Ripon’s Spa Hotel for sale at £1.5 millionRipon’s Spa Hotel, which has been closed for 11 months, is back on the market at a reduced asking price of £1.5 million.
The historic Edwardian building opened in 1906 – a year after the nearby Ripon Spa.
It is being marketed by agents Colliers International for continued use as a hotel.
An executive summary from Colliers states:
“This is an outstanding opportunity to acquire a renowned Yorkshire hotel in a desirable trading location.”
The summary adds the 40-bed hotel, with its range of public rooms, has enjoyed “strong regular repeat custom based on its standing in the Ripon area”.
The hotel is in search of a buyer to return it to its former glory as Ripon’s principal hotel.
Colliers adds there is:
“Potential to further develop the trade, particularly with additional wedding and special event business, following a refurbishment to a purchaser’s specification.”
In July, the Stray Ferret reported that the hotel, which had been on the market for £1.75 million, had ceased trading.
A spokesperson said at the time:
“It is with regret that we have to close and it is with sadness that we need to make redundancies. We cannot speculate on the future of the hotel.”
Ripon’s largest hotel was, over many decades, the principal location for major Ripon civic and social events.
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It 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.
Alongside other hospitality businesses, the Spa Hotel went into covid lockdown last March, but never reopened its doors.
Its permanent closure, announced in July, made it the first major victim of covid in the Ripon tourism sector.
The Old Deanery Hotel, which has 11 bedrooms, a meeting room and facilities for wedding receptions, subsequently announced its permanent closure.
The collective loss of more than 50 bedrooms raised concerns about the city’s ability to accommodate visitors and tourists staying overnight or for longer periods.
Vaccine prompts surge in bookings for Harrogate travel agentA Harrogate travel agent has reported a surge in bookings since news of coronavirus vaccines broke, and says there is “light at the end of the tunnel” for the stricken industry.
Holidays have been cancelled and dream itineraries to far-flung destinations dismantled due to the pandemic.
The continued uncertainty over travel corridors and which countries people can and can’t visit has prompted many to curb their wanderlust and stay in the UK.
Melanie O’Boyle, owner of TravelGate, on Albert Street in Harrogate said it had been been a “very challenging” year but there were finally signs of an improvement.
“It’s been a very dark tunnel for the industry but we’re starting to see some light ahead. It’s been a minefield constantly reassessing where people can go.”
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Melanie and her husband Phil have run their business in Harrogate for five years. The majority of the holidays they sell are long haul to countries such as Canada, the United States and Australia — and she said the vaccine has given travellers some confidence to start making plans for 2021.
“The vaccine news has given people that reassurance and the appetite is starting to come back. People are thinking ‘I can do this’.”
Melanie has a couple of recommendations for travellers looking to get away from the surgical masks, hand sanitisers and tiers that have dominated UK life in 2020:
“At the moment restrictions have been lifted in Dubai and Maldives. The hotels are geared up for tourists there. Villas are also popular as you have that private space and you’re not impacted by people around you or on top of you.”
Date set for Ripon lights switch-onRipon’s largest-ever display of Christmas lights and decorations will be turned on on the evening of Saturday November 14.
Ripon City Council agreed to the switch-on arrangements this week after an update from council leader Andrew Williams.
Cllr Williams said North Yorkshire County Council had carried out the necessary adjustments to street lighting around the city to accommodate three miles of decorations.
This will take in Ripon’s main retail core and extend as far north as the Victoria clock tower on North Street – a principal route into Ripon.
The Mayor of Ripon, Councillor Eamon Parkin at the Victoria Clock Tower junction, where Christmas lights will welcome visitors
Cllr Williams, told the Stray Ferret:
“For the benefit of traders and residents, we would like to have the extended display turned on as soon as possible after Remembrance Sunday (November 8).
“This will give time for the superb displays put in place by the Ripon Community Poppy Project to be taken down.”
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The council has approved £65,000 of additional spending on the Christmas decorations.
The major extension, which now takes in side streets including Allhallowgate, Bedern Bank and Skellbank, ensures lights are in place on all gateways into the city centre, while also providing a circuit around a mixture of retail and residential streets.
