30-01-2025
Did you know York had ANOTHER Banks shop (but it wasn't a music store)?
DOES this corner of York look familiar?
It shows the junction of Clifford Street with Castlegate.
Our archive photo dates from the early 1900s and shows William Banks and Co – a popular fine grocers.
The photo comes from the archive of the Yorkshire Architectural and York Archaeological Society (YAYAS) -
William Banks & Co was a dealer in York hams, cheeses and other delicacies.
Its location – on the sharp corner of Castlegate and Clifford Street – is now the Prezzo Italian restaurant (and previously Caffe Uno).
Prezzo in the building in Clifford Street today. Photo from Google Street View
William Banks & Co offered a tempting array of foodstuffs, ranging from 'breakfast bacon' and Cheshire, Cheddar and Wensleydale cheeses to new honey, marmalade, and 'Little Wensleys' cream cheese.
There's no date on the photograph, but look closely and you can see the tramlines set into the surface of Clifford Street. This dates the photograph to between 1910 and 1935, when electric trams operated in the city.
Join our nostalgia group online
If you love delving into York's past and seeing photos and reading stories from yesteryear then make sure you check The Press every day for its regular nostalgia stories. And don't miss our eight-page nostalgia supplement every Wednesday in the paper.
We also have more than 3,000 members in our online nostalgia group on Facebook, Why We Love York - Memories. It is free to join and you will find us at
It would be great to see your old photos of York – and they don't have to be from centuries ago. We all love seeing old photos from our recent past, and some of our more popular stories with readers date from the 70s, 80s and 90s.
If you have a nostalgia story for us, please email
Please email us old photos of York too - so we can share them with our readers.
