Halls of Ripon to expand through major reconfiguration

Halls of Ripon, the city’s only department store, is increasing its floorspace as part of a major revamp and reconfiguration.

The store in Fishergate which is home to 16 independent retailers, will be temporarily closed from Friday and is scheduled re-open in early February.

Owned by Ripon-based property investment and development company Sterne Properties Ltd, the former Wrens store re-opened under its new Halls of Ripon branding in July 2021.

Halls of Ripon director Mike Cooper (pictured below) whose son Barry runs Red Buttons Jewellers within the store, told the Stray Ferret:

“It’s testimony to the strength of Ripon’s independent retail offer that we are expanding when many of the big names on the high street are closing stores.”

He pointed out:

“The demand for space remains very strong and we will be able to satisfy that demand with a reconfiguration that will create room for up to seven more independent businesses.”

Halls of Ripon director Mike Cooper

For Zoe Wotherspoon, who owns the ladies fashion, accessories  and gifts retailer Robin Gifts, the increased space is timely.

She said:

“We have done so well since opening our second outlet at Halls last February, that we decided to move out of Harrogate and consolidate our offer at one location.”

Ms Wotherspoon, added:

“The revamp will give us 40 percent more space in the prime location at the front of the store and we feel very confident for the future as we continue to attract new customers.”

 

While the work at the front half of the department store is under way, The Hive Cafe, which can be accessed from the Marshall Way car park entrance, will remain open throughout.

Keeley Buller who co-owns the business with her partner David Ward, said:

“Over the past 30 months we have built a loyal customer base and the enhancements that will come with the revamp are good news for us.”

In addition to the reconfiguration of the department store, Sterne Properties will be remodelling the building and installing a new roof to create two high quality apartments on the upper floors of the building.

Main image: Zoe Wotherspoon, whose Robin Gifts business is expanding with the increase in floorspace at Halls of Ripon

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Gallery: Sensational fireworks display sees New Year arrive with a bang in Ripon

The New Year arrived with a huge bang as Ripon ushered in 2024 in spectacular fashion last night with a fireworks display, the like of which has never been seen before in the city centre.

For 10 minutes from the stroke of midnight on the Ripon Cathedral clock, revellers who had earlier danced to the Caribbean beat of the Jamsalana Steel Band were treated to an exhibition of precision pyrotechnics.

A pulsating palette of colours burst upon the night sky in wave after wave of controlled explosion and at its conclusion a gathering of more than 2,000 people on Market Square spontaneously applauded.

Ripon City Council leader Andrew Williams, who put £1,000 of his North Yorkshire Council locality budget towards the cost of the display, told the Stray Ferret:

“We wanted it to be bigger and better than last year’s fireworks finale and it certainly was!”

He added:

“I’ve never seen anything like this in the city centre before and while I know it won’t have been to everybody’s liking, the automatic reaction of the audience spoke for itself.”

The number of people on Market Square grew throughout the evening and by midnight, more than 2,000 were present to see the fireworks

Last night’s New Year’s Eve event, paid for from the parish precept, has been staged over decades by the city council and is firmly established on the authority’s annual calendar.

Before Jamsalana (pictured below) struck up, there was the ever-present reminder for Ripon residents and visitors of the city’s rich heritage, when Wayne Cobbett, a member of the hornblower team, set the watch with blasts at the four corners of the obelisk.

The instrument that he uses, is the 1996 horn, donated to the city to celebrate the 1100th anniversary since Alfred the Great, the first Anglo-Saxon King of England, gave a ceremonial horn to the people of Ripon in thanks for the courage they showed in fighting off a Viking incursion in 886 AD.

The Mayor of Ripon Councillor Sid Hawke, who was celebrating his birthday, was present for the setting of the watch and later, in another city tradition, he returned to Market Square with Mayoress Linda Hawke after leading a candle-lit procession from the cathedral, attended by clergy and members of the congregation.

