| Ripon | |
|---|---|
| City | |
 Coat of arms | |
.svg)  Ripon Location withinNorth Yorkshire | |
| Population | 16,702 (2011 census)[1] |
| OS grid reference | SE312714 |
| • London | 227 mi (365 km) SSE |
| Civil parish |
|
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Areas of the city | |
| Post town | RIPON |
| Postcode district | HG4 |
| Dialling code | 01765 |
| Police | North Yorkshire |
| Fire | North Yorkshire |
| Ambulance | Yorkshire |
| UK Parliament | |
| Website | www.ripon.org |
| 54°08′10″N1°31′25″W / 54.13611°N 1.52361°W /54.13611; -1.52361 | |
Ripon (/ˈrɪpən/) is acathedral city andcivil parish inNorth Yorkshire, England. The city is at the confluence of two tributaries of theRiver Ure, theLaver andSkell.
The city was originally known asInhrypum. Bede records thatAlhfrith, king of the Southern Northumbrian kingdom ofDeira, gave land at Ripon toEata of Hexham to build a monastery and the abbot transferred some of his monks there, including a young SaintCuthbert who was guest-master at Ripon abbey.[2] Both Bede in his Life of Cuthbert and Eddius Stephanus in his Life of Wilfred[2] state that when Eata was subsequently driven out by Alhfrith, the abbey was given to SaintWilfrid who replaced the timber church with a stone built church. This was during the time of theAnglian kingdom ofNorthumbria, a period during which it enjoyed prominence in religious importance in Great Britain. It was for a period underViking control, and later suffered under theNormans. After a brief period of building projects under thePlantagenets, the city emerged with a prominent wool and cloth industry. Ripon became well known for its production ofspurs during the 16th and 17th centuries, but would later remain largely unaffected by theIndustrial Revolution.
Ripon is thethird-smallest city in England and the smallest inYorkshire, by population.[3] According to the2011 United Kingdom census it had a population of 16,702,[1] an increase on the2001 census figure of 15,922.[4] It is located 11 miles (18 km) south-west ofThirsk, 16 miles (26 km) south ofNorthallerton and 12 miles (19 km) north ofHarrogate. As well as itsracecourse andcathedral, Ripon is a tourist destination because of its proximity to the UNESCOWorld Heritage Site that consists of theStudley Royal Park andFountains Abbey.
During its prehistory the area which later became Ripon was under the control of theBrigantes, aBrythonic tribe. Three miles (5 km) north at Hutton Moor there is a large circularearthwork created by them.[5] TheRomans did not settle Ripon, but they had a military outpost around 5 miles (8 km) away atNorth Stainley.[6] Solid evidence for the origins of Ripon can be traced back to the 7th century, the time of theAnglian kingdom ofNorthumbria.[6] The first structure built in the area, known at the time asInhrypum, was aChristian church dedicated toSt Peter, with the settlement originating in 658.[5] This was founded byWilfrid, a Northumbrian nobleman, who later becameArchbishop of York; he was granted the land by KingAlhfrith.[7]
The earliest settlers were stonemasons, glaziers and plasterers that Wilfrid brought over to help construct the Ripon monastery, fromLyon inFrancia and Rome which was then underByzantine rule.[8][9] The years following the death of Wilfrid are obscure in Ripon's history. After the invasion of theGreat Heathen Army ofNorseVikings in Northumbria, theDanelaw was established and theKingdom of Jórvík was founded in theYorkshire area.[10] In 937,Athelstan, thenKing of England, granted the privilege of sanctuary to Ripon, for a mile around the church.[11] One of his successors was less well-disposed: after the Northumbrians rebelled against English rule in 948, KingEdred had the buildings at Ripon burned.[10] Prosperity was restored by the end of the 10th century, as the body of SaintCuthbert was moved to Ripon for a while, due to the threat ofDanish raids.[10]
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After theNorman conquest, much of the north rebelled in 1069, even trying to bring back Danish rule; the suppression that followed was theHarrying of the North, which resulted in the death of approximately one-third of the population of theNorth of England.[12] Ripon is thought to have shrunk to a small community around the church following the suppression.[13] The lands of the church were transferred toSt Peter's Church at York as theLiberty of Ripon and it was during this time that a grandCollegiate Church was built on top of the ruins of Wilfrid's building. Eventually developed in theGothic style, the project owed much to the work ofRoger de Pont L'Evêque andWalter de Gray, twoArchbishops of York during thePlantagenet era.[13] During the 12th century Ripon built up a boomingwool trade, attracting Italian trade merchants, especiallyFlorentines, who bought and exported large quantities.[14]
