What are the 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

http://www.yorkghostmerchants.com/

York Ghost Merchants, York (2026)

05/06/2026

Friday Preview: Online release -The Alchemist. Batch of 3,000. £19 + postage. 8x4x5cm. The Bowler Hat entry period will be from 10am Monday 8th to 10am Tuesday 9th June.
Alchemists were a diverse mix of individuals united by intellectual curiosity. During the Middle Ages and the Tudor period, alchemy in York and across England was viewed as a blend of natural philosophy, early chemistry, and mystical practice.
This Ghost is characterised by its vibrant colours and complex markings achieved with a four-colour palette. Crazed blue reveals bolts of orange which blend into pools of sulphurous yellow and hot pink. As with all of our releases, no two Ghosts can ever be the same and some of the variants of this are shown in the images. Each Ghost is accompanied by a randomly selected card from The Alphabet of People, Professions & Places which is a series of 24 collectible cards.
If you would like to be in with a chance to purchase, please 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 by the end of Wednesday 10th June, please check your spam and junk folders if you are unable to see your email in the inbox. Those successful will receive a single use payment link and have 48 hours to make the purchase. We are unable to accept expired payment links. More information on the process can be found on The Bowler Hat FAQ page on our website. On the last release we experienced some issues with sending emails to some Microsoft linked accounts (Hotmail, Outlook and Live addresses), we have been assured that this problem has been fixed.
THE DETAILS YOU ENTER WITH WILL BE USED FOR SHIPPING. ERRORS WITH ENTRY ADDRESSES AND EMAILS CAN LEAD TO DELIVERY ISSUES- Please double check auto filled details and update these as needed.
These Ghosts will take up to 4 weeks to be made and sent in order of purchase, your order will be marked ‘Pending’ until we dispatch.

02/06/2026

We are extremely proud to introduce a new category of Ghosts; The Carte Blanche Collection.
Carte Blanche Ghosts will be illustrated & produced by Mrs Humphreys under the role of ‘Paintress’. This is a term that was used in the 19th and early 20th centuries when factories frequently employed women as “paintresses” to painstakingly hand-decorate ceramics.
Mrs Humphreys was our first staff member and served as a shop Merchant from 2019. In 2022 she became our e-commerce Manager, overseeing all releases online and the associated customer service, Miss Attwood took over this role in April. However, as you may be aware, Mrs Humphreys also produced many of the in-house illustrated Black Box Ghosts over the last 7 years notably; The Kraken, The Black Kraken, The Poison Garden, The Lost Woodland, The Wallpaper Ghost (yet to be released) & many Ghost Week Charity special releases.
Unlike Black Box Ghosts the Carte Blanche Ghosts are not limited editions. Instead, they will be illustrated in weekly batches in the small workshop above the Shambles shop. The base of every Carte Blanche Ghost made by Mrs Humphreys will be stamped with a black kraken, signed & year dated. There is also a CB monogram on the reverse above our crest.
The first two Ghosts will be available in The Guild Room only initially: The Cartographer-Original size & The Shipping Forecast- Little size.
Influenced by medieval maps, The Cartographer was inspired by the markings produced when we made The Messenger Ghost. Details have been added with pen, ink & gold accents.
Shipping Forecast Ghosts - The idea of a ship on the Ghost was first proposed by Mr Bloodworth back in the very early days. We have been exploring this idea for a long time, and we are very pleased that this has finally come to fruition.
The intention is to offer more styles over time, with Carte Blanche Ghosts eventually present in The Shambles Shop.
From 3rd June Guild Room guests will be able to buy one of each style if they wish, this is on top of the current restriction of three rare & unusual Ghosts. Carte Blanche prices will vary according to size, design & complexity. The Cartographer £66, Shipping Forecast Ghosts £28.

22/05/2026

Friday Preview - Bone White Custom Etched Ghost #6.
Batch of 1500.£53 + P&P.
This is the sixth time we have offered bespoke text option on a York Ghost. The Ghost is a plain bone white which may contain small flecks of pigment, this is a characteristic of a handmade Ghost.
The Bone White Custom Etched Ghost will be a Bowler Hat Release. The 24-hour entry period will be from 10am Tuesday 26th May to 10am Wednesday 27th May BST, custom messages are not required at this stage. This will be the only custom etched release of the year.
Be it a message of love, a special date or a cryptic phrase, the choice of the etched text is entirely yours (we will not accept orders that we deem to cross a line and are created to purposely offend).
Personalised text can be engraved into the back of the Ghost up to a maximum of 22 characters, including standard punctuation, spaces between words count as a letter. Tests have proved this to be the extent of allowable message. We do not recommend using capital letters other than for initials and the first character of the phrase or word. We include @ & as standard characters and only use the scripted font shown in the images. Please, do note the capital Q which has an unusual style.
Those successful in the Bowler Hat Draw will receive an email on Wednesday containing a single use payment link. This link will take you to the order page and this is when your custom message will be required, the links have a 48-hour expiry period from the time that they were sent.
Your message must be entered into the message box which appears on the order page, exactly as you require it to be etched. We cannot be held responsible for any spelling mistakes or typographic errors. Whatever is written in the custom message box will be etched onto your Ghost. If a message has been entered incorrectly unfortunately it cannot be altered, and the only outcome is to offer a refund and cancel the order. It might be prudent to type it out and double check the spelling and character count in advance, this way you can just copy and paste it into the custom message box when placing the order. We expect to have all orders shipped by the end of June.

