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16
Mar
Ripley begins to feel the impact of castle sale
An annual event that attracts up to 1,000 people each year to Ripley is to move amid ongoing uncertainty over the sale of the Ripley estate.
The Stray Ferret revealed in June last year the Ingilby family was to sell the estate, including the castle, after 700 years.
The estate was subsequently put on the market for £21 million in January. It is still being offered for sale, either in its entirety or as nine separate lots.
The Ingilby family has been a major part of Ripley life for centuries and its decision to sell raised questions over the future of many village traditions and assets, such as the Ripley Show and the Boar’s Head pub.
With no deal concluded, and the castle currently not taking bookings, organisations are having to look at alternative arrangements.
This week the organisers of the annual Guy Fawkes 10 mile road race, which began and ended in Ripley and included estate land, announced the event will start and finish in Pateley Bridge this year.
The start of the 2023 Guy Fawkes 10 mile road race in Ripley.
The race, organised by Nidd Valley Road Runners, is one of the most popular running events of the year due to the turnout. A total of 841 people took part last year.
In posts on social media, the organisers warned last month: “Assuming that no one is able to stump up the £21 million asking price, we're going to have to move home. It's sad, as Ripley has been our home for years now, but we've moved before and we can move again.”
On Wednesday (March 12), it announced that “subject to a couple of ifs, several buts, and the usual licencing requirements,” a new route had been found for the next event on November 2. It will take in Pateley Bridge, Glasshouses, Darce Banks, Dacre and Bewerley.
The adventure company Live for Today, which has had an activity at Ripley Castle for many years, said at last night’s Stray Ferret Business Awards, at which it won two awards, that it had opened a third activity centre at Swinton Park, near Masham, amid the uncertainty surrounding the estate.
The Stray Ferret contacted property agent Carter Jonas, which is marketing the estate, for an update on the sale. However, we have not received a response.
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