Sneak peek: The return of Ripon’s department storeA new-look independent high street venture opens in a familiar Ripon setting at 9am tomorrow.
Halls of Ripon is in the Fishergate building that formerly housed the Philip Hall and Wrens department stores.
The coronavirus crisis signalled the end for some retailers in towns and city centres, but four former Wrens tenants kept their dream for independents alive.
Linda Liversidge at her Legs & Co stall, where she sells classic and vintage fashion for women and men
Mike and Liz Cooper, Hedley Hall and Lloyd Sheard devised a plan while selling their respective goods from a temporary location in Queen Street.
Tomorrow, their dream becomes reality.
Mr Cooper told the Stray Ferret:
“We are home to 22 small retailers – 15 of which are coming to open in high-street premises for the first time.
“The demand for space has been phenomenal and we have attracted a great mix of businesses, selling items ranging from hand-made gifts and home furnishings, to womenswear and jewellery.”
Keeley Buller and her partner David Ward will be selling cakes, beverages and other refreshments at The Hive coffee shop within Halls of Ripon
He added:
“Our aim is to take independent retailing in the city into a new era, while creating a department store experience with a level of service that is attractive to customers.
“Each retailer has their own facilities for debit and credit card transactions.”
Traders who also want sell online can call on Ben Butler, who is running his e-commerce sales and marketing business at Halls of Ripon.
Goods on sale include famous-name model vintage cars
Mr Hall’s antiques, collectables and vintage model business was in the former Wrens department store from the day it opened.
He said:
“Mark Butler’s highly innovative and award-winning concept sadly suffered because of the covid lockdowns at key trading periods last summer and pre-Christmas.
“We have taken his ideas forward and, by continuing to provide affordable space with no strings attached, have created a platform designed to help small businesses to succeed.”
A broad spectrum of retailers have joined the department store
Because of its long history, heritage and natural attractions, Ripon in non-covid times has benefited from year-round trade brought by tourists and the local population.
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Mr Sheard pointed out:
“There has always been the demand for a department store of this nature in Ripon.
“It is attractive to traders like myself, because it is in a fantastic location for footfall.”
New community curator for Ripon’s three museumsDr Laura Allan has been appointed as community curator of Ripon Museum Trust, which runs the city’s three museums.
Her role will involve working with local organisations, community groups and residents to increase engagement, promote creativity and generate a sense of place and improved mental health and wellbeing.
Dr Allan joins from Severndroog Castle in Shooter’s Hill, London, where she was employed as heritage manager. The castle is a community-run organisation and she was hired to reopen the building to the public after being closed for 30 years.
She has also worked and volunteered at various museums, including the Durham Light Infantry Museum, Leeds Museums and Galleries, the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich and Whitehall (a Tudor house) in London
Dr Allan will increase community engagement with Ripon’s museums
Helen Thornton, director at Ripon Museum Trust, said:
“We’re delighted to welcome Laura to our team. She brings a wealth of experience and ideas to her new role.
“Her skills in community engagement will be a huge asset to us at the trust, and to Ripon generally, as we work together with local people and organisations to recover from the pandemic.”
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Dr. Allan said:
“I grew up in County Durham and have been looking forward to moving back up north to be closer to my family.
“I can’t wait to explore the North Yorkshire countryside through walking and other outdoor activities. Combining this love of nature and the arts is really important to my work, promoting positive wellbeing in our local community.”
Dr Allan studied for a BA in history at Sunderland University, a MA in art gallery and museum studies at Leeds University and completed her PhD in the public history of the criminal justice system with the Open University.
She has presented at conferences in New Zealand, Vienna and Scotland, discussing the differences between academic and museum interpretations of criminal justice history.
Ripon’s Workhouse, Prison and Police and Old Courthouse museums are open from Tuesday to Sunday.
Ripon’s Spa Hotel to reopen following saleRipon’s Spa Hotel has been sold for an undisclosed sum to The Inn Collection Group.
The 40-bedroom Edwardian hotel was on the market for a guide price of £1.5 million.