The procession included the Dean of Ripon the Very Revd John Dobson, Canons Michael Gisbourne, Matthew Pollard and the Bishop of Ripon, the Rt Revd Anna Eltringham, who blessed the crowd from the town hall balcony.

Main image: The spectacular fireworks display provided the finale to an evening of celebration on Market Square

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No 2: Ripon Cathedral planning application – are you for or against?

In this article, which is part of a series on the 12 stories in the Harrogate district that shaped 2023, we look at Ripon Cathedral’s controversial planning application for a £6 million development.

What a difference a year makes for Ripon Cathedral.

In 2022, the iconic grade I listed building was both the focus point and venue for numerous events to celebrate the 1,350th anniversary of its foundation.

Its crypt dating back to 672 AD means that Wilfrid’s creation contains the oldest surviving structure of any cathedral in England.

In June 2022, the Church of St Peter and St Wilfrid, hosted North Yorkshire’s civic service of celebration for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and just 13 weeks later, was a fitting place for members of the community to grieve Her Late Majesty’s death.

The Dean of Ripon the Very Revd John Dobson, greeted visitors and civic guests who attended the Platinum Jubilee service for North Yorkshire held at the cathedral

At Easter 1985, Queen Elizabeth distributed Maundy money to Ripon citizens and her visit was remembered in fine style 37 years later as the cathedral celebrated its Royal connection.

Visitor figures for the ‘Cathedral of the Dales’ rose to a record 100,000 and included in that number were regular churchgoers, tourists, pilgrims and people who came to worship and/or attend events ranging from arts displays and exhibitions, to classical concerts, lectures and even a silent disco.

After such a successful year, in which the cathedral was undeniably the city’s top attraction, all it needed to do to bring more people through its doors, was to provide them with the 21st century facilities that the building lacks.

That would see the end of portable toilets on its piazza and remove the need to hire outside caterers for its hospitality events.

The proposed annex building plan includes a Changing Places toilet to increase accessibility to the cathedral for people with limited mobility. The public toilets currently on Minster Gardens (pictured above) would be demolished.

What happened next?

Last December, the Dean and Chapter’s plans to extend and enhance facilities for users of the building, were submitted nine days before Christmas to the then Harrogate Borough Council.

Since being open to public scrutiny in January, when the application was validated, the annex plan has been the subject of heated debate and acrimonious claims and counter claims on social media.

Among the hundreds of supporting and explanatory documents that could be seen on the Council planning portal, was details of a business  plan centred on an 80-seat refectory, large enough to cater for visitors arriving in coach parties throughout the day.

The Cathedral Choir, with director of Music Dr Ronny Krippner (pictured left), is among the best in the country

Included in the proposed two-storey 1,000 square metres annex is a song school for the cathedral’s top-class choristers, a gift shop, toilets, and additional storage space for chairs and other equipment,

The planning application documents, including letters of support and objection could be found from January 20 on the Harrogate Borough Council planning portal, which subsequently became the North Yorkshire Council portal in April, when Harrogate council was abolished and subsumed into the new unitary authority.

The veteran beech has become the emblem of the protestors’ campaign

The Stray Ferret was first to report that, to make way for the annex, 11 mature trees, including a beech with veteran status, would need to be felled.

The objections begin

Among the early objectors to the scheme, were the planning authority’s own senior officers, including the ecologist and arboriculturist, who pointed out that removal of a veteran tree considered to be ‘irreplaceable’ should be resisted and planning permission only allowed if no other options are open to the applicant.

Objections from Statutory consultees the Woodland Trust and the Yorkshire Gardens Trust followed, but then came a letter of support from Historic England – the government’s expert  adviser on the historic environment.

Its conclusion on the suitability of the proposed siting of the  building, was at odds with the response from local heritage watchdog, Ripon Civic Society.

Following the cathedral’s pre-application presentation to Ripon City Council in December 2022, ten of its 12 members voted to support the ‘general principle’ of the plan, while saying it would comment further on the proposal, once detailed plans had been seen.