20/05/2026

We are pleased to announce that the third production batch of 300 Tannery Ghosts will be for sale at The Guild Room on Friday 10th July from 9am.
Recipe 03 has been made using dying & steeping processes in combination with an English meadowgrass wrapping and has resulted in batches of Ghosts which have some beautiful markings. The wine dyes produce an array of colours; some Ghosts are rich plummy purple while others are earthy, dusty brown, a few have indigo blooms & bruises. When each Ghost was unwrapped from its grass layers it revealed the surprise within and held colours and patterns unique to its making process. The Ghosts are lacquered with a UV sealer to finish.
There will only be Tannery Ghosts to buy from The Guild Room on Friday 10th July and for that day only. Recipe 03 is priced at £68 per Ghost. Strictly one Ghost per customer.
Tannery Ghost boxes include the recipe number, batch, manufacture date, merchant signatory & stamp. Following feedback from our 2025 events we have made some changes to the ticketing process for our 3rd Tannery sale.
Tickets for this Tannery event will need to be obtained in advance via the booking calendar on our website (similar to booking a Guild Room appointment), and not on the day as was the case last year. Booking slots will be available on the calendar at 6pm on Thursday 28th May. We are hoping that this system will give an opportunity to attend for those travelling some distance and who need to make travel plans. It should also be beneficial for those who may struggle to stand or queue. As before, all tickets will allow entry to the Guild Room at a specific time. Each group of ten people will get ten minutes to choose and pay for their Ghost. Because of the change of procedure for this event we have updated our Tannery Ghost Sale page which can be found under The Guild Room page on our website. To all those who are interested in attending we strongly recommend that you visit this page in advance and read the information carefully, there is an FAQ section which we hope will be helpful.

15/05/2026

The Silver Guild Coin Ghost- Charity Edition.
This year we are making a number of rare & unusual Ghosts for charity raffles.
The first raffle is from a very small edition of Silver Guild Coin Ghosts. Five pewter Guild Coins from the Guild Coin Trail last year have been plated in high purity silver; they are set in the body of a pure polished black Ghost (Original size). There are two Ghosts as prizes for the two selected winners of the raffle.
Raffles are open to people outside of the UK although if an overseas winner is selected 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 this weekend, until 5pm on Sunday. Tickets are available now (5pm Friday 15th) until 5pm on Tuesday 26th, go to www.raffall.com and search Silver Guild Coin Ghost or click the link in our Stories. We are not responsible for conducting the draw, winners are selected completely at random on the Raffall platform.
Winners will be notified by Raffall immediately after the draws are made on Tuesday 26th May. 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 raising money through this raffle for Nuzzlets, they are a small, registered charity based near Great Ouseburn, York. The organisation specialises in rescuing unwanted animals and providing animal-assisted therapy and education for young people. It primarily serves children with disabilities, special educational needs, and life-threatening illnesses across Yorkshire
86% of money raised will go directly to the charity (after the 9% Raffall commission & 5% Ghost Merchants apportionment). Thank you as always for your support, kindness & generosity.
For those in York this coming weekend for the “Gathering”, we wish you a wonderful time.
TYGM

14/05/2026

Beneath the watchful gaze of St Cuthbert’s Church in St Anthony’s Garden, this coming Saturday the 16th shall mark the first appearance of our Merchants Hawkers Cart.
The cart will be used from time to time to sell Ghosts of a particular type on certain days. Saturday will be the only Cart outing in May but we have more frequent appearances planned for June, July & August.
Through the summer months we shall be offering our collection of Non Ice Cream Ghosts, prepared in a variety “flavours”. Please do note: these Ghosts are not edible and will not melt into a pool of cream.
They are available in our small size only and will be pre-boxed with examples of the first five “flavours” displayed for all to see and choose from.
Each bears a unique 1d stamp on the base and shall be offered as a first edition of Chocolate, Vanilla, Mint, Strawberry and Butterscotch. They are priced at £9.50 each and we accept card and contactless payments only.
You shall find the cart stationed directly opposite our Dispensary shop in the garden this Saturday. There, between the hours of eleven in the morning and four in the afternoon, Mr Bloodworth himself shall be most delighted to serve you with a Non Ice Cream Ghost.
He will allow you to spin the “Wheel of Good Fortune” upon purchase.

