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Residents were rocking in Ripon last night as the ancient city kicked off celebrations for the new king and queen with an eve of coronation concert.
With connections to monarchy going back to 886 AD, when Alfred the Great is said to have recognised the bravery of locals for fighting off a Viking incursion with the award of a ceremonial horn, Ripon has remained staunchly royal and loyal.
The Market Square, where Royalists forces of Charles I fought off Oliver Cromwell’s Parliamentary troops in a Civil War skirmish in 1643, provided a fitting setting to celebrate the imminent crowning of the descendant who shares his name.
Crowds in front of Ripon Town Hall
The stage for last night’s free concert featuring the tribute acts Jersey Beyond, Aftersun Party Band (pictured below) and Complete Madness (main picture) was located in front of Ripon Town Hall where two plaques are in place to mark visits of the then Prince of Wales
The first came in 1994, and the second in 2002, when he became a Freeman of the City in recognition of his contribution to Ripon’s regeneration, which included the building of a new library and The Arcade retail development.
Amid the nostalgic rock and pop music from the 60s, 70s and 80s, came the ever-present link to the city’s historic past, when Patricio Maglio, a member of the city’s hornblower team, set the watch at 9pm.
Today (Saturday) following the Coronation of their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla in Westminster Abbey – which can be watched on large television screens in Ripon Cathedral starting at 9.30am – there will be further revelry on Market Square, with musical entertainment from 3pm and free fairground rides from 11am until 8pm.
The festivities will finish with a fireworks display between 10.50pm and 11pm.
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Ripon Cathedral at the centre of coronation celebrations
Ripon Cathedral will be the focus of celebrations for the bank holiday weekend for many people, with special events including live streaming of the coronation from Westminster Abbey and a commemorative service for the region on Sunday.
Floral displays by Ripon Cathedral Flower Guild and Ripon Flower Club, depicting the six stages of the coronation ceremony and the role of the King, now adorn the cathedral.
To add to the celebratory atmosphere, the cathedral’s bell ringers will ‘Ring for the King’ before both the coronation ceremony and the civic service on Sunday.
Among them will be four new recruits trained for the weekend’s events. The team of ringers has also been supporting ringers at other towers in the area so that they too can ‘Ring for the King.’
The coronation can be followed from 9.30am on Saturday, with live streaming on large screens in the surroundings of the cathedral nave.
Free light refreshments and activity sheets for children will be available with coverage continuing until after the royal family has appeared on the balcony at Buckingham Palace.
On Sunday afternoon the focus switches to a special commemorative service for North Yorkshire to mark the coronation of their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla.
The service, which will see Ripon City Band accompany the cathedral choir, is being hosted by the Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire, Ms Jo Ropner, representing the King and the Dean of Ripon, the Very Rev John Dobson.
One of the highlights of the weekend will be a coronation beer festival on bank holiday Monday in the Dean’s Garden, where a large number of volunteers will be giving a helping hand, reflecting on the King’s request for a focus on volunteering on this day, as part of The Big Help Out.
Dean Dobson said:
“We are delighted to be playing our part in helping the region to celebrate the coronation. Our spectacular floral displays will speak of the spiritual dimensions of monarchy, an institution which binds us together as a national community. We pray for God’s blessing upon the King and the Queen and upon all the peoples of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.
“Without a whole host of volunteers much of the weekend’s activities would not be possible. I am grateful to them and to our business sponsors for their wonderful support of the beer festival.”
For those attending Ripon Cathedral coronation beer festival, the Dean’s garden is entered from the corner of High St Agnesgate, from 11.30am to 5pm. Visitors can enjoy award-winning beers and ciders accompanied by hot food and live music.
To keep children entertained there will be a bouncy castle, ice cream van and children’s trails.
As last year, the main sponsor is Wolseley of Ripon and the cathedral’s business partner, Raworths solicitors, will also be heavily involved. Hambleton Brewery, Rudgate Brewery and Rick Jones from Valentinos of Ripon will support the event’s logistics. Further details are available here.
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Ripon YMCA supporters brave the elements for the homeless
Staff, volunteers and supporters of Ripon YMCA, gave up their warm beds to sleep outdoors on a cold, wet evening to highlight the issues of youth homelessness.
The Sleep Easy event staged at the weekend in the grounds of the city’s Workhouse Museum, carried the theme ‘Sleep out so others don’t have to’ and was designed to raise awareness and funds for the charity to help those who do not have a home of their own.
Jayne Shackleton, the YMCA’s community and development manager in Ripon, told the Stray Ferret:
“This is just a small taste of what it’s like for people who, for reasons such as family breakdown, find themselves with no roof over their head and no bed to sleep in.”
Her colleague, Bryony, who is a housing support worker, knows from personal experience about the crucial role that the charity plays in supporting the young and vulnerable who are facing difficult situations.
