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Ripon

Picture credit: Public domain

“Mr Mayor the watch is set.”

-Ripon Hornblower

Ripon is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire. It’s situated on the River Ure and is home to around 16,000 people.

It is the fourth smallest city in the country. Ripon is famous for its cathedral, hornblower ceremony, and tourism.

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Setting the Watch

The city is a place full of history and tradition. It’s longest running tradition is the city’s “setting the watch” ritual which is an unbroken daily ceremony which spans 1128 years.

Every evening the town’s hornblower blows a horn at the four corners of the market square. This tradition attracts visitors from all around the world.

This fascinating ritual dates back to the year 886. King Alfred the Great visited Ripon on a tour commemorating his victory against the Vikings.

The king was incredibly impressed with the welcome he received from the locals. So much so that he decided on the spot to grant Ripon a Royal town charter.

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However, at the time he didn’t have the necessary documents to make this official. Instead the king gave the town’s community leaders a charter horn.

He told them to keep it safe forever and appoint a wakeman plus a team of constables. They were to patrol the streets in order to keep the people safe from the Vikings should they return.

ripon hornblower Phillip Catteral
Setting the watch: The Ripon hornblower picture credit Phillip Catteral wikipedia public domain.

It was also decided that they should sound the horn. This was to tell the townsfolk that the “watch was set” and they could go to sleep safe in the knowledge they were being looked after.

This tradition continued until 1604. The town received a more official town charter from King James I.

The wakemans role had at this point become too powerful. He was made into an elected town mayor who appointed a horn blower to carry out the ceremony on his behalf.

Hugh Ripley, the first mayor, didn’t trust his new appointment. This led him to create a new rule.

After the ceremony, the hornblower must find the mayor wherever they are. They must then blow the horn three times in their face to let them know it had been completed.

There is a legend that surrounds the ceremony. It’s said that if the setting of the watch ceremony is not done satisfactorily, the ghostly face of Hugh Ripley appears at the Wakeman’s house situated at the corner of the marketplace.

The current horn is the fourth to be used. For safe-keeping, the original is kept at the town hall.

In the centre of the marketplace is the obelisk built in 1702. This is where the ceremony takes place and commemorates the Ripon horn blowers as well as listing each one since 1804.

Religion in Ripon

The ruins of Fountains Abbey Picture credit: Helen Lawery (IFY community)
The ruins of Fountains Abbey Picture credit: Helen Lawery (IFY community)

Ripon has been a place of worship for more than 1,350 years. It has had four churches on the present cathedral site including an original stone church built by St Wilfrid in the 7th Century.

St Wilfrid’s chapel is the only part of the ancient church which remains today inside the present cathedral. It’s one of the older Saxon religious buildings in England that is still in use.

The rest of the cathedral was built as an extension during the 12th Century. Thomas of Bayeux, the first Norman Archbishop of York, was the one who orchestrated it.

Since then, the building has been consistently added to. Even now it is still being modified.

The two towers at the west entrance date back to 1220. In 1450, the nave and central tower were rebuilt.

To the keen observer, the arches and pillars are mismatched under this tower. This is because work was halted due to the disruption of the War of the Roses.

In 1836, the Minster achieved cathedral status. Ripon then became a city and the mother church for the first new diocese created since the reformation.

The cathedral has a long history and has been constantly reinvented. Over 800 years of craftsmanship and architectural styles are on show throughout the building.

Places to Visit in Ripon

Ripon is a beautiful place to visit in Yorkshire. There are many attractions to visit that make for a great day out for all of the family.

Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal

The ruins of Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal lie four miles away from Ripon. It’s also a UNESCO World heritage site.

In 1133, the abbey was founded by Benedictine monks. However, during the reformation of the 1530’s, it was left a well preserved ruin.

Afterwards, the land fell into the royal hands. In the early 18th century, it was bought by the Aislabie family who combined the abbey with its surrounding Studley royal estate and created the water gardens which are still admired by tourists.

