Clergy race along Kirkgate as part of Ripon’s Pancake Day funClergy raced along Kirkgate today as part of Ripon Cathedral‘s annual Pancake Day event.
The event has become a traditional Shrove Tuesday event in the city, although it was halted during covid.
It sees cathedral clergy, vergers and staff join school children and local residents for races on Kirkgate.
It is one of many Pancake Day events taking place in the Harrogate district.
In Harrogate, the Fat Badger pub is giving people the chance to earn the title of ‘fastest flipper in town’.
The pub is providing pans and pancake mixes for anyone who turns up between 9.30am and 4pm today and fancies trying to complete a short course in the beer garden as quickly as possible while tossing pancakes.
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The Dean of Ripon Cathedral, the Very Rev John Dobson (left), joins in the fun.
Stray Views is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. Send your views to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk.
‘Harrogate’s Otley Road cycleway has cost £2.2m so far’. If this headline is correct, and the figure seems to be confirmed in the details in the article, then this is a scandalous use of taxpayer money.
Do we really have a partly finished and largely dysfunctional cycle track, which is avoided by most cyclists, at such outrageous cost? And how is this supposed to support ‘National Productivity’ which is the name of the the fund from which the money was drawn, even if it was completely operational, which it isn’t?
And why has the lion’s share of the cost gone to surveys, reports and studies rather than work on the ground?
I do hope that I have misunderstood the figures, but I fear I haven’t. Maybe someone in authority from the County Council can explain how we got into this fix.
Tim Hurren, Harlow Hill, Harrogate
Solution to Ripon Cathedral plans
At a recent council meeting at Ripon town hall, the subject of the planned annex for Ripon Cathedral was the major item under discussion. I was dismayed to see the reaction and the split within the Ripon community over the proposed siting of the building.
With that in mind, I would like to offer a solution that should benefit all parties, one that would allow for the business expansion aspirations of the cathedral and the preservation of a much-loved green space.
My suggestion would be to use the buildings to the right of the cathedral, being Minster House, the old coach house complex and another building. As this is already cathedral property, the saving financially to the cathedral would be huge as there would be no need to purchase any land.
The buildings in question are closer to the cathedral than the proposed annex on the other side of Minster Road and there is safe and level access. There would be no crossing of the public highway to access these facilities.
I estimate that the floor space of the three buildings in question is 939m2 which falls just short of the 1000m/2 that the cathedral requires. But I believe that this could be regained with use of the car parking area or the extensive gardens.
My idea is:
1. The ground floor of Minster House be used for the retail outlet and the refectory
2. The 1st floor be used for the song school with the installation of a lift for the disabled choristers
3. The stable block to be used as the toilet block and changing area
4. The other building to be used as storage and meeting rooms
Other combinations are possible.
This then would negate the need to destroy the green space.
I hope you agree with this possible solution and I ask that the cathedral re-submit plans.
Kevin Hill, Ripon
Calls to assess impact of Ripon Cathedral’s £6m expansion on cafes and shopsConcerns raised by hospitality and other businesses about the proposed £6 million Ripon Cathedral annex, with its cafe and gift shop, have prompted Ripon City Council to call for a retail impact assessment to be carried out.
Supporters and opponents of the cathedral’s application to build the two-storey building on Minster Gardens made their views known at last night’s full council meeting.
After hearing both sides, council leader Andrew Williams, who proposed the impact assessment, also called for the cathedral’s chapter to meet with businesses and Ripon Business Improvement District to listen to their concerns and answer any questions they have.
He said:
“I’m keeping an open mind until the application is considered later this year by (the new) North Yorkshire Council and my door is open to the cathedral and the traders who want to speak with me.
“We need to move forward in unity, minimise our differences and draw people together.”
Cllr Williams declared an interest prior to speaking about the application because he has been nominated to serve on the North Yorkshire Council planning committee, which will adjudicate on the proposal.
Kevin Hill, who owns the the Karma clothing and gift boutique on Kirkgate with his wife Liz and Helen Slater, owner of Cathedral View Cafe that faces onto the ancient building, both felt the annex on Minster Gardens with a direct route from the car park would ‘funnel’ visitors away from Kirkgate.