It has been sold on behalf of long-standing owners the Hutchinson family by Colliers International.
The property agents brought the hotel to the commercial market for the first time since it was opened in 1906.
Julian Troup, head of UK hotels agency at Colliers, said:
“This sale marks a new chapter in the history of the Ripon Spa Hotel, and I look forward to seeing this renowned Yorkshire hotel benefitting from the high-quality of refurbishment for which The Inn Collection Group is synonymous.”
The hotel will be refurbished by the new owners
He added:
“There has been a noticeable change of mood in recent months among potential hotel purchasers.
“Activity has significantly increased, and the Ripon Spa Hotel attracted a good deal of interest from a diverse range of buyers before being secured by The Inn Collection Group.”
Located on Park Street in landscaped grounds of 5.75 acres and including croquet lawns, the three-star hotel was built complete with its own ballroom to accommodate high society in the early 1900s when Ripon Spa was operating in the cathedral city.
It continued to trade successfully long after Ripon Spa closed in 1947, although the hotel’s Turkish baths were eventually converted into The Turf, a popular public bar and bistro with horse-racing décor to complement the hotel’s more formal dining room.
The purchase of the Ripon Spa Hotel by The Inn Collection Group increases to 24 the portfolio of the Alchemy-backed hospitality company, which is based in Northumberland.
Sean Donkin, managing director of The Inn Collection Group, said:
“We are delighted to be welcoming the Ripon Spa Hotel into our portfolio.
“Its picturesque location in such a popular part of the UK makes it the perfect fit for The Inn Collection Group. and our offering.
“We’re excited to be furthering our expansion plans with such a great site, and are proud to be continuing to thrive during these challenging times for the hospitality sector.”
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The reopening of the hotel will come as a relief to operators of tourist attractions, as well as Ripon City Council, which was concerned that the property might be sold for redevelopment involving other uses.
Ripon’s Spa Hotel on verge of being soldOwnership of Ripon’s famous Spa Hotel looks set to change hands.
Colliers International, which has been marketing the 40-bed property since spring, reports it is currently ‘under offer’.
While confirmation of the sale to an unknown buyer is awaited, it remains unclear whether the building will remain as a hotel or be redeveloped for another use.
The Stray Ferret approached Colliers for clarification, but had not received a response by the time of publication.
The 16,125 sq ft Edwardian hotel was on the market for £1.5 million.
The hotel and its surrounding grounds.
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The Spa Hotel has been closed since March last year, when the first covid lockdown came into effect.
In July 2020, the long-term owners of the hotel, announced permanent closure after failing to attract an asking price of £1.75 million.
At the reduced price of £1.5 million, it was marketed by Colliers for continued use as a hotel.
The agents’ executive summary of the property said:
“This is an outstanding opportunity to acquire a renowned Yorkshire hotel in a desirable trading location.”
The summary added that the hotel, with its range of public rooms, has enjoyed ‘strong regular repeat custom based on its standing in the Ripon area’.
It has hosted business conferences, banquets, annual lunches and dinners and wedding receptions.
At the height of its popularity, the hotel was achieving net annual turnover of up to £1 million.
Its closure, made it the first major victim of covid in the Ripon tourism sector.
The Old Deanery Hotel, which offered 11 bedrooms, a meeting room and facilities for wedding receptions, subsequently announced its permanent closure.
The collective loss of more than 50 bed spaces raised concerns about the city’s ability to accommodate visitors and tourists staying overnight or for longer periods.
With Ripon’s reliance on tourism, city councillors and tourism bosses have been hopeful that the Spa would reopen as a hotel and not be developed for other purposes.
A Stray Ferret reader, who asked not to be named, said:
“It is so important to Ripon that we know as soon as possible if the hotel is sold.
“Importantly, we need to know if it will continue as a hotel, or if the site is being earmarked for development”.
Harrogate’s museum and tourism service to be ‘dumbed down’, union warnsA trade union has warned that almost half of Harrogate Borough Council‘s museum and tourism staff could lose their jobs in a “dumbing down” of the services.