She said:
“At 16, I went to Ripon YMCA and over the two years that I lived there, I was given the encouragement to believe in myself, while providing the stability that I needed to put my life back on track.”
Bryony lived at Ripon YMCA for two years and now works for the charity
Bryony, added:
“I went on to study for a Youth and Community Work degree and with that qualification, I was proud to be able to return to Ripon to help people facing the same issues that I did when I was younger.”
Ripon Cathedral which, through its C3 Community Connections programme works closely with the YMCA , was represented at the Sleep Easy event.
Canon Matthew Pollard (pictured above, front centre), who joined the cathedral in the autumn, was among those who braved the elements.
He said:
“I have taken part in sleep outs for charities in Nottingham, Huddersfield and Bridlington, so this is my fourth.
“It is important to raise awareness of the YMCA as well as money to support the vital work that it does to support homeless people.”
In the past year the YMCA in Ripon has seen young people staying in cars, sleeping on a kitchen floor and in a shed, with many more ‘sofa surfing’.
The charity provides housing for 22 young people and offers individual support, skills and training, designed to help them reach their full potential.
Anybody who would like to support Ripon YMCA, can find out more here
Ripon’s St Cecilia Orchestra is promising a programme of epic proportions on Saturday evening, as it unites with the horn section of Opera North.
Entitled ‘Horns and Heroes’, the concert at Ripon Cathedral calls for a large orchestra, which will include no fewer than 12 French horn players.
Helen Dawson of St Cecilia Orchestra said:
“The concert will open with Tchaikovsky’s romantic classic Romeo and Juliet. Described by Classic FM as Tchaikovsky’s ‘first true masterpiece’ and one of his most enduringly popular works, this fantasy overture is full of drama and sweeping melodies, and its love theme has been used in countless films.
“Next, the orchestra will be joined by the four horn players of Opera North – Alex Hamilton, John Pratt, Sam Yates and David Tollerton – in Schumann’s inventive and compelling Konzertstück.
“Written in 1849 to showcase the horn section of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, the Konzertstück is a virtuosic work, exploiting the full range and capability of the valve horns that were only just coming into fashion.”
After the interval, the concert will turn to Richard Strauss’s Ein Heldenleben, which he began working on in 1898 with the intention of writing a “heroic work” like Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony.
Called A Hero’s Life, the piece features eight French horn players, a large wind and brass section, multiple percussion players, two harps and a string section.
Ms Dawson added:
“Strauss’s writing for orchestra is always virtuosic and Ein Heldenleben does not disappoint here – the eighth of his tone poems, Heldenleben exceeds any of its predecessors in its orchestral demands and should make for an exciting and spectacular conclusion to the concert.”
Tickets, priced at £20 for adults and free for under 18s, are available via Ticketsource, from the Little Ripon Bookshop, and on the door.
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New specialist disability toilet set for Ripon city centre
Ripon city centre is set to get its first specialist toilet for people with disabilities.
Changing Places toilets are larger, accessible toilets for people who cannot use standard accessible toilets.
They include equipment such as hoists, curtains, adult-sized changing benches and space for carers.
After a successful bid by Harrogate Borough Council and Ripon Disability Forum £40,000 has been granted through the government’s Changing Places Fund to create the new facility.
It will be located at the existing Ripon Bus Station toilets and it is hoped it will be open by the end of the year.
Ripon already has a Changing Places toilet at the Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre but not one in the city centre. Recent plans to develop Ripon Cathedral also include proposals to create a Changing Places toilet.
Councillor Graham Swift, the council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for resources, enterprise and economic development, said:
“Changing Places toilets are a welcome addition for the local community and I am glad that following our successful bid we will be able to install a new facility for residents and visitors of Ripon.
“This new addition follows the Changing Places toilet at the Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre to ensure everyone has access to our fantastic new facility.”
Jeremy Dunford, from Ripon Disability Forum, said:
“Changing Places toilets allow families greater freedom when caring for a family member with specific needs.
“They allow whole families to shop, visit and travel with more confidence and security. For independent people with greater need it means their independence is supported by the facilities they need.
“This is great news for businesses, residents and visitors to the City of Ripon.”
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New restaurant adds to Ripon’s hospitality offer
A new addition to Ripon’s hospitality sector has arrived with the opening of The Silva Bells restaurant and cafe at the bottom of Kirkgate.
Eight months after the closure of the Bambudda Asian fusion restaurant, a total refurbishment and kitchen re-fit has been carried out at the corner-site premises, located across the road from the city’s cathedral.
Following successful negotiations with landlord Mike Johnson, Silva Bells’ managing director Jenk Pepec and his business partner David De Silva invested time and money in delivering the new look.
