Comments on: York Market, 1964

By: andy pandy

andy pandy — Sat, 18 Jul 2015 22:28:30 +0000

the snowdens and mannions were top buisness people in the day
and lived like king midas
those were pre supermarket days
those were the days customers queued up from one end of the street to the other all morning long
and thoses were the days that stall holders in newgate market held a licence to print money as you say
anyone over a certain age will remember it well

By: YorkStories

YorkStories — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 10:42:27 +0000

Thanks LeedsLoiner, nice to hear about Barbara and Tommy Vickers – some visitors to this website will remember them, I’m sure.

Maybe a good time for me to mention too that there’s a consultation at present on the future of York market: http://www.york.gov.uk/council/consultations/current/newgate/

By: LeedsLoiner

LeedsLoiner — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 21:35:10 +0000

My Uncle and Aunt were probably one of the longest trading market traders on York Market, they were called Barbara and Tommy Vickers who sold washleathers and hankies. I’m certain they must have supplied just about everyone in York over the years mostly because ‘finding someone who sold real chamois wash leathers was next to impossible’ so they collared the market. You could say cleaned up the market. I’m not certain but recken they stood York market over 50 years ,maybe longer. Another branch of the family held the Whitby Donkey concession for 100 years, they estimated that just about every child from York. Leeds to Middlesbrough must have ridden on their donkeys at some time.

By: YorkStories

YorkStories — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 10:37:39 +0000

I like those recollections of market place ’scrounging’ – there’s a lot to be admired in the wartime ‘waste not, want not’ approach.

Apparently the market moved from Parliament St to its current location in Newgate – just off Parliament St – in 1964. (Perhaps those ladies in the photo are discussing how they preferred it where it was before …?)

My mum used to shop for veg at York Market in the 1960s, despite living a fair distance away in Acomb. I asked her if this was mainly to save money – which it was – but she said she also thought the exercise did her good. This exercise would of course include walking all the way back to Acomb with bags full of fruit and veg – I guess that would be several kilos of weight. She remembers always having to sit down near West Bank Park for a rest on on the way home – not surprising really!

By: stephen

stephen — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 04:03:04 +0000

Hi Andy,Im afraid your continuity is different to mine!I remember the market as it was in the 1940 era,when it ran the length of Parliament St,from Sampson Square to near The Pavement.As wartime scroungers, we used it on Saturday evenings,to trawl for foodstuffs that were going to be thrown out,for little or nothing money,vegetables from the farmers/gents, end,fish and meat from the ladies (loo)end,and whatever was edible in between.My young scruffy/half starved pals and I did this as a matter of course,all the young uns from my generation,from the less well off areas,were expected (and accepted)to contribute to family finances,in any way possible.
Good job there were no sell by dates,in those days!

By: Andy Tuckwell

Andy Tuckwell — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 18:07:21 +0000

When I revisited York this year I found it very comforting to see how little the market had changed since I knew it in the 1970s, when it looked very little different from this photo. Let’s hear it for continuity!