Stanley Mackintosh, who lives on Kirkgate, said the street which leads down to the cathedral has numerous independent cafes and restaurants, with more in the city centre. He claimed:
“There will be damage to small independent traders if the proposal is given the go-ahead.”
Mr Mackintosh had a copy of the longer-term masterplan vision for the cathedral quarter, which has elements that are not included in the annex planning application lodged with Harrogate Borough Council.
Minster Gardens
That wider masterplan, which would require a further planning application or applications, includes a proposed hotel with arts cafe underneath, which he said would further impact on hospitality businesses in the city.
Richard Taylor, co-chair of Ripon Civic Society, reiterated that the society supports development of new facilities for the cathedral but not at the proposed location. He said:
“Our concern was that the chosen site was one of great heritage and environmental sensitivity and we encouraged the cathedral to look at moving the new building a little further north into the stoneyard.
“More evidence has since come to light to show just how significant Minster Gardens are as a green space in the centre of the city framed by high-grade listed buildings.
“The importance of the fine group of trees there was recognised as long ago as 2009 in the Ripon Conservation Area Appraisal.
“They have recently been reassessed and the large beech tree in the centre of the garden has been added to the national register of veteran trees. Sweeping it away as the current proposal would do means losing an irreplaceable asset as highlighted by three of the borough council’s officers.”
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The Dean of Ripon, the Very Revd. John Dobson pointed out that for every tree lost 30 would be planted to compensate for them at another location outside the city and this will lead to increased biodiversity.
He added that the plans will not bypass Kirkgate.
Dean John said:
“The vision we have delivers for the cathedral and the city by bringing more people and increased business.”
Guy Wilson, a member of the cathedral fabric committee, said:
“The cathedral is the jewel in Ripon’s crown and is in need of modern facilities for staff, worshippers and visitors.”
These proposed facilities include the city centre’s first Changing Places toilet, which will improve access for disabled people — a development welcomed by Councillor Pauline McHardy.
The meeting was told that the cathedral currently attracts in excess of 100,000 visitors a year and it is estimated that development of the cathedral quarter will bring up to 35,000 more per annum.
Ripon Civic Society ‘strongly criticises’ location of proposed £6m cathedral buildingRipon Civic Society has reiterated its objection to the proposed location of a new £6 million cathedral building.
Ripon Cathedral has submitted a planning application to Harrogate Borough Council to build a two-storey standalone annexe on the Minster Gardens site to the north of the cathedral.
The Dean of Ripon The Very Revd John Dobson has said plans to create a cathedral quarter would attract more visitors to the city and benefit the local economy.
But the society called for a rethink in August before formal plans were submitted. Now the planning application has been lodged, it has re-stated its position.
A statement from the heritage watchdog today said:
“The proposed location of a new structure to the north of Ripon Cathedral to serve as much-needed extra accommodation for the cathedral’s mission is strongly criticised by Ripon Civic Society.
“The society has long supported the cathedral’s aim to provide space for a song school, refectory, shop, toilets and storage space. The society also agrees that any new building should be to the north of the cathedral rather than the south. It cannot, however, support the intended position of the proposed new building, as set out in the latest planning application.”
Ripon Cathedral
It added:
“The cathedral’s intention is to build a two-storey structure on part of the public open space known as Minster Gardens. This is an area of grass and mature trees that has been a green space to the north of the cathedral for more than two centuries – and that in the Middle Ages was the site of the Archbishop of York’s Ripon palace. It is surrounded by important Ripon listed buildings – the Old Court House, the Old Deanery and the Courthouse Museum.
“The proposal will take up approximately half the open space and will involve the felling of at least 10 trees which currently contribute to the green nature of the site. One of the trees proposed for removal is a large beech tree in the centre of Minster Gardens, recognised as ‘entering veteran status’ and graded A1. Proposals to plant new trees elsewhere — many of them outside the city — are intended as an attempt to offset the loss of these trees.