Ripon's proximity toFountains Abbey, where theCistercians had a long tradition of sheep farming and owned much grazing land, was a considerable advantage.[14] After English people were forbidden from wearing foreign cloth in 1326, Ripon developed a cloth industry which was third in size in Yorkshire after York andHalifax.[14] Due to conflict withScotland, political emphasis was on the North during the time ofEdward I andEdward II, as Scottish invaders attacked numerous northern English towns.[15] Ripon had a wakeman to make sure the residents were safely home bycurfew and law and order was maintained; however, it was forced to pay 1,000 marks to the Scots to prevent them from burning down the town on one occasion.[15]
Ripon, which relied heavily on its religious institutions, was badly affected by theEnglish Reformation under theTudor kingHenry VIII.[16] TheAbbot of Fountains, William Thirske, was expelled by Henry and replaced; Thirske went on to become one of the leaders of thePilgrimage of Gracepopular rising.[17] The people of Northern England were quite traditional in their beliefs and were unhappy about Henry's intention to break with Rome; the Pilgrimage of Grace was the manifestation of this sentiment.[17] The revolt failed and Henry followed through with the break fromRome and theDissolution of the Monasteries, which includedFountains Abbey.[17]
AfterMary, Queen of Scots, fled Scotland toNorthern England she stayed at Ripon on her journey.[17] The mainly Catholic North supported her, and there was another popular rising known as theRising of the North; this began six miles (10 km) away atTopcliffe and was led byThomas Percy, the 7thEarl of Northumberland andCharles Neville, the 6thEarl of Westmorland.[17] The rebels stayed at Ripon on 18 November 1569, but the rising eventually failed resulting in 600 people being executed, 300 of whom werehanged at Gallows Hill in Ripon during January 1570.[17]
Plans were drawn up to make Ripon a centre of education, aUniversity of the North, to rivalOxford andCambridge. Although chief advisersLord Burghley andArchbishop Sandys supported the idea,Elizabeth I did not follow it through.[18] The scheme was revived in 1604 by Sandys' widow Cicely, under the patronage ofAnne of Denmark andBess of Hardwick without success.[19]
Ripon replaced its old textiles industry with one for the manufacture ofspurs during the 16th century.[20] They were so widely known that they gave rise to theproverb "as true steel as Ripon Rowels".[21] At the time, spurs did not just serve as functionalriding accessories, they were also fashionable; an expensive pair was made for KingJames I when he stayed at Ripon in 1617.[14] It was James who granted Ripon aRoyal Charter in 1604 and created the first Mayor of Ripon.[22] After theBishops' Wars in Scotland, atreaty was signed at Ripon in 1640 to stop the conflict betweenCharles I and the ScottishCovenanters.[18] Although Ripon was not in the main line of fighting which was to the east, it remained loyal androyalist during theEnglish Civil War.[18] There was an incident in 1643, whenparliamentarian forces underThomas Mauleverer entered Ripon and damaged the Minster, butJohn Mallory and the royalist forces soon settled the matter after a skirmish in the Market Place.[18] The royalists were eventually defeated in the Civil War and Charles I spent two nights as a prisoner in Ripon.[18]Oliver Cromwell visited the city twice on his way to battle, once on the way to thePreston and also on the way to theBattle of Worcester.[18]
By the time of theEnglish Restoration, several strains ofnon-conformist Christian practices had appeared, although they were not common in Ripon, the majority of people beingAnglicans with aCatholic minority.[23] After theRevolution of 1688, which overthrewJames II, there wereJacobite risings in theBritish Isles; some Riponmen were jailed in February 1746 upon "suspicion of corresponding with PrinceCharles Edward Stuart".[24] The founder ofMethodism,John Wesley, preached in Ripon and a small community of followers was established.[25] During theGeorgian era Ripon, unlike several other cities, was not significantly affected by theIndustrial Revolution despite the existence of variousguilds. Although more widely known for his activities outside of Ripon,John Aislabie, during his time as Member of Parliament for Ripon, created theStudley Royal Park with itswater garden and erected theRipon Obelisk (designed byNicholas Hawksmoor).[26][22]Newby Hall was also created during this period byChristopher Wren.[22]