Unison Harrogate local government branch added the move could also cause “huge reputational damage to the district and the council and also impact on much-needed income generation”.
It urged the council to reconsider its plans, which are part of a staff review instigated in the wake of the creation of a new destination management organisation in September.
The organisation will, according to the council, “ensure the best possible visitor experience and make the district of Harrogate a must visit destination for leisure and business tourists alike”.
But its plans to merge Visit Harrogate, the convention centre’s marketing team and the tourist information centres have met opposition from Unison.
David Houlgate, Unison branch secretary, said the proposals could lead to “a reduction in staffing of nearly 50%” as well as new ways of working that would worsen the service provided and pose risks to staff safety.
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Remaining staff would have to carry out “hybrid roles” as tourist information and museum posts are merged and visitors would be denied seeing as many staff.
Mr Houlgate said:
“We have been through many reviews at Harrogate Borough Council over the past 10 or so years and technology has enabled some automation and rationalisation but you cannot deliver museum services online, you need people in place to engage with visitors and know what they are talking about and if the full proposals go through there simply won’t be enough staff to do that, nor will they have time to enhance their knowledge through training or professional development.
“There may have in recent years been a shift in how the public accesses tourist information but it has not got to the stage where a physical presence is not needed.”
A source alerted the Stray Ferret last month to concerns staff would be made redundant if they didn’t accept new roles. It is believed up to 30 staff are affected by the changes.
Mr Houlgate called on the authority to put the plans back in order to “fully engage with staff in visitor, cultural and museum services”.
He said:
“This will enable the focus to be on the new place marketing, event bureau and partnership and commercial development functions, so that these can get successfully established and embedded in their own right and staff can be fully engaged and involved with the process throughout.
“It will also enable the council to fully engage with staff in visitor, cultural and museum services too and allow time to explore a number of opportunities and options staff have identified regarding increased footfall, enhanced income generation and service improvement. This should maintain and build on the current service provision with the aim of complimenting the new functions being introduced.
“It would seem at odds that the new destination management organisation has been set up to position Harrogate as an exceptional place to live, visit, meet and invest and yet at the same time it’s cultural and heritage offer is being downgraded.”
A Harrogate Borough Council spokesman said:
“The destination management organisation for the district of Harrogate will bring together the strengths of Visit Harrogate, the convention centre’s marketing team and the tourist information centres.
“This collaboration will ensure the best possible visitor experience and make the district of Harrogate a must visit destination for leisure and business tourists alike.
“This DMO will also work closely with Think Harrogate, Harrogate BID, and other organisations such as Harrogate Hospitality and Tourism Association to further strengthen the economic impact and support the district’s recovery plans following the Covid-19 pandemic.
“As part of the DMO being established, we will be ensuring we have the right roles across the organisation to help deliver these aims and provide best value for the tax payer.
“These proposals are still being developed and will involve a consultation with staff.”
Job fears as Harrogate council reviews staff at new tourism organisationA trade union has expressed concern that jobs could be lost as part of a staff review at Harrogate Borough Council’s new tourism organisation.
The authority set up a destination management organisation in September to ‘further grow economic impact and support the district’s recovery plans following the covid pandemic’.
Gemma Rio was recruited as head of destination management to lead the new organisation, which combines Visit Harrogate, Harrogate Convention Centre’s marketing team and the district’s tourist information centres.
The council is now consulting on the new structure.
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The Stray Ferret was contacted by a source worried the process would lead to staff being made redundant if they didn’t accept new roles.
We understand 25 to 30 staff in areas such as tourism information and museums fall under the review.
A consultation on the review is expected to end tomorrow.
The Stray Ferret approached Unison Harrogate local government branch and asked whether it had responded to the review.
A spokesman for Unison said it had concerns that staff were “at risk of being made redundant” and that it had “identified a number of concerns regarding the proposals but that there are also some things we believe we can support”.
