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

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.”

Read more:

• North Yorkshire Council says Ripon clock tower has been fixed
• Ripon developer plans to bring back cinema to the city

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.

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.

Read more:

• Community-run cinema plan for Ripon
• Curzon confirms closure of Ripon cinema

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.

Read more:

• The Bishop of Ripon’s Christmas message
• Award-winning Ripon teacher retires after 18 years

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.

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.

Read more:

• Young Sappers plant commemorative tree in Spa Park
• Your guide to Christmas markets across the Harrogate district

Two young sappers were given the task of planting a commemorative sapling in Ripon’s Spa Park this week.

Next year marks the 75th anniversary of the award of Freedom of the City to the Royal Engineers, who provide military engineering support to the British Armed Forces and have had a base in Ripon for decades.

Ahead of the 2024 events to celebrate this military milestone, sappers Megan Smith and Scott Nield, both aged 23, planted the Zelkova serrata — a relative of the Elm, which is native of Japan.

The tree, provided by North Yorkshire Council parks department, can grow up to 17 metres tall, and was selected because it is a hardy variety with autumn leaves of vivid colours from red through to bronze.

Royal Engineers on last year’s Freedom March.

The sappers were joined by the Mayor and Mayoress of Ripon, Councillor Sid Hawke and his wife Linda, along with fellow Royal Engineers from Claro Barracks and members of the Ripon branch of the Royal Engineers Association

Lt Col Perry Bishop, commanding officer at the barracks, where members of 21 Engineer Regiment are stationed, told the Stray Ferret:

“In a few years, with the redevelopment of the barracks site for housing, we will end our long association with Ripon, where we have enjoyed Freedom of the City since 1949.

“The tree provides a living legacy and reminder of the Royal Engineers’ time here, both in peacetime and when the country was at war.”

Ripon Cathedral has expressed surprise that the city council discussed and voted on its proposed £6 million annex on Monday night.

Ripon City Council members voted 4-3, with one abstention, to withdraw support for the Minster Gardens scheme.

North Yorkshire Council will decide whether the scheme can go ahead but the city council’s opposition is a blow to the plans.

In a brief statement, a cathedral spokesperson, said:

“The cathedral was surprised to learn that the subject of its planning application was discussed and voted on at the council meeting as there had been no communication with the cathedral in advance.

“We would simply point people to the helpful information about our aspirations included by the Stray Ferret in its earlier report.”

The spokesperson added:

“The exact location of the annex building and the increased public green space can be viewed in a display within the cathedral. We are happy to discuss the plans with members of the public who would like to get in touch with us.”

The Dean of Ripon the Very Revd John Dobson

The cathedral has been attempting for many years to find a way of providing 21st century facilities to meet the needs of churchgoers, choristers, visitors, clergy, support staff and volunteers.

The proposed annex would include a song school, refectory, shop,  accessible toilets and extra storage space, housed in a two-storey, standalone building on Minster Gardens – a public open space currently owned by North Yorkshire Council.

The plans have divided opinion in Ripon. At Monday night’s council meeting 10 opponents of the scheme raised concerns about the loss of 11 trees on Minster Gardens, including a veteran beech, while others spoke about the impact of an 80-seat refectory competing against nearby hospitality businesses in Kirkgate and other parts of the city.

No supporters of the development spoke at the meeting but many believe the urgent needs of the cathedral must be met to secure the ancient building’s future by putting it on a sustainable financial footing.

Last December, following a pre-application presentation of the cathedral’s plans to the city council, members voted to support the ‘general principle’ of development. But this week’s vote saw the council change its stance.

Councillors Andrew Williams and Barbara Brodigan, who sit on the North Yorkshire Council Skipton and Ripon constituency planning committee, which will ultimately determine the application, absented themselves from the city council meeting and did not take part in the debate or vote on the annex plan.

On Monday, Councillor Peter Horton put forward a motion that said:

“Ripon City Council remains committed to supporting Ripon Cathedral meet its general aspirations which are set out in the planning application, we do however express our concern over the statement made by the applicant’s agents that the refectory will stop the drift away of visitors to the Cathedral to nearby cafes and restaurants.