The deer park has existed since mediaeval times as part of the abbey. This is still home to over 500 animals.

St Mary’s church was added later in 1878. It was created as a memorial to Frederick Vyner who was killed by Greek bandits and is renowned as an architectural masterpiece.

The haunted Fountains Hall was built in 1604 and is also part of the Studley Royal Estate. It’s now partly open to the public with private flats taking up the remainder of the building.

Lightwater Valley Theme Park

To the North of Ripon lies Lightwater Valley theme park. This has existed since 1987 and has the longest rollercoaster in Europe, the Ultimate, which opened four years later and has been closed since 2020.

The site started as a fruit farm in the 1960’s. After a severe drought in 1976, it fell into financial difficulties and eventually turned into a theme park.

Newby Hall and Gardens

Newby Hall and Gardens is a 25 acre country house. In 1690 it was built by Sir Christopher Wren and furnished by interior designer Robert Adam.

The grounds feature a number of beautiful areas such as Rose, Water, and Tropical gardens known for their blooms of rhododendrons, azaleas, and magnolias. There’s also a miniature railway and adventure playground amongst other attractions.

Museums in Ripon

Courthouse Museum

Based in Ripon’s original chambers, the Courthouse Museum was built in 1830.

It charts the history of justice in the town and tells the story of how convicts were sent thousands of miles away as punishment. The museum includes examples of real-life cases.

Police and Prison Museum

The Police and Prison museum charts the history of policing and punishment in Ripon. It dates back to Anglo-Saxon times.

Visitors will learn about the importance of the Wakeman who was head of law and order. They can also experience life in a Victorian prison cell.

Festivals in Ripon

Ripon is a place of culture and holds the city’s international music festival each year. A mixture of classical, jazz, folk bands, and orchestras perform at several venues around the city including its cathedral.

St Wilfrid’s day celebrates the city’s founder. It features a float procession through the town, stalls, and children’s rides among other entertainment.

Cinema in Ripon

Surprisingly, for a city of such history and culture, there’s no theatre. However Ripon does have it’s own cinema.

The Curzon cinema opened in 2013. It shows broadcasted performances of classical concerts and ballet performances as well as screening both alternative and mainstream films.

Travelling In & Out of Ripon

Ripon is well linked to other towns and cities in Yorkshire. It’s situated adjacent to the A1 which gives the city easy access to the South and West Ridings.

There is also the A61 nearby. This links Ripon to Harrogate in the South and North-Eastwards to Thirsk and the coast.

Unfortunately, Ripon lost its railway station due to the Beeching Axe of 1967. However, when it was operational it was situated on the Leeds-Northallerton line.

After the closure of the line, other Yorkshire towns and cities had their stations demolished. Ripon’s original railway station building still remains.

Since then, they’ve been converted into flats. Gardens have also been laid out over old track beds.

In recent years there has been a strong campaign to reopen the line to Harrogate. Proposals have been made for sites in which a new Ripon station could be built.

Until this comes to pass, the city relies solely on a good bus service for public transport. This offers regular services to Leeds, Harrogate, York, and also Dales towns such as Leyburn and Richmond.

Education in Ripon

Since the closure of the Ripon St John campus in 2002, there have been no universities in Ripon. All courses were either discontinued or moved over to its sister campus in York.

Ripon Grammar School was founded in 1544. Famous former students include William Hague and TV presenter Richard Hammond.

Shopping in Ripon

Lightwater Country shopping village was an out of town centre until it closed in 2017. It offered a range of independent stores selling fashion, gifts, and confectionery.

The town centre has some high street names and supermarkets. It also places an emphasis on local independent outlets and gift shops.

Ripon’s market is open every Thursday. It features 120 stalls each selling something unique.

Sport in Ripon

The city has had a long history in the sport of horse racing. Records have been found of meetings in the area since 1664. Uniquely, it held the first ever race in the UK for female jockeys in 1723.