“The site of the proposed structure, which will abut Minster Road, is currently owned by Harrogate Borough Council and will pass to North Yorkshire Council in April. It is protected as open space by policies in the Harrogate district Local Plan and in the Ripon Neighbourhood Plan.
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RCS co-chairman David Winpenny, said the society was set up more than 50 years ago to safeguard the city and to encourage good, long-term development. He added:
We are, therefore, very disappointed that Ripon Cathedral has decided that it needs to take away an important open space in the city and to propose a building that will dominate the cathedral’s north side and detract from its setting, as well as affecting the setting of the nearby listed buildings and resulting in a significant loss of trees.
“This will be one of the most important interventions in the city for many years, and construction on this historically open site cannot be accepted without a fuller consultation of all interested parties in the city, and beyond, than appears to have been carried out until now.
“We have already urged the cathedral authorities, which has environmental as well as spiritual responsibilities, to build a new structure on the former Stoneyard, next to Minster Gardens. This is already in the cathedral’s ownership, and a new building sited there would be both less dominating and more able to act as a welcome entrance to the cathedral estate from Ripon’s main car park.
“Ripon Civic Society will welcome further discussion of the plans with both the Cathedral and with other interested parties, to help achieve a solution that is acceptable to the city of Ripon.”
Dean says Cathedral Quarter plan will attract more visitors to RiponThe Dean of Ripon, the Very Revd John Dobson, has said the creation of a Cathedral Quarter would boost the city’s economy while providing an enhanced setting for the Grade I listed building.
His comments follow the submission of a planning application to Harrogate Borough Council seeking permission for construction of a two-storey standalone annexe on the Minster Gardens site to the north of the cathedral.
If planning consent is granted, the building would include a song school, gift shop, cafe and the city centre’s first Changing Places toilet, providing improved access to the city and the cathedral for disabled people.
The area of Minster Gardens where the proposed new building would be located
To accommodate the development, 11 trees would need to be removed from Minster Gardens and the existing toilet block demolished, along with outbuildings and a wall.
The proposal also includes landscaping of the gardens and improved links to Kirkgate and the Cathedral Car Park.
With these works added to the cost of construction, the new estimate for the project is in excess of £6 million.
Dean John, said:
“Taking down the trees and building in that area will need to be seen in context of this being a major development not only for the cathedral but for the city and the region.
“The development has to serve the needs of people coming to us as worshippers, pilgrims, holidaymakers, day trippers and people who come to concerts.”
He added that the planning application is:
“The culmination of years and years of work; building relationships, looking at all the different possibilities and options.
“It has been a huge job to get to this point but what people are excited about is we have at last found a solution to the age-old problem for the cathedral and city which will enable us to create the cathedral quarter and that is a wonderful prospect.
“Ripon is the cathedral city for entrance to the Dales and the region and these plans enhance not only the cathedral but the city as well, by bringing an increase in visitor numbers.”
With regard to the removal of trees, Dean John, said:
“In mitigation of losing 11 trees we will be planting over 300 trees, some on the site and others on land which is being provided for us.”
On the issue of Minster Road, he said:
“Some people in the city want to close Minster Road while the city council definitely does not. What we are saying is we need to find a way of calming and reducing the traffic so it can become a unified area which will also be safe for pedestrians and can be opened up as a public space to be used and for people to come and go.
“There are many similar areas around the country which work perfectly successfully so while details have to be worked out we are saying there are no plans to close Minster Road.”
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Bishop of Ripon formally departs — with no successor imminentThe Rt Revd Dr Helen-Ann Hartley has formally left her role as Bishop of Ripon after five years to become Bishop of Newcastle.
At a special evensong service at Ripon Cathedral, Bishop Helen-Ann removed her diocesan cope, stole and mitre and placed them on the altar in a symbolic act of standing down.
Paying tribute to to the people of the Ripon episcopal area, she said:
“I have often felt most affirmed in my role as Bishop of Ripon by people and groups who are not part of the formal structures of the church, and for whose support and encouragement I will be forever grateful: by our civic and military partners, those who work in the rural and farming economies and the running community.”