“Recognising the protected status of the veteran beech tree we can’t support any proposals to remove it and call for an assessment as to whether the proposed building can be built without doing so.”

That motion was defeated 4-3 with one abstention and when a motion to withdraw the council’s support and object to the planning application was proposed by former mayor Cllr Eamon Parkin and seconded by Cllr Jackie Crozier, it was carried 4-3 with one abstention.

Read More: 

Ripon Cathedral’s plans for a £6 million annex on public open space to the north of the ancient grade I listed building have suffered a significant setback.

The city council, which a year ago voted to ‘support the general principle’ of the proposed development featuring a song school, refectory, shop, toilets and storage space, last night reversed that decision with a 4-3 vote against the scheme.

The ‘no’ vote, proposed by former Mayor of Ripon Councillor Eamon Parkin and seconded by Cllr Jackie Crozier, came at a full council meeting at which 10 members of the public voiced objections to the cathedral’s plans and nobody spoke in favour.

Loss of a veteran beech and other mature trees, along with concerns about the impact of the proposed development on hospitality and other businesses in the city, were the two main issues that prompted the council to withdraw its support and lodge an objection with North Yorkshire Council.

City councillors Andrew Williams and Barbara Brodigan, who sit on North Yorkshire Council’s Skipton and Ripon planning committee which, in the New Year will have the final say on the application, did not take part in the debate or vote. They absented themselves from the meeting after listening to the points raised by members of the public

Save the trees campaigners pictured near the veteran beech during last month’s peaceful protest at Minster Gardens.

Among the speakers was Ripon resident Jenni Holman, who launched a petition in April aimed at saving the veteran beech and 10 other trees, which will be felled if the cathedral’s application is approved.

She told the meeting:

“The petition has gathered more than 2,000 signatures, with more coming each day.

“Those who have signed it do not object to the cathedral having the facilities that it needs to prosper, we are simply saying that Minster Gardens, which is a public park and oasis of green in the city, is the wrong place for this development.”

Kevin Hill, who co-owns and runs the Karma clothing and gift shop in Kirkgate, said:

“I came to a meeting here in February, where councillors voted to call for a retail impact assessment to be carried out, to find out how the annex development with its refectory and shop would affect local businesses.

“At the meeting we were told by the cathedral that there was no need for businesses to have any anxiety as their scheme would be beneficial to all of the city because of the additional footfall that would be generated.

“Months later and with no impact assessment carried out, traders found that the cathedral’s own design and access document said, for the cathedral refectory to be financially viable, it needs to be large enough to accommodate coach parties and very close to the cathedral, to ‘prevent visitors from drifting away from the cathedral and using various cafes in the city'”

Mr Hill added:

“So in effect, their stated strategy is to keep all the business for themselves and starve other cafes in the city. Quite frankly, this is a disgrace.”

The cathedral’s case

Though nobody at last night’s meeting spoke in support of the annex application, the cathedral has previously stated its case through a number of channels, including last December’s pre-application briefing for the city council; at its annual review meeting in September at the cathedral and through the  Ripon Cathedral Renewed pamphlet, 

With 100,000 visitors through its doors during 2022,  the cathedral lacks both an ability to offer its own hospitality facilities and provide accessible toilets for people with limited mobility.

Dean John Dobson and the cathedral chapter have emphasised an urgent need for action.

The cathedral has stated that there are exceptional reasons for felling the trees and in the Ripon Cathedral pamphlet produced in support of its planning application, said:

“All other potential locations and solutions have been considered over many years and have proven to be undeliverable.”

In compensation for the loss of the 11 trees, a new woodland area with 21 trees will be created within the vicinity of the cathedral and the annex. Dean John has also stated that 300 native trees will be planted on land near Studley.

The Stray Ferret will be publishing a further story including more views expressed at last night’s meeting and subsequently. The cathedral and chapter will have the opportunity to respond to the council’s decision.

Main image: This cgi provides an aerial perspective showing the proposed annex development. Picture: Ripon Cathedral Renewed