The current Ripon racecourse on Boroughbridge Road is nicknamed the “Garden racecourse”. Traditionally this hosts the first fixture in the Go Racing Yorkshire event each July.

The historic Ripon is full of tradition and history. Set in the beautiful hills of North Yorkshire, it’s definitely a place to visit.

History of Ripon

Although there is some evidence of Roman occupation, the true origins of the city can be found in the 7th Century. Ripon, founded by St Wilfrid, was known then as Inrhypum.

He built a church on the site of the cathedral. The first settlers were glaziers and stonemasons who were brought over to help construct it.

Ripon was part of the Viking state of Jorvik. This was after the famous visit of Alfred the Great and the beginning of the hornblower ceremony.

Ripon has long been an important religious centre due to its cathedral. Picture credit wfmiller wikipedia creative commons.
Ripon Cathedral. Picture credit wfmiller wikipedia creative commons.

During the Norman invasion, the city tried to resist and fight against this. Through the Harrying of the North, the town shrunk to only a few streets around its now decimated church.

A new place of worship was built and incorporated the ruins of the original which is now St Wilfrid’s chapel. The town began to expand again through its developing wool trade.

Around the same time, Fountains Abbey was built. The land around it was used for grazing and its river to export goods out of the town.

However, this trade faded due to the dissolution of the abbey in the 1540’s. The town then developed a trade for making spurs which are spikes worn by horse-riders to urge their horses forward.

In 1773, a canal was built and used to import and export goods to the city. This became a loss-making enterprise from the outset.

The canal faced competition from the emerging railway networks of the early Victorian era. Strangely, two very important events in British history seemed to pass Ripon by.

The English Civil War was prominent in other parts of Yorkshire. However this barely affected the town although it is recorded to be of Royalist persuasion.

Also, the Industrial Revolution didn’t affect the town either. Although it did steadily grow and become more prosperous during this era.

At the start of the First World War, a large training camp for new army recruits was built in Ripon. The city was prominent in the housing of Flemish refugees during the conflict.

Since the Second World War, Ripon has increased in size. It focused its economy on tourism due to its long history, famous landmarks, and ancient traditions.

Ripon Trivia

The Brigantes Tribe controlled Ripon before the Romans did.

Hutton moor, north of Ripon, is a circular earth work created by the Brigantes.

The Romans built a military outpost at North Stanley about 5 miles from Ripon, but they did not settle the area.

There’s evidence Ripon originated in the 7th Century during the Anglian Kingdom of Northumbria period.

Ripon was known as Inhrypum.

The first structure built in Ripon was a Christian church dedicated to St Peter.

In 658, Ripon was founded by a man called Wilfrid who would become Bishop of York.

Some of the earliest settlers, who were plasterers and glaziers, came from Rome and Lyon.

Wilfrid brought the settlers to the city, then town, to construct the Ripon monastery.

During the 2nd half of the 9th Century, Norse Vikings invaded Northumbria and established the Kingdom of Jorvik.

The North rebelled against Norman rule after the Norman Conquest in 1069. 

Ripon was subjected to the Harrying of the North and as a result was laid to waste and reduced to a small community.

Ripon became a centre for the production of cloth due to being close by to the Cistercian Fountains Abbey.

During the English Reformation and the Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII, Ripon was badly affected.

Mary Queen of Scots stayed at Ripon during her flight from Scotland. Much of the north were still Catholic and there was a popular uprising in support of her known as the Rising of the North. This was led by Thomas Percy, 7th Earl of Northumberland, and Charles Percy, 6th Earl of Westmorland. The rebellion failed and 600 people executed. 300 of these happened on Gallows Hill in Ripon during 1570.

Ripon’s famous racecourse hosted the first ever horse race for female jockeys in 1773.

In 1957 Ripon was twinned with Foix in France.

Richard Hammond, Top Gear presenter, and Bruce Oldfield, a famous fashion designer, were from Ripon.