The name recognises the vital role that Mr De Silva and his wife Betty played in getting the new venture off the ground.
Members of The Silva Bells’ chefs and kitchen team: (from left) Jack O’Brien, Lloyd Gardener, Carl Smith and Stu Hooren
Mr Pepek, who gained expertise through working in the hospitality sector in his home city of Bursa in northern Turkey and subsequently in Birmingham and York after he moved to the UK, told the Stray Ferret:
“I fell in love with this place the first time that I saw it and after a lot of hard work new life has been breathed into it.”
The business employs 17 people and is open six days a week, serving a selection of modern British and European cuisine and incorporating Mediterranean dishes.
Mr Pepec said;
“Our menu includes items ranging from traditional Sunday roasts to a ‘create your own’ pizza and we will also be serving dishes featuring locally-sourced game.
“We have received a warm welcome and look forward to contributing to the community of this charming and historic city.”
The main image shows Jenk Pepec (centre) with members of The Silva Bells’ front of house team — from the left: Gaby Symonds, Mia Kitching, Harry Jewers and Jack George
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Ripon residents get free entry to city museums on Saturday
Ripon residents can sample some of the best of what the city has to offer for free on Saturday.
The annual Sights and Sounds of Ripon event provides the opportunity for local residents to visit the workhouse, courthouse and prison and police museums without charge.
To gain free entry, all that is required is a proof of residence within the HG4 postcode.
In addition to the city’s three heritage attractions, family-friendly activities are also being staged from 11am at Ripon Cathedral and the library.
The event is being organised by Harrogate Borough Council as part of the Ripon My Neighbourhood partnership which involves a wide range of public and voluntary organisations.
Further details are available here.
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Old Deanery calls for Ripon Cathedral’s £6m scheme to be rejected
Ripon Cathedral‘s proposed £6 million building poses a threat to the future of the Old Deanery and should not be approved, it has been claimed.
The cathedral has submitted a planning application to Harrogate Borough Council to create an annex that would include a song school, refectory, retail unit and toilets on Minster Gardens.
The nearby Old Deanery is governed by the Chapter of Ripon Cathedral, which agreed a 20-year lease on the property to Layton Hills Hotels in 2021.
Layton Hills Hotels now holds events at the Old Deanery and plans to re-open it as a hotel and restaurant.
The Old Deanery is just metres from the cathedral.
Now LCF Law, which has offices in Harrogate and is acting on behalf of Layton Hills Hotels, has written to the council claiming the proposal threatens the future of the business.
LCF Law also questions why the Old Deanery does not appear to have been assessed as a site for the new development because, it says, the building has the space and facilities to accommodate such a scheme.
Masterplan
The law firm also claims that since signing the lease, Layton Hills Hotel has seen a masterplan developed by the cathedral six years ago that includes “not only the current development but also hotel and housing on land close by, including in the garden of the Old Deanery on land comprised within the leased area”.
It adds:
“However, in discussions for the lease for the Old Deanery, no mention was made to Layton Hills Hotel about any of these commercial proposals which, if permitted, would be in direct competition with the Old Deanery.
“This is somewhat surprising, not least because the Old Deanery, a grade 2* listed building, would have been available for use by the Chapter to satisfy the alleged need for additional space and facilities.”
The Old Deanery currently caters for events, such as weddings. Photo: Tim Hardy
The letter goes on to say the leaseholders are concerned about what impact drinks receptions and evening events at the new cathedral building might have on the Old Deanery. It adds:
“If Layton Hills Hotel had been notified by the Chapter about its future plans, including the possibility of the development of an events’ venue in direct competition with its business and immediately adjoining it, then it is unlikely that it would have entered into the lease of the Old Deanery as its future is directly threatened by it.
“Layton Hills Hotel are concerned that the proposal may be used for commercial ventures which go above and beyond a visitor facility for the cathedral and will be used to hold events in direct competition to the operation of the Old Deanery.”
LCF Law’s letter also raises wider concerns about the planning application, including the loss of trees in Minster Gardens.
It concludes:
“The proposal will cause significant harm notably through the loss of trees, the loss of open space and the adverse impact it will have on the setting of four listed buildings of great importance.
“It is therefore contrary to both local and national planning policy. It should therefore be refused without an exceptional justification with public benefit at its heart which has not been provided.
“There has been no convincing justification for why the uses must be combined in a single building of such scale.”
Ripon Cathedral says the new building will attract more visitors to the city.
The Stray Ferret asked the cathedral for a response to LCF Law’s letter. A cathedral spokesperson said it didn’t feel it was appropriate to comment on individual responses while the planning process took place.
However, a cathedral website about the project says:
“The proposed new building will provide key facilities to ensure it can continue to play its role in the life of the city, diocese (of Leeds) and region and enable it to host more events, exhibitions, and concerts, which will attract increased numbers of people to the city, to the benefit of all.
