This fascinating shop has been selling rare, antiquarian and secondhand books since 1947. With an open fire crackling in the grate in winter, it's a browser's paradise.
Ken Spelman Booksellers
York
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.42 MILES
York Minster is the largest medieval cathedral in northern Europe, and one of the world's most beautiful Gothic buildings. Seat of the archbishop of York,…
13.55 MILES
Stately homes may be two a penny in England, but you'll have to try pretty damn hard to find one as breathtakingly stately as Castle Howard, a work of…
-
Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal
22.93 MILES
The alluring and strangely obsessive water gardens of the Studley Royal estate were built in the 18th century to enhance the picturesque ruins of 12th…
0.35 MILES
York's National Railway Museum – the biggest in the world, with more than 100 locomotives – is well presented and crammed with fascinating stuff. It is…
0.32 MILES
Interactive multimedia exhibits aimed at bringing history to life often achieve exactly the opposite, but the much-hyped Jorvik manages to pull it off…
-
20.83 MILES
In the secluded valley of the River Rye about 3 miles west of Helmsley, amid fields and woods loud with birdsong, stand the magnificent ruins of Rievaulx…
21.46 MILES
Leeds' most interesting museum was originally built in 1996 to house armour and weapons from the Tower of London, but subsequently expanded to cover 3000…
-
23.64 MILES
This privately owned railway runs for 18 miles through beautiful countryside from Pickering to Whitby. Lovingly restored steam locos pull period carriages…
Nearby York attractions
0.15 MILES
This exhibition, housed inside York's most impressive city gate, explores the reign of Henry VII (r 1485–1509), the first Tudor king of England, who…
0.26 MILES
Two thousand years of York’s gory history are acted out at this Northern version of the London Dungeon, which added new attractions during a 2016 revamp…
0.27 MILES
In the grounds of the peaceful Museum Gardens, you can see the Multangular Tower, a part of the City Walls that was once the western tower of the Roman…
0.32 MILES
Most of York's Roman archaeology is hidden beneath the medieval city, so the superb displays in the Yorkshire Museum are invaluable if you want to get an…
0.32 MILES
Interactive multimedia exhibits aimed at bringing history to life often achieve exactly the opposite, but the much-hyped Jorvik manages to pull it off…
0.34 MILES
This restored medieval townhouse, tucked down an alleyway, includes a permanent exhibition of life in the times of Henry VIII. It was once the home of…
0.35 MILES
There's precious little left of York Castle except for this evocative stone tower, a highly unusual four-lobed design built into the castle's keep after…
0.35 MILES
York's National Railway Museum – the biggest in the world, with more than 100 locomotives – is well presented and crammed with fascinating stuff. It is…