Communications were improved with the opening ofRipon railway station in May 1848 situated inUre Bank.[27] During the First World War, a largemilitary training camp was built in Ripon; the local community offered hospitality not only to soldiers' wives but to theFlemish refugees who became part of Ripon's community.[28] The racecourse south-east of the city also served as an airfield (RFC Ripon) for theRoyal Flying Corps (and latterly, theRoyal Air Force). The racecourse was also used as a demobilisation centre for troops returning fromFrance well into 1919.[29][30]
The town had a similar though smaller role during the Second World War and, in recognition of this, theRoyal Engineers were presented with theFreedom of the City in 1947.[31] Since the War, Ripon has gone through some remodelling and has grown in size; it attracts thousands of tourists each year who come to see its famous buildings with their long Christian heritage, nearby Studley Park,Ripon Racecourse, and in recent times the theme parkLightwater Valley.[32][33]
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Ripon was thefirst Church of England diocese to be created after the English Reformation, as it was recognised that existing dioceses were unsuited for the large increases in population caused particularly by the Industrial Revolution of the 18th century in central England. It was deemed that new cathedral building on a national scale was not viable[34] and so Ripon, containing a high status parish church, was created from the existingChester andYork dioceses in 1836, with the building promoted to cathedral status. Ripon council presumed this had elevated the town to the rank of city, and started referring to itself as such. The next dioceseManchester was promoted similarly, but doubts as to its use of the title were raised. With the subsequent clearer understanding of needing to petition the monarch, Manchester did so and obtained the status in 1853. Ripon was encouraged to follow suit, with its own status being recognised by the parliamentary City of Ripon Act in 1865.[34]
In 1974, Ripon borough (seeGovernance) was abolished and aparish council established as part of widerlocal government reform. The award of city status is typically granted to a local authority, whose administrative area is then considered to be the formal borders of the city, the grant in this case being removed at the same time and bestowed onto the parish. By this definition, the whole parish council area of Ripon, including its settlement and surrounding rural area containing a tiny portion of theNidderdale AONB to the north west, is considered to be the limits of the city. It contains the third lowest population of all the cities in England, however it falls to seventh place when taking the whole of the UK into consideration. Using 2011ONS census statistics, Ripon has the third smallest city council area but the fourth lowesturban area of any city in England.[35][36]
Ripon became amunicipal borough of theWest Riding of Yorkshire with its headquarters atRipon Town Hall in 1835, and remained an independent borough until 1974.[37] That year, following theLocal Government Act 1972, the former area of Ripon borough was merged with Harrogate borough and severalrural districts of the West Riding to form an enlargedHarrogate borough in the ceremonial county ofNorth Yorkshire.[38] It remained this way until 2023, when the Borough of Harrogate was abolished, the city is now administered by the unitaryNorth Yorkshire Council.
The lowest tier of governance in Ripon is the Ripon City Council, aparish council with twelve members, three for each of four wards.[39]
Ripon was represented by the Member of Parliament forYorkshire until it had its ownparliamentary borough established on a permanent basis in 1553.[40] Ripon was able to elect two MPs to represent its parliamentary borough; the right of election was vested not in the population as a whole, but in theburgesses (originally meaning freemen of the borough orfreeholders) until theGreat Reform Act of 1832.[40] The nextReform Act which came into force at the1868 election, reduced Ripon's representation from two MPs to one. Some of the more notable MPs of Ripon wereJohn Aislabie,Frederick John Robinson andGeorge Cockburn.[40] TheReform Act of 1885 abolished the borough of Ripon, but thecounty constituency in which the town was placed as a result was named Ripon, and this continued as a single member constituency, albeit with some boundary changes, until it was abolished before the1983 general election.[40] Since 1983, Ripon has been part of theSkipton and Ripon constituency, aConservative Party stronghold.[41] The current MP isJulian Smith, aConservative, who was elected in 2010.