In February, owners of hospitality businesses in Kirkgate, attended a city council meeting to tell members that the proposed refectory would ‘funnel’ trade away from them and straight into the annex building.

The cathedral, has claimed from the outset that an uplift of up to 50% more footfall generated by the new development would be beneficial for all of the city’s businesses.

The Dean, who was at the council meeting, along with members of the cathedral chapter, told traders that they had no reason for ‘anxiety’ but a paragraph in the design and access document prepared on behalf of the cathedral said, in black and white:

“Cathedral Refectory: for this to be a financially viable part of the cathedral business plan it needs to be a certain size, to accommodate a coach party, and be very close to the cathedral. This is required to prevent visitors from drifting away from the cathedral and using the various cafés in the city.”

Through the words of the cathedral’s own adviser, the fears of traders were confirmed as being correct and, along with the threat of lost trees, a two-pronged campaign opposing the annex plans gained momentum.

Traders and tree campaigners raise objections

Since April, Ripon resident Jenni Holman, has been raising a petition to save the trees and green space of Minster Gardens.

Her paper petition, supplied in 20 tranches to North Yorkshire planners had, before the Christmas holiday, collected 2078 signatures including new signatories who gathered with dozens of fellow objectors, in a peaceful protest under the bough of the beech that has become the emblem of their campaign.

Ripon City Council’s withdraws support

The growing number of protestors with fears for trade and trees, was not lost on Ripon City Council and at its December meeting, members voted narrowly by 4 votes to 3 to withdraw support for the annex plan and raise an objection to it.  The move came as a surprise to the Cathedral. 

The peaceful protest took place by the veteran beech

The ‘save our trees’ campaign and November 25 protest, which has received support from the Woodland Trust, the UK’s largest woodland conservation charity, attracted wide media coverage, including items broadcast by Yorkshire’s Calendar News and Tyne Tees news and BBC Radio North Yorkshire.

A Christmas break

In the season of goodwill on earth and peace to all men, women and children, the cathedral and its burgeoning choir, painstakingly built by its highly-accomplished director of music, Dr Ronny Krippner, has been at the centre of much-loved and very well-attended traditional Christmas services.

But come the New Year, when those in favour and opposed to the planning application have taken down their festival decorations, the battle for hearts and minds will rage on – much of it through posts on social media.

The planning application will be considered by the Skipton and Ripon Constituency Planning Committee at a meeting to be held in Ripon, because of the strong local interest in it.

With the committee’s next meeting due to be held in Skipton on January 16, the earliest date for consideration of the cathedral’s application would be February.

Main image: An aerial cgi, showing where the annex would sit in relation to the cathedral: Picture Ripon Cathedral Renewed.

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Fireworks and live music to greet New Year in Ripon

Ripon will be dancing to a Caribbean beat when it welcomes in 2024 this evening (Sunday).

Residents and visitors are invited to the city’s New Year’s Eve gathering on Market Square, where the live music will be provided by the Jamsalana Steel Drum band.

The traditional event on Ripon Market Square attracts thousands of revellers each year

The band will strike up at 9:45pm and the evening will conclude with a fireworks display at midnight.

Before the start of the celebration event, organised by Ripon City Council and paid for from the parish precept, at 9pm a member of the hornblower team will signal the setting of the watch with blasts of their horn at the four corners of the obelisk.

The ceremonial event, dating back to 886 AD – was instigated by Alfred the Great the first Anglo-Saxon King of England – and will provide the prelude to a night of free entertainment.

Today’s forecast is indicating that the rain and winds brought by Storm Gerrit will have reduced but, as with all outdoor events, it’s always advisable to bring an umbrella!

Full coverage of Ripon’s New Year’s Eve celebrations, will be published by the Stray Ferret on January 1

Main image: Tonight’s fireworks display will herald in the New Year

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Time for a long-term fix for Ripon’s most unreliable civic timepiece

Queen Victoria is not amused! Nor are those Ripon residents and passing road users who want to know the time of day (or night).