He added:
“The key thing for us is our members jobs and pay but also that the council has a service that is fit for purpose once the review is completed.”
A council spokesperson said the destination management organisation “will ensure the best possible visitor experience and make the district of Harrogate a must visit destination for leisure and business tourists alike”.
The spokesperson added:
“As part of the DMO being established, we will be ensuring we have the right roles across the organisation to help deliver these aims and provide best value for the taxpayer.
“These proposals are still being developed and will involve a consultation with staff.”
Ripon museums reopen today with new exhibitionThe death of Harriet Rodwell, who committed suicide in the city’s workhouse in 1855, features in a new exhibition opening in Ripon today.
Ms Rodwell’s hard life and sad demise is remembered in Fragments — one of five textile installations.
Created by 6-Ply — a group of North Yorkshire textile artists — it is part of the Lives Unravelled exhibition at Ripon’s Workhouse Museum.
The display, dedicated to Ms Rodwell and created by Eileen Sweeney, reflects the fact that only fragments of the former inmate’s life remain.
The Prison & Police Museum – one of Ripon’s three heritage attractions now reopened for visitors
The new exhibition marks the reopening of the city’s three heritage attractions.
The workhouse, along with the Prison & Police and Old Courthouse are operated by Ripon Museum Trust.
The custom-made Lives Unravelled exhibition is Inspired by historical research into the lives of workhouse women.
It will be on display until September 5.
Artists have used a variety of materials and techniques to convey the real experiences and imagined emotions of being a woman in the workhouse.
Pieces installed as part of the exhibition, also include Room for Mother and Infant, by Hazel Waite; Jane Button’s “Fancy Apron”, by Sarah Lowe; Veg, Glorious Veg, by Mary Exelby and Apron of Feelings, by Jenny Bradbury.
Helen Thornton, director of Ripon Museum Trust said:
“It’s so exciting to be able to reopen our museums with this very moving and powerful temporary exhibition by local textiles group 6-Ply.
“We’re delighted to share these works with visitors and I hope they encourage people to consider the lives of people who lived and died here.”
Following today’s reopening, the museums will be open Tuesday to Sunday and on selected Bank Holidays, including bank holiday Monday, May 31.
Entrance to the exhibition is included in the cost of museum entry. All tickets to Ripon museums are valid for repeat visits over a 12-month period.
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Bookings can be made via the museum trust website or by calling 01765 690799.
Ripon Museums have covid safety measures in place and have been awarded the Visit Britain We’re Good to Go industry standard.
When will the Ripon hornblower return?Ripon’s nightly hornblower ceremony has been performed behind closed doors since March last year.
So the return of the city’s three hornblowers, who share the task, is keenly anticipated. But it seems the trio won’t be seen again on Market Square for almost two months at the earliest.
Ripon City Council leader Andrew Williams told the Stray Ferret:
“It is not possible to make concrete plans until we have certainty over the total lifting of limits on social distancing.”
Stage four of the government roadmap out of lockdown says the removal of all limitations on social contact will take place no earlier than 21 June.
The obelisk and Market Square, where the nightly hornblower ceremony has taken place for centuries.
Cllr Williams said:
“The council has received numerous enquiries about when the hornblowers will be seen again at the obelisk.
“Naturally, we hope that there are no mishaps along the way to the lifting of restrictions.
“We are as keen as our residents, businesses and visitors to the city, to see and hear them on Market Square.
“We will keep people informed.”
The 9pm ceremony has been performed continuously, without fail, since Ripon was granted its first charter in 886 by the Saxon king Alfred the Great.
During lockdown, the hornblowers have ‘set the watch’ by blowing the horn at their own homes.
People have been able to watch this on Facebook.
Hornblowers Wayne Cobbett, Alison Clark and Richard Midgley are employed by the city council.
They perform the ritual on a rota basis.
In pre-covid times, this involves them making blasts of the horn at the four corners of the obelisk and a brief talk on the history of Ripon.
The event can attract large gatherings, particularly in summer months.
