The Oldest Sweet Shop In England
Candy store · High and Low Bishopside ·

The Oldest Sweet Shop In England

Candy store · High and Low Bishopside ·

World's oldest candy store with jars of retro & traditional sweets

The Oldest Sweet Shop In England by null
The Oldest Sweet Shop In England by Immanuel Giel
The Oldest Sweet Shop In England by Bill Harrison  (CC BY-SA 2.0)
The Oldest Sweet Shop In England by Immanuel Giel (CC BY-SA 3.0)
The Oldest Sweet Shop In England by katielou106 (Atlas Obscura User)
The Oldest Sweet Shop In England by Bill Harrison  (CC BY-SA 2.0)
The Oldest Sweet Shop In England by Brian Snelson (CC BY 2.0)
The Oldest Sweet Shop In England by Brian Snelson (CC BY 2.0)
The Oldest Sweet Shop In England by Immanuel Giel (CC BY-SA 3.0)
The Oldest Sweet Shop In England by Immanuel Giel
The Oldest Sweet Shop In England by Brian Snelson (CC BY 2.0)
The Oldest Sweet Shop In England by katielou106 (Atlas Obscura User)
The Oldest Sweet Shop In England by Brian Snelson (CC BY 2.0)
The Oldest Sweet Shop In England by Brian Snelson (CC BY 2.0)
The Oldest Sweet Shop In England by Brian Snelson (CC BY 2.0)
The Oldest Sweet Shop In England by null
The Oldest Sweet Shop In England by null
The Oldest Sweet Shop In England by null
The Oldest Sweet Shop In England by null
The Oldest Sweet Shop In England by null
The Oldest Sweet Shop In England by null
The Oldest Sweet Shop In England by null
The Oldest Sweet Shop In England by null
The Oldest Sweet Shop In England by null
The Oldest Sweet Shop In England by null
The Oldest Sweet Shop In England by null
The Oldest Sweet Shop In England by null
The Oldest Sweet Shop In England by null
The Oldest Sweet Shop In England by null
The Oldest Sweet Shop In England by null
The Oldest Sweet Shop In England by null
The Oldest Sweet Shop In England by null
The Oldest Sweet Shop In England by null
The Oldest Sweet Shop In England by null
The Oldest Sweet Shop In England by null
The Oldest Sweet Shop In England by null
The Oldest Sweet Shop In England by null
The Oldest Sweet Shop In England by null

Information

39 High St, Pateley Bridge, Harrogate HG3 5JZ, United Kingdom Get directions

Check accepted
Credit card accepted
Debit card accepted
Contactless accepted

Information

Static Map

39 High St, Pateley Bridge, Harrogate HG3 5JZ, United Kingdom Get directions

+44 1423 712371
oldestsweetshop.co.uk
oldestsweetshop

Features

•Check accepted
•Credit card accepted
•Debit card accepted
•Contactless accepted

Last updated

Dec 21, 2025

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@atlasobscura
4,908 Postcards · 2,018 Cities

Trek for Treats to 11 of the World’s Most Unique Candy Stores

"The Oldest Sweet Shop in England, as the name rightfully suggests, is the oldest candy store in England. It’s a bold claim, but also a modest one, as the Oldest Sweet Shop in England is, in fact, the oldest candy store in the world, as recognized by Guinness World Records. The shop is located in the small but historic market town of Pateley Bridge in North Yorkshire, in a building that began life as an apothecary in the early 1600s. The sweet shop itself opened in 1827, and many of the original fittings remain: the vintage wooden counter, the oil lamps, the antique measuring scales, and the old cash register. And then, of course, there are the sweets. Rows upon rows of glass confectioner’s jars line the shelves, each filled with colorful candies that recent generations may not recognize at all. Most of the offerings are traditional sweets, some of which are now hard to find in modern stores. Among the traditional classics are humbugs, aniseed balls, pear drops, and lemon bon bons, as well as plenty of chocolate and fudge. More recent “retro sweets” include popping candy, Parma Violets, kola cubes, and Sherbet Fountains. Licorice—or liquorice, for all the Brits out there—is also sold in various shapes and sizes. For a proper local classic, buy a quarter-pound bag of Pontefract cakes: small, roughly-circular black sweets made of licorice that have been manufactured for centuries in Pontefract, about a one-hour drive to the southeast of Pateley Bridge. For the last 20 years, the Oldest Sweet Shop in England has been run by Keith Tordoff, a former detective. In December 2019, however, Tordoff announced that he’d be running for election as the county’s next police, fire, and crime commissioner. And with that came another major announcement: the Oldest Sweet Shop in England was now up for sale. The price? A fairly reasonable £399,000 (about $520,000), especially for a piece of history. At time of writing, it appears that no one has yet purchased the business. So if you ever dreamed of owning the oldest candy store in the world, now’s your chance." - ATLAS_OBSCURA

https://www.atlasobscura.com/lists/cool-candy-stores
Bill Harrison (CC BY-SA 2.0)
The Oldest Sweet Shop In The World
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Try Historical Food at These 20 Culinary Timewarps

