Historical photos have given a glimpse into the opening of Ripon Spa Baths 117 years ago ahead of the building being stripped out later this year.
The images show the spa baths in its full glory when it opened in 1905 and paint a contrasting picture of the current state of the venue which has suffered from years of neglect and damage.
Ripon-based Sterne Properties has revealed the photos as part of its plans to strip out the spa before giving it a new lease of life and community use in what will mark a new phase in the building’s rich history.
The last English spa to be opened, the baths were originally served by spa water pumped from Aldfield, four miles away.
Corridor of Ripon Spa Baths.
The opening ceremony was held on October 24, 1905, and it is still the only spa to have been opened by a member of the Royal Family, Princess Henry of Battenberg.
The swimming pool to the rear of the original building was added in the 1930s and has since hosted many happy memories across generations of families.
Historic images released by the developer of some of the baths.
The building’s time as a much-loved leisure venue came to an end last year, though, when it was closed down by Harrogate Borough Council ahead of the opening of Ripon’s new Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre, named after the city’s Olympic diving hero.
Looking to the future, exactly what the spa baths will be used for remains unknown.
Ripon Spa Baths at its opening 117 years ago.
Sterne Properties said it must first understand what it is working with and the developers have examined photographs and historic records to see how the building has changed over time.
Its proposals have been backed by Ripon Civic Society, whose chairman Christopher Hughes said in a letter:
“The society is in total support of this application.
“A visit by some of our members in 2021 revealed the prospect that more recent works are likely to have hidden original work.
“This will be important knowledge for the applicant to understand before further proposals are developed.”
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Ripon’s Spa Hotel aims to reopen next spring
The Inn Collection Group, has begun redevelopment work on Ripon’s Spa Hotel and aims to have it completed by next spring.
A spokesperson for the company, confirmed in a brief statement this morning:
“We recently appointed STP Construction to redevelop the Ripon Spa Hotel, and work began this month and we’re looking complete it by spring 2023.”
The news follows hot on the heels of Sterne Properties’ announcement that it plans to return Ripon’s Spa Baths to its former Edwardian splendour, having purchased the Grade II listed building for an undisclosed sum from Harrogate Borough Council.
The Spa Hotel, which was in the ownership of the Hutchinson family for decades, opened a year after the baths and the two, nestling alongside Spa Gardens and Spa Park, were key elements of Ripon’s stylish spa quarter.
The elegant Edwardian building shut at the start of the covid pandemic in March 2020 and was subsequently put on the market
The 40-bedroom hotel, set in six acres of gardens, features public rooms including a ballroom, terrace bar and self-contained Turf Tavern Bar Bistro.
At the time of purchasing the property in June 2021, The Inn Collection Group said that a major, but sympathetic refurbishment would be carried out to enhance and repurpose the venue and bring it in line with The Inn Collection Group’s award-winning ‘Eat, Drink, Sleep and Explore’ brand.
Company managing director Sean Donkin, added:
“The Ripon Spa is a fantastic addition to our portfolio of properties. It has huge potential which we have an exciting vision to realise. We’re looking forward to starting that journey while expanding the group’s footprint in Yorkshire.”
“The Inn Collection Group excels at revitalising classic, landmark sites like The Ripon Spa and realising their full potential with significant capital spend, detailed planning and care to retain the unique, historic character of landmark sites such as this.”
The fast-expanding Northumberland-headquartered group has numerous hotels in the north and has been steadily adding to its Yorkshire portfolio, with the Spa Hotel joining The Dower House in Knaresborough and George Hotel in Harrogate as recent acquisitions.
Read more:
- The Inn Collection Group purchases Ripon’s Spa Hotel
- Plan to return Ripon’s Spa Baths to its former glory
Ripon developer plans community regeneration of Spa Baths
Ripon-based investment and development company Sterne Properties is in the process of acquiring the city’s historic Spa Baths from Harrogate Borough Council for an undisclosed sum.
In an exclusive interview with the Stray Ferret, company director Robert Sterne, said:
“It is our intention to restore the Grade II listed building to its former glory, when it was the centrepiece of the city’s spa quarter.
