City councillors have given their support in principle to Ripon Cathedral’s proposed £6 million standalone development on land to the north of the ancient building.
Members at Monday’s full meeting voted unanimously to support a proposal from leader Cllr Andrew Williams saying the council is in favour of the general principle of the development but is opposed to the closure of Minster Road.
The vote was taken following a presentation of the plans by the Dean of Ripon, the Very Revd. John Dobson and Colin Little, chair of the Ripon Cathedral Renewed Steering Group.
Ripon City Council is opposed to the closure of Minster Road as part of the development proposals.
In addition to their presentation, a model showing the planned development was available for councillors to see.
Dean John told the meeting:
“We have had a tremendous year with in excess of 100,000 people visiting the cathedral.”
He said attracting large numbers of visitors was beneficial to the wider Ripon economy, but also highlighted the need for the provision of modern facilities.
Dean John said:
“We have been looking for a solution to give the cathedral what it needs and this includes new toilets, new facilities for the choir, a gift shop larger than the one we currently have, a refectory and more storage space.”
Mr Little said the proposed cloistered two-storey stone building on Minster Gardens would be in keeping with neighbouring buildings in the conservation area and the development would include extensive landscaping that would increase the amount of public open space.
Cllr Williams said:
“We will be looking at the finer detail when the planning application is submitted, but the city council supports the general principle of this development, with the exception of the proposed closure of Minster Road, which we cannot agree with because diverting traffic elsewhere would cause many problems.”
He added:
“The cathedral draws in tens of thousands of visitors a year to Ripon and it should have decent toilets and other facilities to serve their needs.”
Should planning permission be granted, the building would include the city centre’s first Changing Places toilet facility for use by disabled people.
Cllr Pauline McHardy said:
“I am very excited about these plans. Our ancient city with its beautiful cathedral must move forward and the addition of facilities that make it more accessible to disabled people are most welcome.”
Judges cast their votes on Ripon’s Christmas windows
An independent panel of judges, braved heavy showers to view and cast their votes for the 23 entries in the Ripon Business Improvement District’s Christmas Windows competition.
The panel, including the city’s Mayor and Mayoress Councillor Sid Hawke and his wife Linda and the Dean of Ripon the Very Revd John Dobson have had their say, but the final outcome of the competition rests with a public vote and the winning entry will be announced on December 19.
Dean John judging the window at Specsavers
Ripon BID manager Lilla Bathurst, said:
“Like Strictly Come Dancing, the votes of the public will be added to the marks given by the judges.”
More details on how to vote for your favourite Christmas window click here
Children were involved in producing the window display at Cathedral View Cafe
Ms Bathurst, pointed out:
“The theme that we set was peace and sanctuary and the judges were asked to bear this in mind when assessing the entries.”
She added:
“We are delighted with the number of businesses that took part, as the window displays combined with the city’s festive lights and our free parking after 3pm initiative on the Fridays running up to Christmas, all add to the attraction of Ripon.”
Dean John, said:
“It’s great to see the business community embracing the central Christmas messages of peace and sanctuary in an imaginative way that helps to lift all of our spirits in these difficult times.”
Ripon Cathedral’s music, heritage conservation and education programme is to benefit from the £25,000 raised at a banquet in honour of the city’s patron saint.
The event, hosted by the Dean of Ripon the Very Revd. John Dobson, saw the culmination of the cathedral’s 1,350th anniversary celebrations which, over six months, focused on the life and work of Wilfrid, who founded the cathedral in 672 AD.
Held in the cathedral’s ancient nave this month, the banquet was sponsored by estate agent Knight Frank LLP and supported by Harrogate law firm Raworths.
The 300 guests at the black-tie event were entertained by close-up magician Rob Hutchinson and took part in fundraising activities, which included a raffle and angel tree, with prizes donated from the local community.
Diners also participated in both a live and silent auction and the evening finished with a silent disco – where guests donned a pair of headphones and took part in the unique experience of dancing inside the cathedral.
Ripon Cathedral development trust manager Margaret Hammond said:
“The banquet is one of the most spectacular events the cathedral hosts during the year. The building comes alive with guests enjoying the evening in the beautiful candle-lit setting. A unique dining experience held in one of Yorkshire’s most stunning venues.
“The evening provides an opportunity for individuals to support this wonderful ancient building and at the same time enjoy gourmet food, music and much more”.
The next major fundraising event at the cathedral, will be the Christmas Gift and Food Fair, which will be held over two days on November 25 and 26.