The problem is a monumental one and can be seen at the junction of North Road, Palace Road and Princess Road.

The clock tower, paid for by sisters Frances and Constance Cross to commemorate Queen Victoria’s 1897 Diamond Jubilee has, in recent times, become extremely unreliable.

Its hands are currently frozen on 7.37 am (or 7.37 pm) — and won’t be able to mark the arrival of the midnight hour that will herald in the New Year.

Ripon’s constant reminder of Elizabeth II’s 70-year reign comes in the form of the specially-commissioned Platinum Jubilee horn, which is one of the instruments used by hornblowers to set the city’s daily watch at 9pm prompt.

Less than half a mile from Ripon Town Hall, her great-great grandmother’s crossroads timepiece was once a means of reassuring travellers heading for trains at Ure Bank Station that they were not running late.

Victoria, who clocked up 63 years and 216 days on the throne – a record subsequently beaten by Elizabeth II –  would surely be bemused by the four-faced clock’s erratic performance.

The clock tower, which was formally inaugurated in June 1898, bears a Ripon Civic Society green plaque and society co-chair Richard Taylor, told the Stray Ferret:

“I was delighted earlier this month, when the clock was fixed by North Yorkshire Council, but when a friend called and said it had stopped again within a matter of weeks, I thought they were winding me up!

“But joking apart, this is a significant and highly-visible monument of historic significance on the approach to the city centre and this time, please can a longer-lasting solution be found to sort out its internal workings.”

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Hundreds join in Ripon Cathedral’s annual pilgrimage to Fountains Abbey

It was the perfect day for a pilgrimage and hundreds turned up at Ripon Cathedral this morning to take part in the four-mile walk of faith to Fountains Abbey.

The annual St Stephen’s Day trek from Ripon Cathedral to Fountains Abbey, attracted family groups, individuals, dog walkers and keen hikers.

Many came prepared for cold and rain but, as with last year’s pilgrimage, they found dry and pleasantly warm weather, with sunshine all the way to Fountain’s Abbey.

The pilgrims head up Kirkgate

The walkers followed in the footsteps of 13 monks who, on a cold day in 1132, walked from Ripon to a completely deserted valley by the River Skell.

This is where Fountains was established and the link with the church founded in Ripon by Wilfrid, who subsequently became the city’s patron saint,  was established and has remained to this day.

Fountains, which was one of the richest abbeys in England, closed in 1539 as part of the Dissolution of the Monasteries ordered by Henry VIII.

Canon Matthew Pollard (pictured left), the Bishop of Ripon Anna Eltringham and Dean of Ripon John Dobson, prepare for the carol service in the cellarium.

The pilgrimage concluded with a carol service in the awe-inspiring vaulted cellarium of the ruined abbey. Musical accompaniment was provided by the Harrogate-based quintet Stray Brass.

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No 11: Curzon closure does not signal the end of cinema in Ripon

In this article, which is part of a series on the 12 stories in the Harrogate district that shaped 2023, we look at the closure in July of Ripon’s Curzon cinema 

Film lovers in Ripon  and the surrounding area suffered a blow on July 1 when Curzon, the London-headquartered cinema operator, closed the doors forever at its North Street premise.

That came just ten years after it opened in a blaze of positive publicity.

Has the city seen its final picture show? Or will the projectors be rolling again in 2024?

At the time of Curzon’s withdrawal, landlord Sterne Properties Limited, stated its own disappointment, but also announced plans to bring a community-run cinema to Ripon to operate alongside a leisure hub designed for families with young children.

The James Bond film No Time to Die, was one of the last blockbuster movies to be shown at Curzon’s Ripon cinema

With the New Year just (weeks/days away) the Stray Ferret asked Robert Sterne, director of the Ripon-based property and investment company, for an update.

He told us:

“The closure of Curzon in July this year was a huge disappointment all round, but we see this as an opportunity to make (subject to planning consent) some big changes so that the cinema better serves the community.”