“Turning the clock back to 1905, it started life as a leisure and hospitality attraction, designed exclusively for the richer members of society, but our proposed hospitality-based regeneration of the building will make it fit for the modern world and open to all.
“Through a painstaking and detailed refurbishment, working closely with architect Andrew Burningham of AB Architecture, the spa complex will be returned to its days of Edwardian elegance.”
Sterne Properties has ambitious plans to refurbish the Grade II listed building.
Ornate and classical features, originally designed to attract well-heeled Edwardians to take spa treatments, will be seen once more in their full splendour and will be accessible to the people of Ripon and visitors to the city.
With its expertise in developing buildings for the city’s leisure, hospitality and retail sectors – including Curzon Cinema, Claro Lounge and Halls of Ripon – Sterne Properties feels well-equipped to take on the challenge of Spa Baths’ renaissance.
Mr Sterne said:
“We have had success in returning redundant properties such as the former NatWest Bank building next to Ripon Town Hall and an empty furniture store on North Street, into destinations that add value to the city’s offer.
“At this stage, we are considering a number of different community-focused uses.
“The initial planning application that we have lodged with Harrogate Borough Council, in the run up to completion of our acquisition of the building, is for a careful ‘strip back’ which will reveal design features that have been either covered up or out of sight since the 1930s, when the spa was re-purposed to accommodate a public swimming pool. “
Mr Sterne added:
“Our thinking is guided by knowledge of Ripon’s people who, like myself, learnt to swim at Spa Baths and see it, with affection, as part of their own and the city’s heritage.
“We believe that by working alongside all interested parties, including the city council and civic society, we can, subject to all relevant planning permissions, deliver an enhanced community asset, with new features, such as a conservatory, that we can all enjoy and take pride in.”
Martin Sterne, who set up the family-run property business in 1990s, added:
“We aim to make our mark on our home city by investing in it and creating developments that leave a lasting legacy.”
Read More:
- Ripon’s Spa Baths close after 116 years
- Plan ahead for road resurfacing and diversions in Ripon this week
Art gallery will be retained in plans to redevelop Ripon building
It will be business as usual for a Ripon art gallery, if plans to extensively redevelop premises in a prime city location receive approval.
David Harrison owns and operates the gallery at 19 Kirkgate, where he also provides a bespoke framing service.
He told the Stray Ferret:
“I’ve had amicable and constructive discussions with the landlord and I am happy with what they are proposing.
“I’ve been here for seven years and their plans mean that I will be able to continue to trade from this location”
Mr Harrison, who was born and bred in Ripon, is well-known by the city’s arts community. Work by locally-based contemporary artists, such as Carol Ashworth, can be bought from his shop.
He said:
“I went to school in the city and my parents used to run the White Horse pub in North Street, so I know a lot of people in Ripon.”
David Harrison pictured in his gallery next to an original work by Carol Ashworth
Sterne Properties, which owns 19 Kirkgate, has submitted a planning application to Harrogate Borough Council for internal reconfiguration of the building, which currently comprises Mr Harrisons’ retail unit at street level and a two-bedroom flat above.
The Ripon-based property company is seeking permission to create a cottage incorporating two flats at the premises, which are close to the city’s iconic cathedral.
With changes to the internal layout of the building including the removal of a wall, the gallery will be able to retain its space.
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The building has had an arts connection for many years. Prior to Mr Harrison setting up his business, 19 Kirkgate, was home to Alan Matthews Watercolours and works of the artist could be seen and purchased from the premises.
Sterne’s track record
Sterne’s track record of property development has supported retail regeneration and the hospitality and leisure sectors in Ripon.
The company’s projects include the mixed-used redevelopment of the former NatWest bank building next to Ripon Town Hall, which brought the Claro Lounge to the city and saw the creation of apartments on the upper floors.
Other developments include Halls (formerly Wrens) on Fishergate, where Ripon’s only department store reopened last year.
The company was also responsible for the redevelopment of a former furniture store on North Street, which enabled Curzon to bring cinema back to the city for the first time in more than 30 years.