“We understand people’s concerns around the removal of 11 trees, but the building will deliver a range of much needed facilities for the people of Ripon and visitors, along with the cathedral community, and the loss of these trees will be offset by the planting of 300 trees at Studley Royal where land has been made available to us.
“Extra storage space will mean that the cathedral will be able to declutter its internal space, which will enable historic parts of the cathedral, currently not viewed, to be accessible to the public.
“There will be an increase in the conservation area and biodiversity of the cathedral estate.”
Mayor of Ripon nominated to serve a third term in office
Ripon City Council has announced that the Mayor of Ripon, Councillor Sid Hawke, has been nominated to serve a third mayoral term.
He was the city’s mayor in 2008/09 and has now been nominated as mayor elect for 2023-24.
Cllr Hawke’s wife, Linda will accompany him during his year in office as mayoress.
Elected to Ripon City Council in 2002, he represents the Ure Bank Ward on both Ripon City Council and on Harrogate Borough Council.
Cllr Hawke said:
“I am delighted to be nominated by Ripon city councillors in the selection for the position of mayor for the second year running.”
Born and bred in the city, Cllr Hawke is semi-retired and has previously served in the North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service in Ripon.
The current mayoral year has proved a busy one for the mayor and mayoress, including the Queen’s platinum jubilee celebrations in June, the mourning of Her Majesty’s death in September and the subsequent proclamation of King Charles III – all of which involved major civic events in Ripon.
The city’s annual mayor making ceremony will take place on May 10 and on May 21. Cllr Hawke will be installed as mayor in a service at Ripon Cathedral.
On becoming mayor for the third time, he will be matching fellow Independent councillors Eamon Parkin and Pauline McHardy, both of whom served three terms in mayoral office.
Cllr Parkin will serve as Cllr Hawke’s deputy.
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Heritage watchdogs disagree over £6m Ripon Cathedral annex
Historic England, the government’s statutory adviser on the historic environment, has said it supports Ripon Cathedral’s £6 million plans to build a two-storey annex on Minster Gardens.
However, the national heritage watchdog’s views about the suitability of the proposed development site to the north of the cathedral are not shared by Ripon Civic Society.
The cathedral chapter submitted a planning application to Harrogate Borough Council in January, seeking permission to construct a standalone two-storey annex on Minster Gardens.
It would include a song school, cafe, shop and the city centre’s first Changing Places toilet for disabled people.
The development has divided opinion, with concerns about the impact on retailers and the removal of 11 trees, including a beech categorised as a veteran tree by the Woodland Trust.
In a letter to Harrogate Borough Council planners, Historic England said:
“Historic England supports the location and design of this proposal, which will make a positive 21st century contribution to Ripon’s wonderful historic environment.”
The letter, which can be viewed on the council’s planning website also states:
“This application is highly sensitive due to the wonderful historic townscape of Ripon, its proximity and relationship to Ripon Cathedral, and from the heritage value of the site itself.
“The proposal would make a positive contribution to the historic environment of Ripon, sitting appropriately in location and design terms with the townscape and cathedral, and beginning to rearticulate the original cathedral precinct. However, the loss of open space and trees would have a minor impact on heritage significance.
“We consider that many elements of the proposal are in line with those parts of the NPPF (National Planning Policy Framework) within our statutory remit.
“However, the NPPF also advises a need for an appropriate understanding of all heritage impacts before decisions are taken on applications. In this case, the archaeological impact of the proposal is unclear, and this issue needs to be resolved in advance of any planning decision.”
‘Unacceptable’
But Ripon Civic Society took a different view in its submission to the council. It said:
“While we do not disagree with the cathedral’s view that a new annex on the north side of the cathedral will contribute to the sustainable future of the cathedral and enhance the city of Ripon, we consider that siting an annex on Minster Gardens is unacceptable.”
The society added:
“The proposals in the application are unaltered from those we commented on in 2022.
“Ripon Civic Society wrote to the cathedral authorities in July 2022 supporting development on the north side of the Cathedral.
“We did not consider, however, that the proposed siting recognised the significance of Minster Gardens as an open space for the city, as set out in the Ripon Neighbourhood Plan that was agreed by referendum and adopted by Harrogate Borough Council as part of the Harrogate Local Plan.
“We therefore suggested the proper examination of the stone yard land for a redesigned building.”
To create space for the annex, the existing toilet block, outbuildings and a wall would need to be demolished and trees removed.
The civic society said:
“The trees that are proposed to be removed are an important part of the character of the conservation area, which would be severely lessened by their removal and replacement with a large building.
“We consider that a redesigned building in the stone yard would be an acceptable alternative.”
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