Funding for the scheme is coming from the council’s events budget, which had originally been intended to support a programme of community events throughout the year in Ripon.
These included the 75th anniversary celebrations for VE and VJ Day, and the St Wilfrid’s Day procession, that had to be either cancelled or scaled back because of the coronavirus crisis and social distancing restrictions.
Councillors, who unanimously supported the switch on plans, hope that the extended lights will provide an end of year boost for retailers, by attracting greater footfall.
The Mayor of Ripon, councillor Eamon Parkin, said:
“The covid pandemic has made this a very gloomy year for many people and we hope that the lights display will give everybody a lift by adding to the attraction of the city over the festive period.”
Valentino’s opens new hotel rooms in RiponThis has been a difficult year for the hospitality sector, but Rick Jones, who owns Valentino’s and the Water Rat, has his eyes on the longer-term picture.
The closure of Ripon’s Spa Hotel, quickly followed by news that The Old Deanery will be closing in early 2021, are indicators of hard times for hoteliers.
So the question arises – Is this a good time to invest £500,000 refurbishing a restaurant and creating bedroom space on your premises?
For Rick, who was born and bred in Ripon, the answer was an emphatic ‘yes’.
He told the Stray Ferret:
“Rather than spending my time panicking about the pandemic, I decided to invest in my business, so that we will be in good shape when the coronavirus crisis is behind us.
“You can either get yourself stuck in a lockdown mentality or look forward and have faith in Ripon’s future.”
Rick is an optimist, who has faced and overcome potential calamity before.
When he took charge of the Water Rat restaurant pub in 2007, he had to act quickly to prevent the waters of a flooded River Skell from washing away the trade at his newly-acquired venture.
The Lazio suite at Valentino’s
Having saved the drowned Water Rat 13 years ago and remodelled it, the experience gained has proved invaluable in the reconfiguration of Valentino’s, where the sign on the wall reads ‘Restaurant with Rooms.’
Rick’s confidence would appear well-founded.
Since its reopening in early July the restaurant, with its Roman-style food, has proved popular with diners.
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There has always been a need to book in advance, but even more so now, with social distancing measures meaning that the number of tables has had to be reduced.
Literally building on the venue’s popularity and carrying the Italian theme throughout the Westgate premises, Valentino’s is now offering five newly-opened en-suite bedrooms ranging from the £120 per night Toscana room for two people, to the £190 per night Lazio suite sleeping up to four.
Last month, people in charge of tourist and heritage attractions in the city expressed concerns about the possible impact that the loss of hotel bed spaces could have on visitor numbers.
Rick believes that the Valentino’s development will go some way towards redressing the balance. He pointed out:
“Each of the rooms has been designed to have its own individual look and feel and we hope that they will appeal to people who want to come to enjoy the attractions of Ripon and the wider area.”
Boroughbridge hotel enjoys post-lockdown summer boomA Boroughbridge hotel has said its summer trading “exceeded expectations” after lockdown.
The Crown Hotel reopened, alongside other hospitality businesses, on July 4. Since then the government’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme has boosted dining while overseas travel restrictions have led to more holiday-makers in the area.
Tracey Campbell, general manager at the hotel, said:
“We had a very good July and August and it has been picking up momentum since then.
“We normally take the overflow from bigger events and weddings but recently it’s been people coming for the weekend. This has made a big impact, it’s made up for the loss of event trade.
The summer exceeded our expectations because we didn’t have any idea how it would be. We can’t forecast for the next 6-12 months but if business remains the same I’ll be a happy manager.”
Boroughbridge businesses bounced back in late summer after months of lockdown created uncertainty.
Boroughbridge is a staycation hotspot featuring several caravan parks. It is also close to several tourist locations and popular with walkers.
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The tourist information centre is currently closed. Calls are being forwarded to Boroughbridge Town Council.
A council representative said:
“The money left in the honesty box in our car park has definitely increased. The amount is close to what we expect at this time of year. I think it has picked up but it’s difficult to judge. We’ve had more people ringing saying they want to come. It is staycations for most people – those unable to go abroad have come here.”
