friday Preview - The Messenger Ghost edition 2. Batch of 4,000. £45. 8x4x5cm.The Bowler hat entry period will be from 10am Monday 10th November to 10am Tuesday 11th November.
Our first batch of Messenger Ghosts were created above the shop on The Shambles in January 2021 and comprised an edition of 150. This sale will be our last big release of the year and will replace the Christmas hanging Ghost. Hanging Christmas Tree Ghosts will only be available from our shops this year.
The Messenger Ghost is supplied with a piece of parchment bearing the crossed torches, which can be rolled to fit inside a cylindrical cavity on the underside of the Ghost. What is written upon the parchment and who it is destined for is of course up to you. Perhaps a message of love, a secret to keep, a prediction or pledge. The Ghost becomes the guardian of the message.
Edition 2 has again been tea dyed; we have used different teas & methods from Edition 1. The tea produces complex markings; warm watery tones of tan, sepia and cream form in unpredictable patterns with darker grey, green and occasionally blue hues- the shades and patterns vary widely.
PLEASE NOTE we are unable to assign particular patterns to individual customers based on preference. If this is something which may cause you upset, we recommend NOT buying this Ghost. We cannot swap Ghosts because of preference.
These Ghosts are handmade, and dispatch will take approximately 4 weeks, we expect to have all Ghosts shipped in early December.
If you would like to be in with a chance to purchase, please visit The Bowler Hat page on our website between the specified times and click on the image of the ghost which will take you to a form where you can enter your details. Simply visiting the page will not enter your details for the draw. Not all who enter the draw will be successful, notification either way will be received by the end of Wednesday 12th. Those successful will receive a single use payment link and have 48 hours to purchase. More information on the process can be found on The Bowler Hat FAQ page on our website. PLEASE ENSURE ALL ENTRY DETAILS ARE CORRECT- THESE ARE USED FOR SHIPPING AND CANNOT BE AMENDED AT PURCHASE.

26/10/2025

At the centre of the Ghost Week programme, and in accordance with popular tradition, The Little York Ghost Hunt returns once more. This is a free to all, seek-and-keep hunt for Little York Ghosts.
Ghosts have been found here for centuries, and the seek & keep tradition will continue for generations to come. The Little York Ghost Hunt runs from Monday 27th until Thursday 30th, 6pm - 8pm. There will be 125 numbered Ghosts lurking on ledges and hiding in crevices along the route each evening. The Ghosts will keep materialising throughout the two hours but there are none hidden before the clock strikes six or after it strikes eight.
They hide in a way that means there is no need to move things, root around in the undergrowth or climb onto on anything to find them, a torch will be useful though.
As Ghosts are scarce, so we kindly ask that each person limits their collection to just one Ghost to give others a better chance of success. Do note there are now far more seekers than hiding Ghosts, so success is far from guaranteed. We hope that the hunt is undertaken with this in mind and with spirit of fun and kind-heartedness.
Children should be accompanied by an adult on the hunt and be aware that the Little Ghosts are not suitable for Children under 3 years of age.
Please be respectful to property and to those who live on the route. Do not shine torches through letterboxes or trespass onto private property. Greys Court is out of bounds as are the grounds of The Minster Refectory.
Most of the hiding Ghosts are Ragamuffins, made in our workshop but sadly not suitable for the shop due to small imperfections. Ragamuffins vary greatly in colour and style, but each is stamped with an R alongside a number on the base. There are some rarer golden Midas Ghosts to find too.
If you are lucky enough to find one, please share your pictures on Instagram.
Ghost Week Maps can be collected from our shops or printed from the Ghost Week page of our website.
On Monday 27th those with smaller children might like to call into Holy Trinity Church on Goodramgate, there is a free Mouse Hunt by candlelight and chocolate prizes for all who spot them.

26/10/2025

Ghost Week Charity Raffle
£2 per ticket.Early bird tickets until 9am Sunday 26th.
For Ghost week 2025 we are hosting The Guild Coin Ghost Trail. We have sited five brass Lost Guilds rubbing plaques mounted on oak panels around the city. Rubbings made on the plaques facilitate the purchase of a rare Guild Coin Ghost.
During Ghost Week this year we will be holding raffles for five replica brass plaques which make up the Guild Coin Trail. The bass plates measure 12 x 12cm and are mounted onto solid oak panels 15 x 15cm. The plaques depict five lost Guilds of the city: Masons, Farriers, Cutlers, Vintners and Salters. We have made a duplicate set of each of these for the raffles so they will be in perfect condition.
The Raffalls are open to people outside of the UK although if an overseas winner is selected at random then they will be responsible for covering any shipping costs ( the price will be calculated by weight using Royal Mail tracked service ). UK winners receive free postage (or collection) from our offices at 31 St Saviourgate if appropriate. Multiple ticket purchases have equal opportunity for success as ticket numbers are selected from the entire range of tickets purchased including individual tickets purchased as part of a bulk buy.
Winners will be notified by Raffall immediately after the draws are made on 2nd November.
We are supporting The York Conservation trust through this Raffle. They have granted us permission to mount the Guild Coin rubbing plates on their buildings during Ghost Week. The Conservation Trust is a registered charity (No 504302), and their business model is centred on the conservation and repurposing of York’s significant buildings. They are the custodians of over 70 historic buildings, including some of the most iconic in York.
86% of ticket sales revenue will go directly to the charity (after the 9% Raffall commission & 5% Ghost Merchants apportionment).