01/05/2026

Friday Preview - Variegated Happenstance Ghost
£20 + postage, Size: 8x4x5 cm. Batch of 5000
The Bowler Hat entry period will be from Tuesday 5th May 9am until Wednesday 6th May 9am BST.
Last year we offered a ‘Monochrome Happenstance’ release with each Maker contributing 600 Ghosts each.
This release follows the same principle and is polychromatic. We celebrate our Ghost Makers this release with each of the eleven Makers making approximately 450 Ghosts. Every Ghost is stamped by its Maker, and the box will contain a limited-edition collectable card which bares the Maker’s flag of the Ghost within. The Ghosts pictured are only one example of the range that our Makers have produced for this release. All Ghosts are of a more colourful nature and will not be monochrome designs this year.
PLEASE NOTE we are unable to assign particular Makers Ghosts, styles or colours 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.
Ghosts are handmade, and delivery will take 5-6 weeks, we expect to have all Ghosts shipped by the middle of June.
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, however all entrants will be informed of the draw outcome by email on Wednesday 6th May ( check your spam & junk folders ). Successful entrants will receive a single use payment link by email, and will have 48 hours from receipt to make their purchase. 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.

20/03/2026

Friday Preview: Online release -The Riverman. Batch of 5,000. £19 + postage. 8x4x5cm. The Bowler hat entry period will be from 10am Monday 23rd to 10am Tuesday 24th March.
Among the colourful characters of Old York were lightermen & watermen of the River Ouse and Foss, whose job it was to transport people & goods on the river. Watermen carry people, Lightermen carried goods and transferred cargo to another vessel, or to shore. Collectively they were often referred to as rivermen. Their work was crucial during the medieval and early modern periods when rivers were key transportation routes and York was a major port, with evidence of rivermen operating in York in the 1500s

Our third scheduled release of 2026, this Ghost is a deep inky teal and white, the two colours blending and separating into watery rivulets running down the body. As with all of our releases, no two Ghosts can ever be the same and the variants of this are shown in the images. Each Ghost is accompanied by a randomly selected card from The Alphabet of People, Professions & Places which is a series of 24 collectible cards.
If you would like to be in with a chance to purchase, please 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 by the end of Wednesday 25th March, please check your spam and junk folders if you are unable to see your email in the inbox. Those successful will receive a single use payment link and have 48 hours to make the purchase. We are unable to accept expired payment links. More information on the process can be found on The Bowler Hat FAQ page on our website.
THE DETAILS YOU ENTER WITH WILL BE USED FOR SHIPPING. ERRORS WITH ENTRY ADDRESSES AND EMAILS CAN LEAD TO DELIVERY ISSUES- Please double check auto filled details and update these as needed.
These Ghosts will take up to 5 weeks to be made and sent in order of purchase, your order will be ‘Pending’ until we dispatch.

06/02/2026

Friday Preview - The Quilter. Batch of 5,000. £19. 8x4x5cm.The Bowler hat entry period will be from 10am Monday 9th to 10am Tuesday 10th February.
Our second Ghost of the year is a layered and vibrant offering; A sky blue and lemon ‘Dandy’, colours mixing to give touches of green beneath a darker blue peppered coat. Inside the box of every online Ghost purchase in 2026 you will find an alphabet card. The alphabet of People, Professions & Places is a series of 24 collectible cards, they are allocated by letter completely at random.
PLEASE NOTE we are unable to assign patterns to individual customers based on preference and we cannot swap Ghosts because of preference.
These Ghosts are handmade, and dispatch will take approximately 4 weeks, we expect to have all Ghosts shipped by early March.
If you would like to be in with a chance to purchase, please 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 by the end of Wednesday 11th February,please check your spam and junk folders if you are unable to see your email in the inbox. Those successful will receive a single use payment link and have 48 hours to make the purchase. We are unable to accept expired payment links. 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.
Thank you to all those who purchased Charity Ghost raffle tickets in January. We are taking a slightly different approach to the forthcoming charity raffles; there will be information to follow soon.

02/02/2026

The Shambles Phantom. Available from this morning onwards. Stone grey & black tears. Original size only for now £22 each.
The Shambles Phantom will only be available from The Shambles shop itself and will not be available online much like the St Anthony’s & Guild Room Phantoms.

York Ghost Merchants

05/06/2026

02/06/2026

22/05/2026

20/05/2026

15/05/2026

14/05/2026

01/05/2026

20/03/2026

06/02/2026

02/02/2026

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