York Ghost Merchants

York Ghost Merchants Makers and sellers of the original and finest York Ghosts . Find us under the inverted torches at No.6
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Ghost Week VI 25th October - 2nd November. We take pleasure in announcing further information about this year’s Ghost W...
29/08/2025

Ghost Week VI 25th October - 2nd November.
We take pleasure in announcing further information about this year’s Ghost Week events. Both the Shambles shop and The Dispensary will be open each day of Ghost Week. There will be no Guild Room appointments on Wednesday 29th October though.
Please follow the link in our bio which takes you to the updated Ghost week page of our website.
We have added all the information to this page in event subheadings as there is too much detail to convey within a social media post. There will be some further updates made in the following weeks so please do revisit the Ghost Week page. Ghost Week maps will be available to pick up from the Shambles and Dispensary from mid-October.
Certain events are by ticket only so please check the details carefully and pre book where necessary from the dates advertised. Some tickets are available right away & rather limited in number, so we do recommend booking early to avoid disappointment. If you have any questions about the Partner events, please contact the host of the event rather than TYGM. If you have specific questions about Ghost Week or Ghost Merchants events please use email - events@yorkghostmerchants.com
There will be a large Bowler Hat release in early September, all Ghosts sold will be dispatched prior to Ghost Week.
Have a wonderful weekend wherever you are in the world.

We opened on this day in 2019. The past six years are difficult to explain properly in the context of a social media pos...
16/08/2025

We opened on this day in 2019.

The past six years are difficult to explain properly in the context of a social media post.
On 16th August 2019, there were just three of us. We made all the Ghosts upstairs in the Shambles workshop and brought downstairs to fill the shelves below. There was no fanfare, no expectations, just us, 500 Ghosts and a ticking Baraclough long case clock.
August 16th 2025, there are now 35 talented Ghost Merchants & Makers, three workshops and a community of incredible customers & collectors. There are increased expectations !
Although we are viewed quite differently now, our principles, methods and ethos remain the same. We still fervently believe in the traditional values that guided us in the early days, and have held fast to these. The world has changed in many ways since 2019 but the way that we do things has not.
If anything, this post is to say thank you to those who have become part of our business and who have upheld and enhanced our values. We are immensely proud of the wonderful people who have worn and continue to wear the brown bowler hats, without them it would not be possible to be what we are.
Thank you of course to everyone who now lives with a York Ghost ( or perhaps more than one ! ); to those who have supported us we are immeasurably grateful.
We have new Crossed Torches pin badges for sale from today, these will be available in The Shambles, Dispensary (and Guild Room on Wednesdays) price £9.

It’s our biggest Charity Ghost Raffall of the year.For most scheduled large online releases in 2025 there will be a smal...
12/08/2025

It’s our biggest Charity Ghost Raffall of the year.
For most scheduled large online releases in 2025 there will be a small number of the style, made as Rare & Unusual limited editions to be sold by charity raffle. This is the Charity Ghost version of our recent Monochrome Happenstance Ghost.
There are ten Charity Ghosts available this month (one from each maker), each Ghost holds a Victorian Penny in its base and is accompanied by the makers card. It is the first time that we have reversed the coins to show Queen Victoria’s profile, the Ghost will not bear the charity stamp as the coin will not allow space. Each Ghost has been polished to a high shine and is black/white/grey in colour.
 
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 HAPPENSTANCE PENNY or follow link in stories.
Winners will be notified by Raffall immediately after the draws are made on 19th August. 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 York Women’s Counselling Charity this month; they provide one to one counselling to women who are experiencing emotional and mental health difficulties as a result of current or past emotional stress or trauma.
 
86% of money raised will go directly to the charity (after the 9% Raffall commission & 5% Ghost Merchants apportionment). We have now raised well over £230,000 for many charities local and global, thank you for your support, kindness and generosity.
Good fortune
TYGM

We are delighted to announce that the second production batch of 300 Tannery Ghosts will be for sale at The Dispensary s...
06/08/2025

