Visitors to Ripon Canal now have a permanent reminder of its long history after a plaque was unveiled at the weekend to mark its 250th anniversary.
The canal basin off Bondgate Green/Boroughbridge Road, was bathed in warm sunshine on Saturday as groups, organisations and members of the public were invited to a festival to celebrate one of the city’s hidden gems.
In addition to the formalities, carried out by the Mayor of Ripon Councillor Sid Hawke, there were displays by organisations including Ripon Civic Society, the Canal & River Trust, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, the RSPB, Inland Waterways Association and Ripon YMCA.
All have a keen interest in the canal for reasons ranging from built heritage to wildlife habitats and use of the waterway as a leisure and wellbeing asset.
Lizzie Dealey, partnerships manager for the Canal & River Trust, told the Stray Ferret:
“It’s remarkable to think how this waterway, which lay derelict for decades after the arrival of the railways, has been transformed, through the efforts of so many people, into a treasured facility.
“There are now more boats on our canals than at the height of the Industrial Revolution, with more than 10 million people using the network each year.”
Those who visited the Ripon Canal Basin on Saturday as part of the free Heritage Open Days programme which runs until Sunday (September 17) were treated to some free entertainment provided by a team of Appalachian clog dancers (pictured above) before a performance by Ripon singer/songwriter Freddie Cleary.
Nigel Rawlinson, president of Ripon Civic Society
And people who wanted to find out more about the canal’s heritage were able to speak with Nigel Rawlinson, the president of Ripon Civic Society and Richard Willis, the owner of Ripon Scenic Cruises and a former secretary of Ripon Canal Society.
Both societies played key roles in the canal’s protection and restoration between the 1980s and 1996.
The unveiling of the plaque was carried out by the Mayor of Ripon, Councillor Sid Hawke, attended by Mayoress Ms Linda Hawke along with Lizzie Dealey, partnerships manager of the Canal & River Trust and event organiser Richard Willis, owner of Ripon Civic Cruises, which operates on the waterway.
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