Each hornblower has their own instrument from a collection of five, which still includes the ancient horn said to have been given to the city by King Alfred.
It’s a prized and priceless item, only on display at civic occasions.
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Last March, before the ceremony had to go behind closed doors, Mr Midgley said:
“Over the centuries, Ripon has had to fight off many threats from war to plague.
“The sounding of the horn and setting of the watch reminds us that we can and will overcome adversity – as we have done for centuries.”
‘We’re not giving up on our Harrogate B&B dream’It’s been a difficult year for the many bed and breakfasts that depend on Harrogate’s Convention Centre, which has been an NHS Nightingale for the last year.
But the owners of Scotia House on King’s Road are now excited about better times ahead.
In the months before covid, South African couple Mark and Gill Church travelled the length and breadth of the UK looking for their perfect location before buying Scotia House, opposite the convention centre.
The couple left careers in marketing and event management to take over the business in December 2019 — but little did they know what would be around the corner.
Instead of a busy conference and tourist season, the convention centre was swiftly turned into a Nightingale hospital in March last year, with the two large oxygen tanks by the Royal Hall a grim reminder of what might have been.
Mr Church said it was a “blessing in disguise” that the Nightingale was never used to treat covid patients.
Not going to run away
Some longstanding hotels nearby shut their doors for good during the pandemic, including The Kimberley Hotel and Alexa House.
But Mr Church said they never thought about selling up and were determined to get to the other side. The hotel will reopen on May 17.
He said:
“These times were sent to test us but we were not going to run away.
“We’re incredibly blessed to still be here.”
He called the last 12 months “horrendous” but said they had used the time to find different ways to help the business, including going on courses to better equip them for life as hoteliers.
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Harrogate Borough Council, which owns the convention centre, is working on a £50m plan to upgrade the ageing facility.
The council hopes the investment will help Harrogate better compete with other conference venues across the country.
Mr Church is looking forward to conferences and events finally returning to the town.
“More money spent on the convention centre is a fantastic thing. We’re also hoping to get tourists in too who will use Harrogate as a base.
“Friends always wonder why would you leave sunny South Africa, but it’s fantastic here in Harrogate. We absolutely love it.”
Three Ripon museums prepare for reopeningThree Ripon museums are preparing to reopen next month after receiving further government funding.
The Workhouse, Prison & Police and Old Courthouse museums plan to welcome visitors from May 17.
Before then, the Workhouse Museum gardens will be open until 3pm today.
Ripon Museum Trust, which maintains the attractions, has received two grants totalling £186,850 from the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund, which helps cultural organisations recover from covid,
The latest grant of £69,350, announced last week, will help the trust develop digital learning for schools and reconnect with tour groups, older learners and communities.
The Police & Prison Museum – one of the three heritage attractions run by Ripon Museum Trust
This additional funding comes as visitor attractions and tourism destinations aim to make the most of the relaxation of lockdown restrictions and boom in staycations.
Helen Thornton, director of Ripon Museum Trust, said:
“The Arts Council’s cultural recovery funding has been an absolute lifeline during a very challenging time.
“This grant puts us in a strong and positive position to reopen our museums again and welcome visitors back – which is what we love doing and what we are all about.
“It will be so wonderful having our doors open again on 17 May.”
The Workhouse Museum gardens will also be open between 11am and 3pm on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, plus Bank Holiday Monday 3 May.
To manage numbers and ensure social distancing, people should book timed ticket slots online for this and the ‘Inside Out’ Museum Trail. Visit riponmuseums.co.uk for bookings.
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Sir Nicholas Serota, chairman of Arts Council England, said:
“Investing in a thriving cultural sector at the heart of communities is a vital part of helping the whole country to recover from the pandemic. These grants will help to re-open theatres, concert halls, and museums and will give artists and companies the opportunity to begin making new work.
“We are grateful to the Government for this support and for recognising the paramount importance of culture to our sense of belonging and identity as individuals and as a society.”
Last autumn, the trust was awarded £117,500 from the Culture Recovery Fund.