With Bishop of Leeds Nick Baines
She praised Ripon Runners, of which she was a member, for giving her mental and physical challenges, such as once having to define “evil” while running up a hill to Ripon’s Morrisons supermarket.
Bishop of Leeds Nick Baines said Bishop Helen-Ann had been a blessing to the diocese in the five years since she arrived from New Zealand, accompanied at that service by a group of Maori elders.
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Bishop Nick presenting her with a framed aerial view of Fountains Abbey, near Ripon, as a parting gift. He said
“Let us continue to pray for Bishop Helen-Ann and her husband Myles and pray that they will thrive and build new friendships with colleagues in Newcastle.”
The bishop’s final sermon in Ripon.
The appointment of a bishop is a lengthy and opaque process that requires the consent of Downing Street.
The Stray Ferret asked the Anglican Diocese of Leeds when a new Bishop of Ripon was likely to be appointed.
A spokesman said:
“A process to find her successor is underway and will be concluded as swiftly as possible.”
Ripon Cathedral major development requires removal of 11 treesThe most significant development in hundreds of years for Ripon Cathedral has been submitted to Harrogate Borough Council’s (HBC) planning department.
If planning consent is granted, it will see the construction of a two-storey standalone building to the north of the Grade I listed cathedral, which would include a refectory, song school and the city centre’s first Changing Places toilet, providing access for disabled people.
The £6m scheme also involves demolition of the existing toilet block on the site, along with outbuildings and a stone wall.
Documents on HBC’s planning portal show that the development on Minster Gardens involves the removal of 11 trees – one of which was assigned by the council as having ‘veteran status.’
In its planning statement in support of the application, Rose Consulting, says:
“The proposal does involve the removal of eleven trees, including a tree to which HBC have assigned veteran status but with compensatory planting on a ratio of five new trees to each one removed.
“This number of lost trees has been reduced to a minimum as a result of discussions with the council.”
At its December meeting, where a pre-application presentation was made on the cathedral’s proposed development, Ripon city councillors gave their support in principle, with the caveat that they could not agree to any future closure of Minster Road – which runs past the ancient building.
The application submitted to Harrogate Borough Council, does not include plans for the closure of Minster Road to through traffic – though it is a longer-term ambition
Speaking at that meeting, leader of the council Andrew Williams, said:
“We will be looking at the finer detail when the planning application is submitted, but the city council supports the general principle of this development, with the exception of the proposed closure of Minster Road, which we cannot agree with because diverting traffic elsewhere would cause many problems.”
In its submission to HBC planners, Ripon Cathedral Chapter points out:
“Ultimately it is hoped that closure of Minster Road to through traffic may one day arise – for which there is growing political and community consensus but is a benefit which is not deliverable within this application, as it is not in Chapter’s gift.”
The cathedral, which celebrated its 1,350th anniversary last year, has a national and international reputation which has seen visitors grow year on year to in excess of 100,000 in 2022.
Ripon revellers singing in the rain to celebrate the New Year
When hornblower Allison Clark (pictured below) set the watch on Market Square at 9pm, only a handful of people were present, but by the stroke of midnight Ripon’s New Year’s Eve revellers were singing and dancing in the rain.
Yesterday’s heavy showers that threatened to turn the evening of celebration into a damp squib, relented by 11pm and the crowds poured in to enjoy the free music that heralded in 2023.
Mayor Councillor Sid Hawke, who joined with his wife and Mayoress Linda, Ripon city councillors and other civic dignitaries in a torchlit procession from the cathedral to Market Square, led the countdown to midnight, flanked by the Bishop of Leeds The Rt. Revd Nick Baines and the Dean of Ripon The Very Revd John Dobson.
The Mayor of Ripon, Councillor Sid Hawke, pictured with The Bishop of Leeds The Rt Revd Nick Baines and The Dean of Ripon The Very Revd John Dobson
The Bishop and Dean John, were among the clergy who had taken part in the Watchnight Service at the cathedral that preceded the procession to Market Square, where a blessing was given.
Throughout the evening the tribute acts Exelle, Beyond Faith and Parklife, braved the elements to perform a broad repertoire of songs, ranging from the chart-topping numbers of girl bands to George Michael classics and the Britpop tunes of the 1990s.