Archbishop speaks of his devotion to St Wilfrid at celebratory Ripon service
The Archbishop of York, The Most Revd. Stephen Cottrell, spoke of his ‘great love and devotion to St Wilfrid’ in a sermon to a packed congregation at Ripon Cathedral yesterday.
The Patronal Eucharist service marked the climax of six months of celebrations, which focused on the life and work of the city’s patron saint.
It brought leading clergy and civic dignitaries from across the region to the church founded in 672 AD.
The congregation at yesterday’s service.
At the conclusion of the service, the archbishop, attended by the Lord-Lieutenant of North Yorkshire Jo Ropner, the Bishop of Leeds, the Rt. Revd Nick Baines and the Dean of Ripon, the Very Revd. John Dobson, dedicated a newly-created ledger stone to the visionary Benadictine monk.
The ledger stone at Ripon Cathedral.
He said:
“Gracious God, as we celebrate the 1,350th anniversary of Ripon’s Anglo-Saxon crypt, we give thanks for its ancient stones which bear witness to your faithfulness to us in every generation.
“As Wilfrid, holy and bold, built up your church in his day, so may we now, in and through this cathedral, bear witness to the inclusive good news of your kingdom for this city, diocese and region.”
The archbishop, added:
“May this stone, now incorporated into the fabric of this ancient cathedral as a lasting expression of gratitude for our founding patron, St Wilfrid, prompt us to follow his example of bringing the good news of Jesus Christ to your world.”
The Lord-Lieutenant of North Yorkshire, Jo Ropner, gave a reading from the New Testament.
Attendees at the service, led by the Bishop of Leeds, included the Harrogate Borough Mayor, councillor Victoria Oldham and the Mayor and Mayoress of Ripon, councillor Sid and Linda Hawke.
In his welcoming address, Dean John Dobson (pictured above) said:
“For six months we have been enjoying a full programme of events which has helped us mark the 1350th anniversary of St Wilfrid dedicating his great basilica here in 672 AD.
“That was a church building which spoke of wider, universal influence and the determination to equip the church for fitting worship and active mission in the world.”
Great North Art Show returns to Ripon Cathedral
The Great North Art Show (GNAS) whose planned opening was delayed because of The Queen’s death, is now open to the public at Ripon Cathedral.
Among those with works on display is Yorkshire artist Eleanor Tomlinson, whose ‘Jubilee Ma’amalade Tea’ illustration of Her Majesty holding hands with Paddington Bear, touched the hearts of the nation and became even more poignant after her passing.
The painting was inspired by the now-famous TV sketch, that was broadcast as part of The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June.
Ms Tomlinson, whose artwork and illustrations are inspired by the countryside and wildlife around her, is exhibiting six new pieces, plus her jubilee themed prints.
A selection of Kay Latto’s works, which are on display at the exhibition
The exhibition, which is open until October 9, can be visited free of charge and is also showcasing the work of Ripon-based sculptor Kay Latto, who has exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts and the Royal Scottish Academy.
This month, The Society of Portrait Sculptors is exhibiting her sculpture ‘Talented Too’ at their FACE 2022 exhibition in Chelsea Barracks, London.
The GNAS, is providing a platform to the charity Vision Support Harrogate District, with sculptor Kim Murphy, who started out by sculpting her guide dog, one of eight vision impaired artists exhibiting their sculptures.
The work of vision impaired sculptors, including Kim Murphy, is on display at the Vision Support Harrogate and District stand
This is the 20th GNAS exhibition in a year of anniversaries, with the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and the 1350th anniversary of Ripon Cathedral’s consecration by St Wilfrid in 672 AD.
Pictures at the exhibition
Wendy Orme, the artist who started the show in 2001, explained the origins of the event:
“I felt at the time that the market for art was very much based around London and I thought it was high time we had something that allowed the work of northern artists, often rural, to be seen by people who live in the north.
“We wanted to bring art to the wider community and to people who had possibly never attended an art exhibition before, thus enabling them to view a large-scale exhibition in an open, neutral space – albeit in this case, the house of God.
“There is an important need for cathedrals to play a part in the community, bringing people together – and Ripon Cathedral does this so well. We are grateful for the use of this sacred space, which can be accessed by all, for free.”