"The Oldest Sweet Shop in England, as the name rightfully suggests, is the oldest candy store in England. It’s a bold claim, but also a modest one, as the Oldest Sweet Shop in England is, in fact, the oldest candy store in the world, as recognized by Guinness World Records. The shop is located in the small but historic market town of Pateley Bridge in North Yorkshire, in a building that began life as an apothecary in the early 1600s. The sweet shop itself opened in 1827, and many of the original fittings remain: the vintage wooden counter, the oil lamps, the antique measuring scales, and the old cash register. And then, of course, there are the sweets. Rows upon rows of glass confectioner’s jars line the shelves, each filled with colorful candies that recent generations may not recognize at all. Most of the offerings are traditional sweets, some of which are now hard to find in modern stores. Among the traditional classics are humbugs, aniseed balls, pear drops, and lemon bon bons, as well as plenty of chocolate and fudge. More recent “retro sweets” include popping candy, Parma Violets, kola cubes, and Sherbet Fountains. Licorice—or liquorice, for all the Brits out there—is also sold in various shapes and sizes. For a proper local classic, buy a quarter-pound bag of Pontefract cakes: small, roughly-circular black sweets made of licorice that have been manufactured for centuries in Pontefract, about a one-hour drive to the southeast of Pateley Bridge. For the last 20 years, the Oldest Sweet Shop in England has been run by Keith Tordoff, a former detective. In December 2019, however, Tordoff announced that he’d be running for election as the county’s next police, fire, and crime commissioner. And with that came another major announcement: the Oldest Sweet Shop in England was now up for sale. The price? A fairly reasonable £399,000 (about $520,000), especially for a piece of history. At time of writing, it appears that no one has yet purchased the business. So if you ever dreamed of owning the oldest candy store in the world, now’s your chance." - ATLAS_OBSCURA

https://www.atlasobscura.com/lists/historical-restaurants-bars
Bill Harrison (CC BY-SA 2.0)
The Oldest Sweet Shop In The World
@atlasobscura
4,908 Postcards · 2,018 Cities

Oldest Sweet Shop in England – Pateley Bridge, England - Gastro Obscura

"The Oldest Sweet Shop in England, as the name rightfully suggests, is the oldest candy store in England. It’s a bold claim, but also a modest one, as the Oldest Sweet Shop in England is, in fact, the oldest candy store in the world, as recognized by Guinness World Records. The shop is located in the small but historic market town of Pateley Bridge in North Yorkshire, in a building that began life as an apothecary in the early 1600s. The sweet shop itself opened in 1827, and many of the original fittings remain: the vintage wooden counter, the oil lamps, the antique measuring scales, and the old cash register. And then, of course, there are the sweets. Rows upon rows of glass confectioner’s jars line the shelves, each filled with colorful candies that recent generations may not recognize at all. Most of the offerings are traditional sweets, some of which are now hard to find in modern stores. Among the traditional classics are humbugs, aniseed balls, pear drops, and lemon bon bons, as well as plenty of chocolate and fudge. More recent “retro sweets” include popping candy, Parma Violets, kola cubes, and Sherbet Fountains. Licorice—or liquorice, for all the Brits out there—is also sold in various shapes and sizes. For a proper local classic, buy a quarter-pound bag of Pontefract cakes: small, roughly-circular black sweets made of licorice that have been manufactured for centuries in Pontefract, about a one-hour drive to the southeast of Pateley Bridge. For the last 20 years, the Oldest Sweet Shop in England has been run by Keith Tordoff, a former detective. In December 2019, however, Tordoff announced that he’d be running for election as the county’s next police, fire, and crime commissioner. And with that came another major announcement: the Oldest Sweet Shop in England was now up for sale. The price? A fairly reasonable £399,000 (about $520,000), especially for a piece of history. At time of writing, it appears that no one has yet purchased the business. So if you ever dreamed of owning the oldest candy store in the world, now’s your chance. Know Before You Go The shop's hours are Wednesday to Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It's closed on Mondays and Tuesdays." - Tony Dunnell, jooniur, katielou106

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/oldest-sweet-shop-in-england
The Oldest Sweet Shop In The World

Gemma Jane N.

Google
I stumbled a upon this little gem online by pure accident. Was looking at all the different sweets with my nan and we came across her favourite Winter mixes. And my childhood favourite Pebbles! Something I would quite often mention because you can never find them anywhere. Only the chocolate version which isn't the same as the candy ones. So we decided to try them out. And honestly I couldn't be more happier. My nan was over the moon that the winter mix are indeed the old traditional style. And the pebbles were the ones from my childhood memories. They can packed in good packaging so none of them were broke. And in a box. And we will be absolutely ordering from them again before Christmas. I actually find the pricing very reasonable considering they are made the traditional old way too.

fraser F.

Google
Grumpy staff, overpriced, thos shop seems to trade on its novelty factor not its friendly service ! Underwhelmed on a visit on a Saturday afternoon maybe caught them at a bad time ?

Paul G.

Google
Had to stop off and take a look around it's a nice little Sweet shop with quite a lot of variety to choose from friendly staff to help out would definitely recommend coming 👌

Jacqui H.

Google
Loved it. The gentleman behind the counter was very pleasant and professional. There was a bus load of tourists, and he handled that very well. I stood back and waited as I wasn't on a time limit. Brought a stock up and loved the charm of the shop.

Mandy E

Google
I done an online order, which they got wrong, there was no would you like the original sent, just had an email saying they sent the right item, it was definitely the wrong item, I did receive another item which was right but if I has wanted crumbs I would not have wasted my money here. I should have read the reviews on Trustpilot, won’t make that mistake then. Shame customer service no longer exists.

Dan R.

Google
Great experience. Prices reasonable to be fair. They also sell specialist local ales. I bought a rarely found beer - Plum Porter. Friendly service as well.

David S.

Google
Wonderful sweet shop ran by lovely owners who are very patient and kind. It's fantastic to say that the accolade of being the oldest sweet shop in the world hasn't lost the authenticity of the store and it's still like walking through a time portal. If you're in the area of Harrogate or even Yorkshire this should be on your list for places to visit!

Sheila B.

Google
Just like the rest of the town absolutely enchanting.