Coppergate: York's "forgotten street" and lost shops

Businesses in Coppergate have complained in the past that it is York's "forgotten street" and claimed that nothing was being done to improve the appearance of empty and boarded up premises.

John Terry, owner of Choice Direct tobacconists, said in 2019 that the street was becoming a "bit of a backwater" and others complained at a lack of Christmas lights, which made it seem a "bit sad and drab" in the festive season.

However, the tide may be turning for this corner of York.

Major sofa and furniture retailer, Sofa.com, is opening in Coppergate. Besides selling sofas, customers can also buy sofabeds, chairs and beds. It has showrooms in London, Nottingham, Bath, Glasgow, Harrogate and Guildford, and concessions in some House of Fraser department stores.

Burton on Coppergate - now a coffee shop

Also, another empty property further along Coppergate also looks set to be occupied shortly, with signs in the windows saying: "Follow us on Instagram@alma cafeandgifts.. coming soon."

Traffic has been a controversial issue for the street.

The narrow pavements, with buses and taxis trundling past each other in both directions, used to make the street an unpleasant thoroughfare for shoppers.

But Coppergate was temporarily made one-way after the start of the pandemic in 2020 so as to give pedestrians more space to socially distance and also to allow for the creation of a cycle lane.

Remember Cycle Republic in Coppergate?

Under the new restrictions, buses and taxis were allowed to travel from Parliament Street to Clifford Street along Coppergate, but not in the other direction, with buses having to take a detour via Clifford Street, Tower Street and Piccadilly.

City of York Council decided earlier this year to make the street permanently one-way, subject to a consultation.

In our look back in photos, we can see how the street has changed over the decades and see some of the businesses that have come - and gone.

Some of Coppergate's "lost shops" include Burton, Cycle Republic and the Al Fresco sandwich bar. More recently, another loss was the closure of Russell's carvery restaurant.

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