The exhibition runs alongside the cathedral’s 1350th anniversary installation From Rome to Ripon, produced in partnership with Art in the Churches. It features work by Syrian artist Sara Shamma, whose paintings of Wilfrid and his contemporaries hang between the great pillars of the nave; the late Jack Chesterman; poet Olivia Mulligan and sound artist Paul Baily.
New £6m plans to extend Ripon Cathedral facilities proposed
Plans for a £6million extension to the south side of Ripon Cathedral’s west-facing frontage are on hold and alternative proposals have been put on public display.
The Ripon Cathedral Renewed Project, which aims to provide 21st century facilities for the cathedral’s parishioners, choristers, the wider community and an ever-increasing number of visitors, already has £4 million in pledges.
But it needs to secure a further £2 million if ambitions are to be achieved.
Signs at the exhibition, being held in the north transept, explain that the alternative plan has been brought forward after reservations were expressed about the previously proposed extension
The new plan, captured in this artist’s impression, involves creating new indoor and outdoor space.
Proposals involve a standalone two-storey development to the north of the iconic building on an area of land that also houses the Old Courthouse Museum and the Royal British Legion Garden of Remembrance.
They also include the suggested closure of Minster Road to through traffic, to provide a safe link for pedestrians and people in wheelchairs or families with prams and buggies, to move between the cathedral and the new building.
The proposal includes the provision of pedestrian-friendly links between the cathedral and the new building and into the Cathedral Car Park.
The community consultation aims to gauge views on the design of the new building, landscaping of the site and the Minster Road proposal.
A message from the Dean of Ripon, the Very Revd. John Dobson, thanks donors who have already pledged support to the Ripon Renewed Project and adds that the bid to make the vision a reality is ‘nearer than ever before.’
He points out that in addition to obtaining further financial pledges:
“We need plans that will attract approval at every level.”
The wooden model on display shows the new two-storey building to the right and its relationship to the cathedral.
The new building would incorporate indoor toilets, including a Changing Places toilet for disabled people, a café/refreshment area, improved shop, meeting room, new facilities for the choir school and additional storage capacity to take the pressure off use of space in the cathedral.
When the Ripon Renewed project that was announced Dean John, said:
“It is clear that the development of the cathedral is vital to bring this national treasure into the 21st century.
“As custodians of this fantastic building we are only too aware of the legacy we uphold. We have this ancient history, this wonderful architecture – what we haven’t got are the facilities that people need.
“Each generation has, over 13 centuries, taken on what has been handed to it and made its own contributions. We take none of this for granted and we have a responsibility, in our generation, to make our contribution now.”
The site for the proposed new building, is to the right of the Old Courthouse Museum and adjacent to the Royal British Legion Garden of Remembrance
He added:
“Over the last few years it has become increasingly obvious to a growing number of people that the development of Ripon Cathedral is vital as we seek to serve the communities of the region now and in the future.”
The community consultation will help to shape a formal planning application that will be submitted to Harrogate Borough Council and people who go to view the plans, are asked by Dean John to fill out a short questionnaire available at the exhibition.
If successful, plans would see the first major development in hundreds of years of the cathedral’s facilities, for a building containing the oldest built fabric of any English cathedral – St Wilfrid’s Crypt – dating back to 672 AD.
The quarter hour chime of the cathedral clock reminded visitors to Dean John Dobson’s Ripon garden that it was time to toast a successful launch to the city’s 1350 celebrations.
There was also a sense of relief that the annual beer festival he and his family host was back after two years of covid lockdowns.
Dean John, enjoying his pint of Wilfrid’s Ale — specially created in honour of Ripon’s patron saint — told the Stray Ferret:
“People have clearly missed it and this is looking like our biggest-ever turn out.
“It’s a great conclusion to the 1350 launch weekend, which provided the prelude to a whole host of activities and events between now and October.”
The bar team at the beer festival, ready to serve the first customers.
Bishop’s fingers on the pump – the Rt Revd. Jonathan Gibbs, who is the Bishop of Huddersfield, gave the bar team a helping hand
Baby Levi and his dad, Ben, were also on bar duty
To accompany the food and beers, seven bands provided live music.
The hundreds of people present between 11.30am and 5pm to try out some fine examples of the brewers’ craft, added to the thousands who had visited the cathedral for a wide range of events, talks and displays in honour of St Wilfrid, who founded the cathedral in AD 672.
Ripon’s Bank Holiday weekend of double celebration
The countdown has started to the Queen’s platinum jubilee festivities in Ripon, with decorations now in place on the town hall.