The Weather Girls’ 1979 hit It’s Raining Men, was among the songs performed by Exelle (pictured above) while George Michael lookalike and soundalike Beyond Faith (pictured below) also wowed the crowd.
Last night’s concert organised by Ripon City Council, saw the curtain come down on an epic year that saw the city’s ancient square stage historic events including celebrations of The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in June to the mourning of her death in September and the subsequent proclamation of Charles III as King.
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No.10: Historic moments to mark the death of Queen Elizabeth IIIn this article, which is part of a series on the 12 stories in the Harrogate district that shaped 2022, we look at the way our communities market the death of the Queen and the ascension of King Charles III.
The announcement of the death of Her Majesty the Queen on Thursday, September 8 led to a series of historic events across the Harrogate district.
Among the first was a two-minute silence held by the Ripon hornblower following the setting of the watch at 9pm, less than three hours after the official announcement.
Tributes quickly came in from dignitaries around North Yorkshire, including the Lord Lieutenant, Jo Ropner, who said:
“I had the privilege of meeting Her Majesty at Buckingham Palace when I was appointed as Lord Lieutenant in 2018, and I know from personal experience that every engagement was conducted with grace and genuine interest, that every person felt the spark from meeting not only their monarch, but a truly remarkable woman whose commitment to her role will be remembered for generations to come.”
The following morning, official arrangements began to be put in place to mark the death of Britain’s longest-serving monarch.
Church bells tolled for an hour at noon, while flags at public venues, including Ripon Town Hall, Knaresborough House and the Royal Hall in Harrogate, were flown at half mast.
Many churches opened books of condolence for people to sign, and invited people to visit and pray. Flowers were laid on the grass by the war memorial in Harrogate.
A number of events were cancelled over the following days as a mark of respect. Sporting fixtures around the country were called off, including Harrogate Town’s match against Carlisle.
Both Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council cancelled all meetings for the week following the Queen’s death.
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On Sunday, September 11, a ceremony was held by the war memorial in Harrogate. It saw the Mayor of the Borough of Harrogate read the proclamation of the new King.
A similar ceremony was held in Ripon, where Deputy Lord Lieutenant Richard Compton was on duty to read the proclamation.
Over the following days, in unprecedented circumstances, some businesses altered their opening hours and some major events had to be changed too.
Nidderdale Show was forced to move from its traditional Monday slot when the Queen’s funeral was announced for the same date. However, it later said the weekend show had proved a success and future events would be held on a Sunday.
The funeral on Monday, September 19 saw several businesses close for the day, including Bettys tea rooms, Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal, and RHS Garden Harlow Carr.
Many supermarkets closed all day, or opened from 5pm onwards. Bin collections were suspended for the bank holiday and council-run leisure centres were closed.
The funeral was shown on big screens at Ripon Cathedral and the Royal Hall in Harrogate, as well as some pubs.
Ripon set to welcome in the New Year with city eventRipon will welcome in 2023 in traditional style on Saturday evening, with residents and visitors invited to the city’s New Year’s Eve gathering on Market Square.
The celebrations begin at 9pm when a member of the hornblower team will signal the setting of the watch with blasts of their horn at the four corners of the obelisk.
The ceremonial event, dating back to 886 AD – the year in which when Alfred the Great became the first Anglo-Saxon King of England – will provide the prelude to a night of free entertainment.
The watch will be set by a member of the Ripon hornblower team prior to the start of the musical entertainment
Following the hornblower, three tribute acts will take centre stage for the final concert of the year organised by Ripon City Council.
The acts are Beyond Faith, performing the songs of George Michael and Wham, Xelle with the favourite numbers from the best-known girl bands and Parklife, singing Britpop hits of the 1990s.
Shortly before midnight a torchlit procession of civic dignitaries led by the Mayor and Mayoress of Ripon Councillor Sid Hawke and his wife Linda, will make its way from Ripon Cathedral to Market Square, in time for the countdown that heralds in the New Year.
The procession will follow the Watchnight service at the cathedral which begins at 11.15.
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