Ripon lies at the confluence of two rivers, theLaver and theSkell, which meet in the west of the city.[42] As they flow through the city, the Skell feeds water into the basin ofRipon Canal.[43] East of the city, the Skell meets theRiver Ure, and both the Ure and canal head south-eastwards towardsBoroughbridge.[44] The Ure was the traditional boundary between the oldWest andNorth Ridings of Yorkshire.[45]
As the city is at the meeting point of three rivers, it has flooded often in the 20th and 21st centuries; notable floods have occurred in 1982, 1991, 1995, 2000, 2005 and 2007.[46] This prompted spending over £14 million on the building of flood defences for the city and a storage area upstream of the city which can hold 53,000,000 cubic feet (1,500,000 m3) of water.[47]
Much of the geology of the district is magnesian limestone, part of the Permian rocks which extend southwards fromDarlington toWetherby.[48] The area has pockets of gypsum underlying the surface soils. Water has dissolved the gypsum, leaving the area prone to sinkholes, especially north of the city and on the northern side of the Ure.[49]
The climate data below is forTopcliffe, which is 8.1 miles (13 km) to the north-east.[50]
| Climate data forTopcliffe airfield (North Yorkshire): elevation: 25 m (82 ft) Average maximum and minimum temperatures, and average rainfall recorded between 1991 and 2020 by theMet Office. Sunshine hours are for Leeming, as no data has been recorded at Topcliffe. | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 6.8 (44.2) | 7.4 (45.3) | 9.9 (49.8) | 12.5 (54.5) | 15.7 (60.3) | 18.2 (64.8) | 20.9 (69.6) | 20.4 (68.7) | 17.7 (63.9) | 13.6 (56.5) | 9.5 (49.1) | 6.7 (44.1) | 13.3 (55.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 0.4 (32.7) | 0.1 (32.2) | 1.5 (34.7) | 3.2 (37.8) | 5.8 (42.4) | 8.9 (48.0) | 11.2 (52.2) | 10.6 (51.1) | 8.4 (47.1) | 5.6 (42.1) | 2.4 (36.3) | -0.0 (32.0) | 4.86 (40.75) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 55.3 (2.18) | 39.5 (1.56) | 45.4 (1.79) | 53.3 (2.10) | 42.7 (1.68) | 59.7 (2.35) | 54.1 (2.13) | 62.5 (2.46) | 50.5 (1.99) | 58.7 (2.31) | 63.3 (2.49) | 58.9 (2.32) | 644 (25.4) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 10.9 | 8.7 | 10 | 9.3 | 8.8 | 9.1 | 9.8 | 9.9 | 9.0 | 10.4 | 10.9 | 11.1 | 117.9 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 58.1 | 81.7 | 121.5 | 153.8 | 195.0 | 175.9 | 185.5 | 171.2 | 132.7 | 93.4 | 63.7 | 54.2 | 1,486.7 |
| Source 1: Met Office[51] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Met Office[52] | |||||||||||||
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding missing information.(February 2020) |
The main feature of Ripon is anEnglish Gothic style cathedral, originally founded by Irish monks but refounded bySaint Wilfrid in 672. It has been rebuilt many times, and the only original building is the Saxon crypt.[53] It is home to Wilfrid’s grave.
