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31
Mar
How a Ripon man traced St Wilfrid's leather-clad footsteps
With a population approaching 17,000, Ripon is the third smallest city in England.
But with deep roots reaching back more than a thousand years, it punches above its weight in terms of history, heritage and custom, while being home to many remarkable citizens who contribute to its daily life.
In this new series Tim Flanagan, the Stray Ferret’s Ripon-based reporter, focuses on people who help to make the city a remarkable place to live, starting with leathercraft specialist Andy Bates, who was a mentor on the BBC’s BAFTA award-winning programme, Make it at Market, which helps craftsmen and women to develop their business potential.
An example of Andy Bates' intricate leatherwork
Andy Bates, who studied English and archaeology at Newcastle University, moved to Ripon three years ago and set up a leathercraft studio in the city, where his ambition is to create a centre of excellence in which traditional skills are used to make contemporary leather items.
He said:
Detailed research that I have carried out shows that Ripon was founded on leather trade and craftsmanship dating back to Wilfrid in the the seventh century, when he established the church on the site where the cathedral now stands.
I intend to see the city at the forefront of a UK-wide resurgence in leathercraft and I am liaising with national bodies to discuss how we can make this happen.
The aim is to have a training hub in Ripon where leathercraft skills can be taught and leather is promoted as a sustainable material.
The master craftsman, who is a member of the Heritage Crafts organisation has, over 40 years, been making goods that have featured in TV programmes, theatrical productions and as exhibits in museums.
These have ranged from a replica 17th-century suit of armour crafted from leather, to replica Roman shoes, and a handbag produced for the Turner Prize-winning artist Sir Grayson Perry.
A selection of goods made by Andy Bates
In addition to work at his studio and as a mentor on Make it at Market, Mr Bates is an actor, drummer and puppeteer who has performed at Ripon Cathedral and the city's theatre festival.
Along with author Antony Prince – an expert in Ripon's World War One history and Simon Richardson, one of the UK's leading metal detectorists – he set up Ripon History and Archaeology Tribe (RHATs) two years ago to enable local people to become involved in community projects and digs that are helping to unearth even more of the city's deep and diverse history.
Andy Bates (fourth from left) with the puppet dragon that featured in Hazelsong Theatre group's performance at Ripon Cathedral.
From the moment that I first came here, I realised that Ripon is a remarkable place, with remarkable people who have a pride in the city's incredibly rich history, which is present every day, with the cathedral, museums, town hall, obelisk, ancient Market Square and the nightly hornblower ceremony that dates back to 886 and Alfred the Great.
Some remarkable things have happened to me since I moved to my adopted city, including the invitation to be a mentor on Make it at Market and becoming involved with Antony and Simon in the creation of the RHATs group, which goes from strength to strength.
I now am confident that putting Ripon back on the map as a centre renownded for leathercraft excellence can be part of the next chapter in the city's remarkable history.
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