We are delighted to announce that the second production batch of 300 Tannery Ghosts will be for sale at The Dispensary shop in St Anthonys Garden, York on Tuesday 16th September from 9am.
Recipe 02 has been made using natural organic dying & steeping processes and has resulted in batches of Ghosts which have extraordinary markings & colours. The palette is varied but dominated by muted greens, autumn browns, plum, lilac and occasionally blue. The coalescence of colours create a beguiling surfaces of subtle pattern and tones.
There will only be Tannery Ghosts to buy from The Dispensary on that day and for that day only. Recipe 02 is priced at £68 per Ghost. Strictly one per customer.
Tannery Ghosts boxes include the recipe number, batch, manufacture date, merchant signatory & stamp.
We will issue some more details including queueing protocols in advance of the sale day from The Tannery page of the website. The same ticketing system that we adopted for the first Tannery sale in March will be used again. Tickets will be issued to those queuing on the day, these will give an allocated time slot to return at a specific time later that day to make your purchase.
There will be 14 accessibility slots available again and these can be booked from the accessibility calendar at the bottom of the Tannery Ghost event page from 6pm on Monday 11th August. Please note that our new accessibility booking procedure means that you will need to provide a photo of your National Disability Card, Nimbus Access Card or Nimbus Digital Access Pass for our business. Further details about the Tannery sale can be found on The Tannery page of our website ( under The Dispensary ), more information about accessibility appointments can be found under “Disability & Access Information” on our FAQ’s page.
Ghost Week accessibility appointments for the Shambles and The Dispensary will be available from 6pm on Monday 18th August. One booking per person during Ghost Week in order to be as fair as possible to all who want appointments. National Disability Card, Access Card or Digital Access Pass (DAP) must be provided at time of booking.

It is with heavy hearts that announce the departure from the company of one of our Ghost makers. Mr Ord has been a maker...
01/08/2025

It is with heavy hearts that announce the departure from the company of one of our Ghost makers.
Mr Ord has been a maker for 3 years and his distinctive styles have become a firm favourites with many collectors. Eclectic colour combinations, layered veils, zig-zag pours, bold marbling and red-eyed Ghosts are some his best known creations. He has also been responsible for a number of Ghost Week Charity Ghosts which have raised incredible sums; The Pontic Jewel Ghost made for Ghost Week in 2023 raised over £16,000 for Carecent.
Those of you who have crossed paths with Mr Ord will know that he is a shy, extremely humble, caring & talented man. He will be missed in the workshop and his Ghosts will no doubt be missed by our customers.

His black cat stamp will be used for the last time this week, after which it will be retired. This will be the first retirement of a makers stamp and the tightly knit group of makers will miss the serenity and kindness that Mr Ord contributed to workshop life.
We all wish Mr Ord every success and happiness in his travels and future creative endeavours.
TYGM

Ghost Week VI , Saturday October 25th until Sunday November 2nd.We are delighted to announce this year’s programme of ev...
31/07/2025

Ghost Week VI , Saturday October 25th until Sunday November 2nd.
We are delighted to announce this year’s programme of events.
Ghost Week information will be fully updated on the Ghost Week page of our website on 29th August with event details including ticketing information. Tickets will be on sale for certain events from the end of next month through event partners directly.

York Ghost Merchants Events
The Little York Ghost Hunt – Monday 27th October – Thursday 30th October inc. 6 – 8pm. A seek & keep Ghost Hunt on the streets that flank the Minster.
Black Box Ghost sale in association with Bettys York – Sunday 26th October – Sunday 2nd November. Further information on 29th August.
There will be a launch night event in The Belmont Room at Bettys on Saturday 25th October. Ticketed
The Ghost Merchants Quiz – Lendal Cellars, Thursday 30th October 8pm. Pre-book only.
Seed Ghost Search – Tiny Ghosts to be found throughout the week.
The Guild Coin Ghost Trail – 25th October – 2nd November. A city wide assignment. More details at the end of August.

Partner Events
Candlelit Mouse Hunt – Holy Trinity Church. Monday 27th October only, 6 – 8.30pm. Free
Fortuna Fatum -Fairfax House. Saturday 25th October – Sunday 2nd November, 10am -5pm, 11am-4pm on Sundays + evenings TBC.
Figures in a Landscape, An Act Of Treason – The Mansion House. Friday 31st October. 7.30pm. Ticketed in advance
The Printing House After Dark – Thin Ice Press. Wednesday 29th October. 6-8pm
Traitors Tales – The Mansion House. 25th October -2nd November ( except Saturday 1st )10.30am -5pm
Haunted Hall – Barley Hall. Monday 27th October – Friday 31st November. 5pm, 6pm & 7pm. Ticketed
Children’s Ghost Story Workshop – The Thin Ice Press. Saturday 25th October, 1.30–4pm. Aged 8 – 16. Eight ticketed places.
Two-day Heritage Printing Workshop – The Thin Ice Press. 29th - 30th October. 10am-4pm each day. Eight ticketed places
Sensing the Past – Holy Trinity Church. Tuesday 28th October & Saturday 1st November only. 5.30,6,6.30,7 & 7.30pm
Ghost Week Print Shop, limited edition GW prints for sale – The Thin Ice press. Throughout Ghost Week except 28th & 29th October.