Ripon Spa Baths is a grade II listed building which was opened in 1905. Originally, spa water was pumped from Aldfield a village to the north of the city, but later, the baths were opened on site too. The site closed in 2021, and in 2024, it was purchased by a private buyer to be converted into a hospitality venue and luxury apartments.[54][55][56]
Ripon is home toRipon Grammar School which is a selective intake, state secondary school.[57] The school claims to take roots from the school which was attached to the Collegiate Church, founded during the time of theAngle kingdom ofNorthumbria by SaintWilfrid.[58] The refoundation date for the school was during the reign of QueenMary I in 1555.[58] The school has several notablealumni, known as Old Riponians, including theologian BishopBeilby Porteus, historian BishopWilliam Stubbs, fashion designerBruce Oldfield and television presenterRichard Hammond.[58] In the modern day the school hosts around 800 pupils, gaining engineering status in 2006,[59] it receives favourable reports from theOfsted, being eithergood oroutstanding.[60] Opposite Ripon Grammar on Clotherholme Road is the non-selectiveOutwood Academy Ripon (formerly Ripon College, asecondary modern school), which was also known as Ripon City School until 1999. It has around 630 pupils and is exceeding the national average of GCSE results.[61][62][63][64]
On the site of the Old Ripon Racecourse in Whitcliffe Lane was St Olave's Preparatory School.[65] This site was taken over by an independent co-edpreparatory school founded in 1960 called the Cathedral Choir School. The choir school closed in 2012[66] and the site has now had approval for the building of new residential dwellings. Ripon previously had higher education facilities in the form of theCollege of Ripon and York St John until 2001.[67] This college had its roots in twoAnglican teacher training colleges, which were founded inYork in 1841 for men and 1846 for women.[67] The women's college moved to Ripon in 1862. Over the next century, the colleges gradually diversified their education programmes. The colleges merged in 1974 to form the College of Ripon and York St John.[67] The combined institution became a college of theUniversity of Leeds in 1990. Between 1999 and 2001, all activities were transferred to York and the college received the nameYork St John University.[67] One of York St John's buildings on its Lord Mayor's Walk campus was renamed 'Ripon' in June 2018 to commemorate Ripon Training College's "contribution to women's education" over 123 years of service.[68]
Evolve, a small, inclusive post-16 college is based in the centre of Ripon,[69] which works alongsideCraven College, which is based inSkipton.[70]
On the outskirts of Ripon there is the specialist autism education school called Spring Hill. The school offers day and boarding places. Current pupil numbers are 22. These include 17 boys, 5 girls, and 6 boarders.Spring Hill is owned by Cambian group PLC which is a large UK provider of specialist provision for children and adults. Spring Hill was previously in the ownership of the charity Barnardos.The current headteacher is Samantha Campbell, the head of care is Rebecca Sharp, The deputy headteacher is Christine Sherman, the head of education is currently vacant and the transitions and admissions coordinator is currently vacant.
Christianity is the largest religious affiliation in Ripon; 79.3% of the people in the area polled as part of theUnited Kingdom Census 2001 professed the Christian faith.[41]Ripon Cathedral is the main religious building in the city and contains a tomb said to contain the bones of SaintWilfrid who founded a monastery here and with it the town. TheVenerableWilliam Gibson is another noted local figure, a Catholic martyr who was one of theeighty-five martyrs of England and Wales.[71]
TheChurch of England is in the majority, with two parishes: the ancientRipon Cathedral andHoly Trinity Church.[72] Ripon was theepiscopal see of theDiocese of Ripon and Leeds represented by theBishop of Ripon and Leeds, created in 1836 with just Ripon in its title but adapted to include Leeds in 2000.[72] In 2014 it became part of theDiocese of Leeds, with Ripon Cathedral serving as one of its three cathedrals of equal status.[73] During the time of the kingdom ofNorthumbria there was a short-lived Diocese of Ripon, withEadhedus the only bishop. There is also aMedieval chapel located on Magdalens Road, which was once part of a leper hospital.[74] TheChapel of St Mary Magdalen is still used for regular worship and is agrade I listed building.[75]
There is aRoman Catholic parish in Ripon calledSt Wilfrid's; it is covered by theDiocese of Leeds in the Harrogatedeanery and the church is an architecturally significant building.[76][77] There are also around two places of worship forMethodism in Ripon,[78] as well as a couple ofevangelical churches including Bethel Church and Zion Baptist Church.
