Researching York's High Streets

Fabrication Crafts is hosting a drop-in workshop on Saturday 19 September, from 11am to 5pm, where CEO Dawn will be talking about the changing face of York's high streets. It's a casual one, so you can pop in whenever suits you rather than committing to a set time.

Fabrication Crafts is an artist-run gift shop that runs events and workshops throughout the year. Over the last few years, they've been mapping Coney Street, Feasegate and Stonegate through their history in York, drawing on shops, buildings and the records, deeds and directories they've uncovered in a wider and still-ongoing research project. The workshop is a chance to hear about that work first-hand from Dawn.

While you're there, you can see the research for yourself. The shop has records and books on display, artwork inspired by the Feasegate project, and a display of clothing and artefacts. It's a good way to see the actual things they've been digging into—the deeds and directories that map out how these streets have changed over time—rather than just hearing about them.

The project has a fair bit of history behind it. The Coney Street work was funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, while the Stonegate and Feasegate projects were supported by David Skaith, Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, and funded by the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority. It's all part of the same ongoing effort to trace the city's high streets back through their records. You'll find the workshop at Fabrication Crafts, 14 Feasegate, York, YO1 8SQ, on Saturday 19 September, 11am to 5pm.