STONEGATE York ,

Framed by the minster rising above it, Stonegate in York is one of the most historic streets in the city. It was once a main Roman road from the River Ouse and Roman bridge to the city headquarters where the minster now stands and is apparently so named due to the enormous quantity of limestone that travelled through the street to build the cathedral. The buildings are a mixture of medieval and Georgian, including the enormous Tudor mansion, Mulberry Hall, which now houses a German Christmas shop (kaethe-wohlfahrt.com). Where once goldsmiths, printers and glass painters peddled their wares, today they house an interesting mix of shops such as The Antiques Centre York (theantiquescentreyork.co.uk), Cavendish antique jewellers (cavendishjewellers.co.uk), Pyramid Gallery (pyramidgallery.com) and luxury wool company Abraham Moon fashion and interiors store (moons.co. uk). No visit is complete without nipping into Be ys tea room for lunch or a !ernoon tea (be"ys.co.uk), especially at this time of year.

York Minster towers over Stonegate, which was once a Roman thoroughfare. Today you’ll find a host of independent shops residing in the medieval and Georgian buildings.