Revised timetable for Ripon BID after Covid lockdown
Covid 19 may have hampered the progress of the the Ripon BID, but it is hoped it will be back on track when businesses have emerged from lockdown.
In an online update for those engaged in the Ripon process, BID chair Richard Compton said that with the global pandemic, businesses are facing unprecedented challenges. He added:
“We must regroup and adjust to the ‘new normal’, when released from lockdown.”
Last year, a feasibility study was carried out and a task group formed, but the coronavirus crisis brought a temporary halt to the BID process in March.
Subsequent activities have been affected and a revised timeline published on the BID website has April next year as the target for a planned start of the Ripon BID.
Before then, a campaign will be conducted to present plans drawn up by the task group and a ballot of businesses carried out. If the majority vote ‘yes’, all businesses within the BID area will be required to pay a levy on their business rates to fund the project, with the cost to each worked out on a pro-rata basis.
Fountains Abbey
The Ripon Business Improvement District will cover a large area and, while the city centre is the principal point of focus, it also embraces heritage, hospitality sporting and visitor attractions within the wider Ripon district.
These include the Fountains Abbey World Heritage site, Newby Hall, Lightwater Valley and Ripon Racecourse.
Government social distancing requirements have put greater emphasis on the use of local shopping, leisure and exercise facilities, as travel to larger centres has reduced. Mr Compton said:
“It is therefore important that we are in a position to engage and retain this market. Our competition, whether it be for retail or tourism, will not have gone away and will be fighting hard for their share.”
Since September 2004, more than 300 bids have been developed in the UK, bringing more than £100 million of new finance for towns and cities including Harrogate, Northallerton and York to improve and promote their locations, with a view to attracting more shoppers and visitors.
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Nidderdale Museum plans Bank Holiday reopeningNidderdale Museum is planning to reopen over the August Bank Holiday weekend.
Reopening of the award-winning museum, which is housed in the Old Workhouse in King Street Pateley Bridge, has been delayed because many of its volunteers remained in self-isolation when the government gave permission for heritage attractions to open in early July.
Now, however, the museum reports that after a good response to its plea for more volunteer stewards, work carried out to make the building COVID secure and some financial help from Museum Development Yorkshire, the reopening is scheduled for 1.30pm on Saturday, August 29.
The museum is located in The Old Workhouse
Beyond then, the visitor attraction – a past winner of the National Heritage Museum of The Year Award – plans to continue to open every Saturday and Sunday throughout the autumn and winter, depending on government restrictions on social distancing and availability of stewards.
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Last month, Sue Welch, chair of Nidderdale Museum, told the Stray Ferret about the practical issues faced by organisations that are heavily reliant upon volunteers to remain open. She said:
“There are various other museums in Yorkshire that are saying they are likely to have the same problems because many of their volunteers are over 70. I am afraid it is a known issue. People that volunteer are often older people and particularly museum volunteers.”
Visitors will be required to wear face coverings, a one-way system will be in place, and only one group of visitors will be allowed in each of the museum’s 10 rooms at any one time, ensuring contact with others will be minimal. All groups will be asked to sign in with their contact details.
Nidderdale Museum has a collection of exhibits, illustrating different aspects of life and work in Nidderdale through the ages.
Knaresborough and Ripon market traders call for public support against rent riseA petition headed ‘Save Your Market’ is being launched in Knaresborough tomorrow.
Market traders in both Knaresborough and Ripon hope public support will force Harrogate Borough Council to cancel rent increases of more than 25% from Saturday which, they say, will put some of them out of business.
The petition, which will be available to sign at stalls at Knaresborough Market tomorrow and Ripon Market on Thursday, calls for ‘urgent’ public support to make the council think again about the increase. It says:
“Increasing the cost of rent and stall assembly to traders by over 25% will mean that it will not be financially viable to continue trading for several market traders.
“Other local councils helped market traders who could trade during lockdown providing essential food products. This was through charging no rent or discounting rent.
“When non-food traders were allowed to return, after not being able to trade for 3 months, full rent was charged despite other local councils providing financial assistance.