He pointed out:

“There has been lots of interest from a whole range of cinema operators which we are considering alongside a community-run, not for profit venture. However Curzon still hold a lease over the property and it will therefore have to remain closed until terms can be agreed to bring it back under our control. “

Mr Sterne, added:

“We are working hard to this end and hope to be able to give some further updates in the New Year”

A family-focused new facility

In July, Mr Sterne told the Stray Ferret:

“Film lovers can take comfort that one cinema screen will be retained to be run as a community project. That way overheads, and therefore ticket prices, can be reduced whilst continuing to show a range of great films and streaming of live events.

“In addition we are proposing to create a hub for the benefit of local and visiting families with a play centre, baby sensory activities, café/restaurant and retail unit. This is something that has been under-provided locally and for which we see a strong demand.”

Leisure sector experience

In 2013, the company’s conversion of a former furniture store provided the wherewithal for Curzon to come to Ripon and bring cinema back to the city, 31 years after the final curtain at the Palladium on Kirkgate .

Sterne Properties, set up by Robert Sterne’s father Martin, has been investing in Ripon for more than 30 years.

It has a strong track record in the refurbishment  and reconfiguration of redundant buildings in the city, to create mixed-use leisure and hospitality-led schemes that include a residential element.

One high profile example is the former Natwest Bank premises next door to Ripon Town Hall on Market Place South.

It is now the Claro Lounge cafe/bar at ground and basement level, with luxury apartments on the upper floors.

The company whose city centre portfolio includes properties which are home to Halls of Ripon, Caffe Nero, the Little Ripon Bookshop and Appleton’s Butchers, submitted a planning application to North Yorkshire Council in September for, perhaps, its most ambitious project yet – the refurbishment of the Spa Baths.

That application will be determined by the planning authority in the New Year and, if successful, will see a mixed-use  hospitality-led scheme, designed to see the grade II listed Spa building returned to its Edwardian splendour,

Main image: The billboards are currently bare at Curzon’s premises, but cinema could be back in the New Year.

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Thousands attend Christmas services at Ripon Cathedral

Ripon Cathedral has attracted huge numbers over the Christmas period. with thousands of people attending its festive  services.

The combined attendance at the Festival of Lessons and Carols held over two evenings on Saturday and Sunday, was in excess of 3,000 and the Dean of Ripon the Very Revd John Dobson, told the Stray Ferret:

“It is the busiest I have ever seen the Cathedral. It was pleasing to see so many local residents and people from the wider region celebrating Christmas with us.”

He added:

“To cater for the huge demand, we had to provide additional seating down both the outer aisles and behind the altar. “

The cathedral has been packed for services throughout the Christmas season.

Midnight Mass, which started at 11pm on Sunday night, saw 500 in attendance and a similar number attended the Festal Eucharist Service on Christmas Day morning, led by the Bishop of Leeds the Rt. Revd Nick Baines.

The Bishop, who also gave the sermon, spoke of Christmas and Christ’s birth bringing light into the darkness that the world faces through ongoing conflicts affecting millions of people.

From serious situations to the more light-hearted, he brought laughter from the congregation when he talked about daring to wear a Christmas jumper.

Cathedral choir praised

Among the many highlights of the choir’s performances over the Christmas weekend,, was their stunning rendition of the traditional sacred Scandinavian song Gaudete, dating back to 1582 and remembered by some attendees as a 1970s hit record for the folk group Steeleye Span,

The work of the choir and the cathedral’s director of music Dr Ronny Krippner, was praised by Dean John, before a long-line of young choristers queued in single file to receive their Christmas pay – a £2 coin apiece!

The Dean quipped:

“We have so many choristers that the queue almost reaches back all the way to the Royal Oak on Kirkgate!”

A tradition was maintained when the choristers gave an apple to each member of the congregation as a Christmas gift from the cathedral.

Among the recipients was the Bishop, seen in the main image with Dean John and canons Claire Renshaw and Matthew Pollard.