In a year of double celebration for the city, this Bank Holiday weekend also sees a packed programme of events marking the 1,350th anniversary of Ripon Cathedral.
The doors of the iconic building open this morning at 9.30 and, up until 12.30pm, Hazelsong Theatre, will be offering free activities for families, ranging from calligraphic bookmarks to showing how manuscripts were made.
From 10.30am, there will be a guided tour, on which an experienced guide will talk about the cathedral’s hidden history and between 11am and 11.30am there will be an opportunity to meet the organist and have a go at playing the cathedral’s historic organ.
The sound of mini-bells will be heard from 12.30pm, with an exhibition of campanology in the nave.
Art In Churches producer Chris Bailey will talk between 1.30pm and 2.30pm on the specially-commissioned art celebrating the work of Wilfrid, Ripon’s patron saint, who established the church in AD 672.
Ripon is getting dressed up in readiness for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee
The organist meeting will also take place at 3pm and between 3.30pm and 4.30pm, professor Joyce Hill will give a lecture on medieval manuscripts.
Following the evening prayer service between 5.30 and 6pm, at 8pm a Son et Lumiere themed on Sunday Wilfrid’s miracles will be held. Tickets can be obtained from Eventbrite
At 9pm, a hornblower will carry out the setting of the watch ceremony at the obelisk.
Tomorrow, the Festal Eucharist service from 10.30am until 12 noon, will be followed by a guided pilgrimage between 1.30pm and 3pm.
The opportunity to raise a toast, or two, to the Queen’s jubilee year and the start of the 1,350 programme and will come on Monday with the return of Ripon Cathedral’s famous beer festival, with drinks and food served in Dean John Dobson’s garden. Tickets can be purchased on line on this link.
New artworks commissioned for Ripon Cathedral anniversary
Unique works of art are being created as part of a programme to mark the 1,350th anniversary of Ripon Cathedral.
They will include paintings by internationally-renowned Syrian artist Sara Shamma, who has been commissioned to produce three portraits featuring St. Wilfrid and his contemporaries, who founded the church in 672.
Ms Shamma’s work will be centrepieces of the From Rome to Ripon exhibition, which has been produced in collaboration with Paul Baily and Jack Chesterton.
It will be on display at the cathedral from May 27 until November 1.
Before then, weaver, Chrissie Freeth’s tapestry work Beyond Words can be seen from Thursday April 28 until May 26.
Chrissie Freeth’s tapestries will be on display from April 28
Ms Freeth, was shortlisted for last year’s Cordis Tapestry prize and her work Momento Mori was also selected for the Royal Academy’s summer exhibition.,
She blends folklore, family stories, medieval iconography, and craftsmanship in her large tapestries, 13 of which will be exhibited at the cathedral.
Between May 27 and July 26, Peter Marlow’s exhibition will give a fascinating insight into how English cathedrals developed
The Dean of Ripon, the Very Revd. John Dobson, said:
“To reimagine this sacred space with new artworks from such a wide range of renowned artists, each working in different ways, is a fitting tribute to our founding father, Wilfrid.
“It will tell us something new about who we are, re-connect us with our past, and ground us in our future and I wholeheartedly commend this arts programme to all of you.”
Celebrations of the iconic building and its fundamental importance to Ripon’s development, begin on April 28 and will continue over the Bank Holiday Weekend,
The festivities will include dancing in the nave to a local jazz and swing band, a beer festival on the Bank Holiday Monday in the cathedral grounds, a pilgrimage from Bradford Cathedral, and a Son et Lumiere finale that promises to recreate Wilfrid’s miracles – including that of the lunar rainbow.
Rome to Ripon is a partnership between Ripon Cathedral and Art in the Churches, an award-winning local charity that aims to bring major contemporary art into rural churches to reposition them as the beating heart of their communities.
Wilfrid – one of the greatest and most controversial English saints – was born into a noble Northumbrian family, a patron of the arts, he studied at Lindisfarne before embracing the Roman ways, was deposed on more than one occasion, and yet helped unite England behind a single Christian tradition.
It is said he was born in flames, survived shipwrecks and exile, and his jailers could not keep him chained. He was a healer, he kept people from hunger by teaching them to fish, and it is said that the moon and stars shone so bright for him, that a lunar rainbow appeared on the anniversary of his death.
In his early twenties, he made a pilgrimage to Rome and was much inspired by the lives of the saints there, and the great basilica churches. He brought some of the beauty of Rome back to England with him.