Something curious is coming…
24/07/2025

Something curious is coming…

There are two pieces of news today.We are pleased to announce the second release of Tannery Ghosts.Tannery Ghost Recipe ...
16/07/2025

There are two pieces of news today.
We are pleased to announce the second release of Tannery Ghosts.
Tannery Ghost Recipe 2 is a batch of 300 Ghosts and will be for sale at The Dispensary shop in St Anthonys Garden, York on Tuesday 16th September at 10am.
There will only be Tannery Ghosts to buy from The Dispensary on that day and for that day only. Recipe 02 is priced at £68 per Ghost. Strictly one per customer.
Tannery Ghosts boxes include the recipe number, batch, manufacture date, merchant signatory & stamp. We will issue more details including queueing protocols in advance of the sale day.
 
We have also listened to feedback and made an amendment to our new accessibility booking policy, coming into effect on Monday 11th August 2025. We will be including The National Disability Card as an acceptable form of verification alongside the Nimbus Access Card and free Nimbus digital access pass. Please visit the disability & access information on the FAQ page of our website for more details.
 
The Ghost Week IV programme will be announced at the end of the month.

Friday Preview - Monochrome Happenstance Ghost£19 + postage, Size: 8x4x5 cm. Batch of 6000.The Bowler Hat entry period w...
04/07/2025

Friday Preview - Monochrome Happenstance Ghost
£19 + postage, Size: 8x4x5 cm. Batch of 6000.
The Bowler Hat entry period will be from Monday 7th July 10am until Tuesday 8th July 10am BST. Our largest online release to date.
Last year we offered a ‘Happenstance’ release. A Ghost varied in design but with  combinations of the same colours and containing a ‘Clairvoyant’ card within the box, designated at random, making the type of Ghost and card a twist of fate or ‘Happenstance’.
This release follows the same principle and is monochrome. We celebrate our Ghost Makers this release with each of the ten makers contributing 600 Ghosts. Every Ghost is stamped by its maker and will contain a limited-edition collectable card which bears the maker’s flag. The Ghosts pictured are only one example of the range that our Makers have produced for this release. A film was made, showcasing a Ghost Makers “Flag walk”, the history and some of the ceremonial traditions of this ancient craft and this, instead of a story, is now available to view on the Library > Moving Pictures section of our website.
PLEASE NOTE we are unable to assign particular styles or designs 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 delivery will take 5-6 weeks, we expect to have all Ghosts shipped by the middle of August.
To enter 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 on Tuesday 8th. 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.

03/07/2025

A short trailer from The Ministry of Tourism which precedes a preview tomorrow of the July release. Tomorrow’s release will be a batch of 6,000 the largest online release we have ever made. It will be sold via the Bowler Hat.The full Ministry of Tourism film entitled “The City of York & Its Ancient Traditions” is available to watch in full in “ Moving Pictures” which can be found in the Library section of our website. The makers flags will be fluttering in the summer breeze in St Anthonys Garden today and each day that there is Ghost-making in the St Anthony’s workshop. The flags that are flown signify the makers in residence.Thank you to all who have supported our monthly Charity Ghost raffles this year. The Magic Lantern Gem Stonemason Ghosts raised a further £8249, the money from last month supported the RNLI. This brought the total of donations to date this year to £50,000. The five charities that have benefitted are very grateful for the generosity of our community. Thank you to everyone who has purchased Charity Ghost raffle tickets this year, your kindness and support never ceases to amaze us.

Summer Opening days.From Tuesday 1st July until Sunday 31st August the Shambles shop will be open seven days a week.Duri...
19/06/2025

Summer Opening days.
From Tuesday 1st July until Sunday 31st August the Shambles shop will be open seven days a week.
During this period the Dispensary will be open six days a week and closed each Wednesday during July & August

The last of The Magic Lantern Ghosts will be shipped tomorrow and will arrive early next week to UK addresses.

The next release is our biggest to date, there will be a full preview on July 4th.

Address

York

Opening Hours

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

Telephone

+441904896545

Website

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