Street of the year
Aside from the bunting, festooned from one side of the street to the other, there is little that points out the run of shops on Bishopthorpe Road as unique. And yet it was named Great British High Street of the Year in November 2015.
The title is particularly remarkable considering Bishopthorpe Road is not one of those glamourous city-centre parades but a suburban shopping street well off the map to most tourists and many locals.
Info
Address Bishopthorpe Road, York, YO23, www.bishyroad.net | Public Transport Closest car park: near the junction with Scarcroft Road. Closest bus stops: on Bishopthorpe Road | Tip On a nice day, take your Bishy Road food and drink to the riverside or to Rowntree Park, both close to the shops.
So why did it beat the competition from across the land to be crowned champion in the awards organised by the government? The answer lies in two words: community spirit. Bishy Road, as it’s almost universally known, has it in spades.
Most of the businesses are independently run by local families, and yet there is no sense of rivalry. Instead the traders have bonded together as a team and turned this conventional shopping street into what some have described as the “Notting Hill of the North.” They have created a winning combination of show-stopping events and quality goods and services, topped off with a welcome that is both friendly and fun, a vibe mirrored on social media. In short, there’s a buzz to Bishy Road.
The street is home to an idiosyncratic mix of retailers. You couldn’t find any place more down to earth than Pextons, a hardware store which also offers a key-cutting service. There’s a pharmacy and cook shop, a butcher, grocers and florists, an organic children’s clothes shop, and an antiques dealer. You can get your hair cut here, undergo acupuncture, and have your eyes tested.
If anything, the food and drink available is even more diverse. Traditional pubs like the Swan are found alongside restaurants selling Thai and Indian food. Cafes sell wonderful homemade cakes and pastries, while the Trinacria offers its customers a genuine taste of Sicily. And all this in the span of a few hundred yards …
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