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Ripon’s Boxing Day pilgrims won’t have to pay for entrance to Fountains Abbey

The annual Boxing Day pilgrimage from Ripon Cathedral to Fountains Abbey will be held on Tuesday (December 26),

As in previous years, pilgrims who take part in the four-mile walk, starting from outside the Cathedral at 10.15am, will not have to pay to enter the World Heritage site.

An item about the pilgrimage in the events section of Ripon Cathedral’s website says:

“Please Note: Fountains Abbey is owned and managed by the National Trust and you may need to provide either proof of membership or pay an entrance fee to enter the abbey.”

However, on its website the National Trust, has confirmed that it is a free event for pilgrims and no prior booking is required.

For non-National Trust members, the standard admittance price for adults is £18 and £9 for children.

Prior to the start of the pilgrimage, pilgrims will be welcome to attend a Eucharist service in the cathedral at 9.30am

The walkers will follow in the footsteps of 13 monks who on a cold day in 1132, walked from Ripon to a completely deserted valley by the River Skell.

There they started their own community from nothing and Fountains Abbey was born.

The traditional event, which will conclude with a carol service in the awe-inspiring vaulted cellarium of the ruined abbey, has become a firm favourite in the cathedral’s Christmas calendar. In previous years it has attracted hundreds of pilgrims.

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Illuminations continue this afternoon at Ripon’s Winter Wonderland

Ripon’s Spa Gardens with its stunning Mick Burns Alice sculpture and fine fir trees, has once again been transformed into a spectacular winter wonderland.

Yesterday (Saturday) was the second of three days that have seen parents, grandparents and children  flock to see a fantasia of festive decorations and imaginative displays created by community groups across the city and supported by businesses and the council.

Adding to the atmosphere, was special lighting effects that illuminated trees, the war memorial and statue of  George Frederick Samuel Robinson, the first Marquess of Ripon and the city’s most high profile politician, who also served as Viceroy and Governor-General of India from 1880 to 1884.

The trees were lit.

The winter wonderland, with its free family fun and music, is run by volunteers and continues today (Sunday) between 2pm and 8pm.

Organiser Caroline Bentham, who is chair of the Friends of Spa Gardens, which organises the event, told the Stray Ferret:

“This is the fourth time that we have staged it and it has grown year on year, as we add new features and activities.

“Over the three days we will see around 2,000 people through the gates, most of them in family groups, who come to enjoy the sights and sounds of our pre-Christmas winter celebration.”

Children look at the knitted figures produced by members of the Ripon Community Poppy Project

This year has seen the introduction of an environmentally-friendly art show featuring more than 50 works created by members of the Littlethorpe Arts Group, which meets every Tuesday in the village hall,

Caroline Bentham (pictured left) and Caroline King, display some of the festive themed works featuring the Grinch, Santa and reindeer in the snow.,

The pieces have been produced on recycled roof tiles donated by Ms King,  who said:

“I had the roof on my house replaced and instead of having the slate tiles taken to the tip, I thought they could be put to good use, by providing the art group with a new medium for their work.

“They are such a good material to work with and the results have been spectacular.”

The Cheshire Cat , which is part of the Alice in Wonderland sculpture, had red light and a smile on his face.

The event, which costs around £7,000 a year to organise, is made possible by donations, grants and volunteers.

Ripon City Council, North Yorkshire Council, the Ripon Inn, and Ripon’s community scrap fund have all given money.

Crowds gathering for an evening of entertainment at Spa Gardens

Musical performances over the first two days were given by Holy Trinity Church Choir, local singer-songwriter Lily Worth, Masham Handbell Ringers, Brackenfield School Choir, and the All For One Ripon Choir.

Ms Worth will perform again today and the Spa Gardens bandstand will also provide the platform  for Yorkshire Voices, the  Jolly Wassailers, and a ukulele band.

Although the event is free, visitors are encouraged to make a donation or buy refreshments. The Sun Parlour cafe in Spa Gardens will be open

Main image: The Alice in Wonderland sculpture was looked spectacular bathed in red light.

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