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Market day is held on a Thursday, and there are 120 stalls.[79] In celebration of the city's founder theWilfrid Procession is held every year; it originated in 1108 when KingHenry I granted the privilege of holding a fair for him.[80] At the procession there are various decoratedfloats which make their way through the city with locals in costume.[81] Part of the tradition represents the return of Wilfrid to Ripon, a decorated dummy (sometimes a man in costume instead) dressed as Wilfrid is sat on a horse, accompanied by two musicians with another man carrying St Wilfrid's hat around.[82] Ripon also has dancing traditions such as theLong Sword dance andMorris dance.[80]
The market square is the site of theRipon Obelisk, erected in 1702 byJohn Aislabie and designed byNicholas Hawksmoor. It stands 80 ft (24 m) in height and is capped with aweathervane bearing a representation of the wakeman's horn. It isGrade I listed and reputed to be the oldest in England.[83]
The tradition of the Ripon Hornblower has endured since 886 and continues on to this day.[84][85] It originates with the wakeman of Ripon, whose job in theMiddle Ages was similar to that of a mayor, although he had more responsibilities in the keeping of law and order. Every day at 9:00 pm the horn is blown at the four corners of the obelisk in Ripon Market.[86] The horn has become the symbol of the city and represents Ripon on theHarrogate borough coat of arms. There are three museums in Ripon collectively known as theYorkshire Law and Order Museums; it includes theCourthouse Museum, thePrison & Police Museum and theWorkhouse Museum.[87]
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In terms of sport, the most noted field of participation ishorse racing with theRipon Racecourse. The sport has a long history in Ripon, with the first recorded meeting on Bondgate Green in 1664, while its current location has been used as a racetrack since 1900.[88] Ripon staged Britain's first race for female riders in 1723.[88] The city is also home to Ripon Rugby Union Football Club who were founded in 1886 and currently play inYorkshire 2, the eighth tier of theEnglish Rugby Union league.
Local news and television programmes are provided byBBC Yorkshire andBBC North East and Cumbria onBBC One &ITV Yorkshire andITV Tyne Tees onITV1. Television signals can be received from eitherEmley Moor orBilsdale TV transmitters.[89][90]
Local radio stations areBBC Radio York,Greatest Hits Radio Yorkshire (formerlyStray FM), 'Your Harrogate' (which broadcast fromHarrogate)[91] andBFBS (which provides radio programmes forHis Majesty's Armed Forces).
TheRipon Gazette is the town’s weekly local newspaper.[92]
A character inDownton Abbey refers to becoming a partner in a Ripon firm ofsolicitors. Thehistorical drama also refers to the nearby towns ofEasingwold andThirsk.[93]
The city was previously served byRipon railway station on theLeeds-Northallerton Line that ran betweenLeeds andNorthallerton.[94] It was once part of theNorth Eastern Railway and thenLondon & North Eastern Railway. The Ripon to Harrogate Line was closed in the 1960s as part of theBeeching cuts.[95] Today, much of the route of the line through the city is now a relief road and although the former station still stands, it is now surrounded by a new housing development. The issue remains a significant one in local politics and there are movements wanting to restore the line.[94] Reports suggest the reopening of a line between Ripon andHarrogate would be economically viable, costing £40 million and initially attracting 1,200 passengers a day, rising to 2,700.[94][95][96]
By road, Ripon is well connected; it is accessible from the north and south via theA1(M) motorway, which connects to Ripon by theB6265.[97] Ripon is accessible from the east and west via theA61, the main road running through the city.[97]
Harrogate Bus Company'sroute 36 links the city toHarrogate andLeeds and there are also regular, albeit infrequent, bus services toBoroughbridge,York,Thirsk,Northallerton,Leyburn,Richmond and others.[98]
TheRipon Canal was proposed byJohn Smeaton in 1766, to connect the city centre to part of theRiver Ure; it was used for transporting coal from theDurham coalfields into the city. Although it was abandoned in 1956, a conservationist campaign saw it partly reopened in 1988 and fully in 1996.[99]
The following people and military units have received theFreedom of the City of Ripon:
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