Historic Ripon clock to undergo specialist repair

Almost 125 years after being unveiled, it’s time for specialist repair work on Ripon’s most prominent and, of late, least reliable civic clock.

The hands on the four-faced timepiece housed in the ornate Victoria Clock Tower at the busy junction of North Road, Palace Road and Princess Road, have stood still on either 12 noon or 12 midnight for many weeks.

But Ripon city councillor and former mayor Eamon Parkin has good news.

He told the Stray Ferret:

“The pendulum of the clock will be undergoing specialist repair and we hope to have it back working again as soon as possible.”

The clock tower was commissioned to mark Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897 and in the following June, the classically styled stone tower — paid for by sisters Frances and Constance Cross of Coney Garth — was gifted by them to the city of Ripon in a ceremonial civic opening event attended by a huge crowd.

The grade II listed building passed into the ownership of Harrogate Borough Council with the reorganisation of local government in 1974, but will change hands once more when the new North Yorkshire unitary authority comes into being on April 1.

In recent years the clock has required attention because of its erratic performance, which at times have seen it running fast or slow on numerous occasions.

Read More: