The Original & Authentic Sweet Shop - Delivering Quality Sweets Since 1827 

The world famous Oldest Sweet Shop first opened its doors in 1827 and today is still selling and delivering quality traditional sweets and chocolates, almost 200 years later.

Nearly two centuries of expertise and knowledge have gained us an unrivalled expertise in confectionery. This is turn means we are regularly approached and featured in the media, including high profile newspapers, magazines and TV programmes.

From traditional old fashioned sweets such as humbugs, aniseed balls, pear drops and jelly babies to more recent additions - what we call our “retro sweets” including cola bottles, popping candy and kola cubes, we have a wide and varied assortment of sweets to suit every taste and style.

We're proud to say that most of our sweets are still crafted in the original way here in England. The boiling being done in copper pans and using sweet moulds quite often over a century old! Don’t worry, they are of course safe to use!

We sell locally handmade fudge and our delicious chocolate range is sourced from the finest chocolatiers in Belgium and Switzerland.

In our historic and quaint shop, which is housed in a building dating back to the early 1600’s, customers both young and old recognise the uniqueness of the vast range of traditional sweets, the quality of the chocolates and the knowledgeable service they receive from our expert staff - who all have a genuine passion for the products and delivering a first class level of customer service.

Now, as well as selling from our shop, we are pleased to be able to offer the convenience of online shopping, meaning you don't need to visit us in store to get your hands on our incredible sweets. Our sweets and chocolates are packed with care into quality cellophane bags to prevent loss of texture and to stop them sticking as they would in paper bags! 

What we sell

Quality (we know our stock – we taste them in the name of quality control – it’s a hard job!).
Old fashioned & retro sweets - made locally – some from a bygone age. All found in one place (here!) and are hard to find elsewhere.
The finest chocolate and locally made fudge and toffee.
Unique and special gifts you won’t find elsewhere.
Fast and efficient delivery service.
Totally secure payment through Sage Pay (we do not see any card details).
A traditional, friendly and personal service like no other retailer online.

What we do not sell

Cheap confectionery that looks and tastes awful!

Our guarantee

All orders are dispatched as quickly as possible.
No product will be sent from our shop in a poor condition - All products are packed in tip top condition from our shop.
Every order is packed neatly and well protected.
Customer satisfaction and a smiley face upon opening our packets every time! (maybe not with the Super Sour Fizz Balls!).

 

History of the Oldest Sweet Shop

Established way back in 1827 in the historic and vibrant town of Pateley Bridge in Nidderdale - part of the Yorkshire Dales - The Oldest Sweet Shop began selling sweets and luxury chocolates, such as boiled sweets, toffees, herbal & spicy sweets originally prepared, boiled and made within the sweet shop. Frequented by local mill owners, quarry workers and labourers building the local reservoirs and of course children, all spending their hard earned half penny in our shop, our shop in Pateley became a corner stone of the local community, a town bustling with busy mills, quarries and breweries at the height of the industrial revolution.

With the industrial revolution came the invention of solid chocolate - J. S. Fry’s & Sons and Cadbury’s led the way with the first British Chocolate bars while many sweets we take for granted today where invented and quickly became marvels of the new era in confectionery. The Oldest Sweet Shop, being a pioneer in selling confectionery, must have seemed like Willy Wonka alchemy with its jars of sweets and strong boiled sweets and toffee smells. It is no wonder The Oldest Sweet Shop became popular and world renowned.

 

A New Renaissance

In the early 20th Century Chocolate entered a new renaissance, truffles and other European styled Chocolates became more popular in England. With chocolatiers like Whitaker’s of North Yorkshire and Thorntons Of West Yorkshire refining and crafting their legacy, the Oldest Sweet Shop was able to sell a selection of the finest British Chocolate at that time.

During the First and Second World War confectionery as general became a rare and very much a luxury commodity. This was more so during the Second World War due to rationing - but The Oldest sweet Shop carried on selling sweets such as Liquorice Root Sticks, Cinder Toffee and more importantly kept morale up for the many brave young children who had been evacuated to nearby Bewerley Park for safety. Many still visit us today with fond memories and stories to tell.

After the 1950’s sweets became more popular than ever. With advances in production techniques and the discovery of new flavours and ingredients sweets also entered a new renaissance. Black Jacks, Fruit Salads, Refreshers, Kola Cubes and Whams but a few that we now refer to as ‘retro’.

 

More Recently

Come the 80’s and 90’s the number of sweet shops in the UK began to decline due to supermarkets opening across the country with sweets and all the weekly shop in one convenient place, but also the advent of pre-bagged sweets which was easier to stock and more profitable - shops replaced the traditional glass jars with rows of plastic bags. The Oldest Sweet Shop however continued with tradition, keeping the glass jars (which are still used today of course – those that haven’t been broken that is)

Today The Oldest Sweet Shop is fortunately as busy as ever with old fashioned sweets and the rows of glass jars becoming vogue again with small sweet shops opening up around the country – many of the owners come to our shop as a pilgrimage.  All this shows the role and the institution sweets shops have been and still are in England. 

Fond memories and close to our hearts the Oldest Sweet Shop is a true piece of living history and a “National Treasure” as declared by the Daily Mail