29
Jun 2024
'We feel for them': Ripley reacts to news of estate sale
The mood in the village of Ripley was subdued after news broke on Thursday afternoon that the Ingilby family is to sell the castle estate after 700 years of ownership.
It was perhaps a reflection of the late afternoon quietness of the village, with few people to be seen and a handful of businesses closed already.
Among the owners of some businesses, most of whom didn't want to be identified, there were also feelings of shock at the news, and sadness for the Ingilby family.
With most buildings in Ripley now privately owned, the sale may not have such a direct impact on businesses and residents. The general consensus was that it was too early to say what effect the sale would have and that a lot would depend on the new owners. Historically, the Ripley Castle estate included most of the village, but The Stray Ferret understands that it now comprises the castle, the wedding wing, the tea rooms, Grindhus coffee shop, the Boar's Head pub and accommodation venue, three or four cottages, the shop and about 250-300 acres of land.
Although the family had said it had relayed news of the sale to staff of the estate, it seemed that the other businesses in the village had only found out when the Stray Ferret article was published.
'Horrible decision'
One visitor from Cumbria, who was staying at the Boar’s Head, pondered the reasons behind the sale and expressed sadness for the family at such a momentous decision.
This was echoed by Sir Thomas Ingilby’s daughter-in-law, Sara Ingilby, who was at the estate office and said the family had nothing more to say than their statement released to the media. She did, however, add:
It’s been a really horrible decision to have to make for the family.
One shop owner, who didn’t want to be named, said they were concerned for the businesses in the village whose livelihoods were based around the castle. A staff member at the Boar’s Head said they didn’t want to comment but had been told it was ‘business as usual’.
Marc Wise, second from right, with his team.
Marc Wise is the owner of outdoor adventure company Live For Today, which rents an office on the Ripley estate and has run events in the castle grounds for a decade. In a statement on Friday, he told the Stray Ferret:
Ripley has been a huge part of our business and I can only say good things about our time here. The family has always been fantastic to us and very supportive, and I wish them every success in their sale.
It's the world we live in and things change. They have their own reasons and it must have been a tough decision. People can be negative but in our business we always look on the bright side of life - good things happen to those that think good.
Understand the heritage
Over at Hutchinsons Butchers, owner Brian Robinson and his son Aaron had just seen the news on social media. The independent business owns the premises it operates from and, although Brian has had the shop for five years, Hutchinsons dates back 150 years. Brian said around 70 to 80% of their trade is people passing by, including those staying at the caravan parks in Ripley, Scotton and Markington.
Regarding the sale of the estate, he said:
Fingers crossed it goes to someone who wants to keep the village as the village. The wrong person to buy it would be someone who is not from the area and doesn't understand the heritage.
Brian Robinson, right, with his son Aaron.
All the shops and houses in Ripley adhere to the 'Design Project' which aims to keep all the houses and business premises looking uniform and in keeping with the traditional image of the village. Brian said it would be "brilliant" if the new owners maintained the image of the village, adding: "It's part of the attraction.”
He also said the charges introduced at the car park a couple of years ago had seen his business income drop by 12 per cent, so he’d like to see the new owners turn it back to free parking. He said:
It's put people off, not the charges so much, but if you are even one minute late it's a £100 fine. We used to get a lot of dog walkers but not so much now. For me, if they get rid of the car park charge and put it back free like it used to be, that would be a godsend as that's where our footfall comes from.
Enjoying a sit down in the sunshine outside the Ripley Store and ice cream shop, whose owner is currently on holiday, were an older couple from Harrogate who didn’t want to be named. They said they were shocked about the news and saddened for the Ingilbys. They said:
We feel for them. There’s obviously a major reason for the family to make such a decision, and we’re sure the family have given a lot of thought as to how they would like it to continue.
It would be regretful if the castle and grounds were no longer open to the public; if it went into totally private hands then the area would be losing a lot. Ripley is an attraction and we wouldn’t like to see the businesses suffer.
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