A MUCH-LOVED antiquarian and second hand bookshop in York is to close next month when its owner retires after 30 years in the trade.

Alan Bennett, Jools Holland, Timothy Spall, Melvyn Bragg and Andrew Marr are amongst the customers who have frequented Fossgate Books in Fossgate over the years, says its owner Alex Hesltrip.

He said the shop would be closing its doors for the final time on New Year's Eve and he would like to thank all of his customers past and present for supporting the business.

"This is a planned retirement after over 30 years as a bookseller here in York," he said.

"I will continue to be active selling books in the future, mainly on-line. This will be a new venture for me and so may take some time to get going."

Alex said he had started selling books in York in the early 90s at a bookshop called Oblong Books in Micklegate.

However, after about seven years he moved across the city centre to Fossgate, where he ran his business for a couple of years in Jack Duncan Books' premises with Jack. Jack then retired and the shop was renamed Fossgate Books.

He said his customers included many visitors to the city and York's constant stream of tourists made such shops quite viable.

Sometimes snooker players playing in the UK championships at York Barbican also paid a visit during breaks, and the shop featured during the BBC's coverage of the final on Sunday.

He said the city's many book shops were a specific attraction to the city for some people, but some of the people running them were now in their 60s like him and looking to retire, with Ken Spelman Books in Micklegate having closed earlier this year.

He said it would be down to the Fossgate Books building's landlords as to what happened next, but if anyone was interested in running a book shop anywhere in York they would be welcome to get in touch for a chat.

Tributes to Fossgate Books on Facebook include: "Best bookshop ever. Nicest bookstore you've been to? Mine is definitely this."

Another customer said: "I found Fossgate Books on Instagram, with people recommending this shop highly. And it did not disappoint. The owner was lovely and so helpful and he recommend some books for my dissertation."

Another said: "I shall be sorry to see the shop closed if you cannot pass it onto another custodian." He suggested this was the establishment described by Terry Pratchett as 'L-space' - a mystical dimension connecting all libraries, which supposedly contained all books that had been, or will be.

The 'Ultimate Guide to Bookshops in York' said in 2020: "Fossgate Books is absolutely stuffed with second hand and vintage books from a variety of genres from classics to history to children’s books."