A rare Grade II listed building, dating back to the days of horse-drawn hansom cabs and Hackney carriages, is coming back to Ripon.
Following refurbishment by specialists, the cabmen’s shelter will soon be ready for its return to Market Place.
Apart from times of restoration work, the distinctive craftsman-built Edwardian structure has stood there for 109 years.
It was constructed in 1911 by Boulton and Paul of Norwich – the company that also built huts for Scott’s ill-fated Antarctic expedition of 1910-13.
Paid for with a £200 legacy from Sarah Carter, whose father was a former mayor of Ripon, the shelter has been restored on a number of occasions, including in 1980, when the city’s Royal Engineers fitted a wheeled chassis, so that it could be moved.
The latest refurbishment work and re-installation in Market Place is costing approximately £22,000.
This is where the Grade II Listed Building will be located.
Councillor Andrew Williams, the leader of Ripon City Council, told the Stray Ferret:
“We believe that it is Britain’s only moveable listed building.”
He added:
“It’s extremely rare and the city council, which took ownership of the shelter from Ripon Civic Society in 1999, is delighted that this historically-significant structure will shortly be back on Market Place, adding to our numerous heritage attractions.”
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In the days before motorised taxis, hansom cab and Hackney carriage drivers were exposed to the elements and in 1875 the 7th Earl of Shaftesbury formed the Cabmen’s Shelter Fund, so that a place of shelter and hot food could be provided for drivers as they waited to pick up fares.
The charitable fund was used to pay for shelters initially in London, but they were subsequently paid for through other means as they were installed in cities and towns across the UK.
Ripon’s cabmen’s shelter was built predominantly from timber, with ironwork balustrade and guttering and a beechwood shingled roof. In addition to its benches, an internal feature is a decorative mini-balustrade of iron fretwork in Chinese Chippendale style.
At the time of its Grade II listing in February 2009, Historic England stated:
“It is a nationally rare and well-preserved example of a cabmen’s shelter, an important reminder of the importance of horse-drawn transport in the early 20th century, supplied by the well-known firm of Boulton and Paul of Norwich.”