Link to tickets in our Stories.

24/10/2025

Opposite The Dispensary and just a few steps across St Anthony’s Garden you will find The Thin Ice Press; The York Centre For Print.
The name ‘Thin Ice Press’ is a tribute to York’s own Thomas Gent, an 18th-century printer who famously operated a makeshift press on the frozen River Ouse in 1739.
We have partnered with The Thin Ice Press on a number of events during Ghost week which have all now sold out. However, fear not, The Thin Ice Press have produced three special limited edition A3 prints to commemorate Ghost Week VI, featuring handcarved linocut images from . Printed by hand on Fabriano Rosaspina Ivory using inks made locally by Hawthorn Printmakers. Each print is accompanied by a unique Certificate of Authenticity.

25 copies of each print will be available from 10am each day that Thin Ice Press are open during Ghost Week. £35 each, unframed, each is supplied in a protective wallet.
Please see the Information on The Ghost Week page on our website for the opening hours.

20/10/2025

Ghost Week News
The Guild Coin Ghost. Edition of 2000. £37 each.
Throughout Ghost Week from Saturday 25th October - Sunday 2nd November.
Collect rubbings from five different plaques in York to facilitate the purchase of a limited-edition Guild Coin Ghost. Each Ghost contains a specially minted pewter Sorrowful Guild coin in its base.
Guild Coin Wallets and pencils will be available to collect from The Hatch adjacent to The Dispensary in St Anthony’s Garden between 10am-4pm daily. Wallets are free of charge but only a limited number will be available per day, this is to ensure we have them available for those visiting later in the week.
Wallets must be collected in person (strictly one per person) and cannot be collected on behalf of others. Please queue outside the Hatch and not the Dispensary if you are coming to collect or redeem your wallet; Merchants and blackboards will be there to offer direction if needed.
You have all week to collect your rubbings; once your wallet is complete, return to The Hatch (not the Shambles or Dispensary). A completed wallet must contain five separate rubbings from the brass plaques located on the trail; a completed wallet will allow the purchase of a single Guild Coin Ghost. We cannot process any wallets/sell or ship Guild Coin Ghosts after 4pm on Sunday 2nd November 2025.
Please visit the Ghost Week page of our website for full details of this event.

“The Great city of Yorke used to be a city of guildes. I have gone back & read the papers - in the Year of our Lorde 1415 , there liv’d ninety-six separate guildes of many crafts & trades: salters,butchers, tallow-chandlers,farriers, cord-wainers, Masons … a company of artisans & makers, wherein good qualitie of Work is ensured, & craftsmanship shar’d - & men of that Guilde can be sure to produce the Finest work within the Ridings of Yorkshire. It is a tradition of the city.
Myself and Mr Lovage have decided to gather the Ghost-makers from their villages and towns into a formal, Official Guild - The Sorrowful Guild of Master Ghostmakers.”
J Redferne 1761

19/10/2025

Ghost Week Prize Ghosts.
Ghost Week VI begins next weekend and runs until 2nd November.
These images show some of the Ghosts created as prizes for events during this year’s Ghost Week. Please visit the Ghost week page on our website for details and links for tickets.

In image order:
The Celestial Chart Ghost - News from Castlegate reaches us: the Honourable Fairfaxes are soon to return to Fairfax House for the Winter Season. This Ghost Week they are resolved to mend their fortunes, and bid you join them in the attempt.
The Viscount and Ann summon York society to a splendid soirée, where you shall encounter curious trials and puzzles of their devising. An enviable reward awaits the fortunate: a Celestial Ghost, made by Mrs Humphreys especially for this occasion.
On three evenings only, Fairfax House shall be seen as it was in former days, illumined by the gentle glow of candlelight. You are invited to wander its rooms after dark, and to partake in the Fairfaxes’ entertainments along the way. Tickets via the link on the Ghost Week page.

The Spirit of Victory Ghost - These wonderful etched Ghosts created by Andy poplar will be awarded to each member of the winning team in our inaugural Ghost Merchants quiz at Lendal Cellars. EVENT SOLD OUT

The Yorkshire Rose Ghost - Uncover a different side of York Mansion House as you challenge your mind to complete a collection of puzzles taking you on a journey of Jacobean treason - and be in with a chance to win a one-of-a-kind Yorkshire Rose Ghost.

The Starlight Club White Star Edition Ghost - Every Starlight Club Black Box Ghost sold at Bettys during Ghost Week will be issued with a little black envelope containing a Starlight Club souvenir ticket card. Most of these are black embossed with gold, however, 60 are pink embossed with gold - one pink winning pink ticket per 50 sales. These will be distributed evenly and fairly by volume. The random recipients of pink Starlight Club tickets should refer to the information on the reverse on how to claim their exclusive & everlasting Starlight Club White Star Ghost free of charge.
There will be more Ghost Week news during the coming week.

York Ghost Merchants

24/12/2025

23/12/2025

19/12/2025

05/12/2025

24/11/2025

17/11/2025

07/11/2025

26/10/2025

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24/10/2025

20/10/2025

19/10/2025

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Monday	10am - 5:30pm
Tuesday	10am - 5:30pm
Thursday	10am - 5:30pm
Friday	10am - 5:30pm
Saturday	10am - 5:30pm
Sunday	10am - 5:30pm