“This 25% increase is being introduced on August 1 and excludes VAT which is charged by Harrogate Borough Council but not by other councils, most traders are not VAT registered so cannot recover the VAT.
“This will lead to the loss of more traders from the ancient markets of Knaresborough and Ripon.
At a full council meeting earlier this month, Councillor Andrew Paraskos, the HBC cabinet member whose portfolio includes the markets across the Harrogate district, said:
“There is a rumour going around that Harrogate Borough Council is wanting to get rid of the markets. This is not true.”
In response to questions raised by Ripon Independent councillor Pauline McHardy, he said measures had been put in place to support and promote the markets – including the waiving of fees for those traders who were not allowed to attend for 11 weeks because of government restrictions and the holding of rental levels at the 2019-2020 rates from April until July.
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Stephen Teggin, pictured, president of Knaresborough Chamber of Trade and a long-time supporter of the town’s market – which is the longest continuously operating in England – described the council’s handling of spending across the district as ‘unfair’.
In response to news that the council plans a multi-million pounds package of spending on Harrogate Convention Centre, Mr Teggin told The Stray Ferret:
“It’s all about Harrogate. We are struggling like mad to keep Knaresborough going and attract tourists and the council finds £50m to keep something going that already loses money.”
Easy riders like a Sunday morning in NidderdaleOn most Sunday mornings a section of the car park just off Pateley Bridge High Street, is packed with a leather and denim clad brigade who come to town on motorcycles of many colours and engine sizes.
This stop-off point for men, women and their machines has been firmly-established on the motorcyclists’ map for decades and this year, more than any other in recent times, they are providing a welcome boost for a local economy emerging from the coronavirus lockdown and attempting to make up for lost time and lost earnings.
Cafes, takeaways and shops are among those to benefit from the flow of business brought by riders who are seeking refreshment, before setting off on the next stage of a journey that takes many of them through the Dales and on to destinations on the East Coast.
Motorcyclists head out of Pateley Bridge and onto their next stop-off point
Nidderdale, with its combination of long, winding and steep stretches of road, was in the national and international spotlight when the Grand Depart of the Tour de France came to Yorkshire in July 2014.
It is a Mecca for travellers on two wheels – both pedal and petrol-powered, who are out in force on summer Sundays.
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For friends Mike Haste, Alexander Kubansky and Keith Weston, who hail from West Yorkshire, Pateley Bridge is akin to a resting point on a pilgrim path that leads to the sea and home again, with return journeys often covering 200 miles plus.
Mike, whose 1700cc Harley Davidson is one of a limited edition model produced in 2013 to celebrate the 110th anniversary of the world-famous motorcycle maker, told The Stray Ferret:
“Every Sunday, if there’s blue in the sky, we are on our bikes and heading for Pateley Bridge – our first stop-off point.”
He added:
“Over the years you get to know the places that are biker-friendly and we share that information with other motorcyclists.”
Alexander, whose pride and joy is a 21-year-old Honda Valkyrie with a 1500cc engine, said:
“Pateley Bridge is a nice place to come to. We can park up safely, have a cup of tea or coffee and use the public toilets before heading off again.”
Keith, with his BMW K 1300 GT, started taking part in rides with his friends a few years ago and highly recommends it. He said:
“It’s a great way to enjoy a Sunday day out.”
With the Pateley Bridge stop off lasting between 15 and 30 minutes, riders who head for the road are soon replaced by the next group, providing a stead stream of customers, who come to rest awhile and take refreshment beside the River Nidd.
Ripon Cathedral takes step towards £6m extensionRipon Cathedral has taken the first step towards seeking approval for a £6 million extension of the ancient building.
If successful, plans which will be submitted to Harrogate Borough Council (HBC) following public consultation, would see the first major extension in hundreds of years, for a building containing the oldest built fabric of any English cathedral – St Wilfrid’s crypt – dating back to 672 AD.
The church attracts visitors and pilgrims from around the world and in autumn 2019, launched the Ripon Cathedral Renewed project.
Key elements of the plan are the provision of toilets. which will include Ripon’s only adult changing room; a cafe and creation of rehearsal space for Ripon Cathedral Choir, which currently rehearses in a former burial vault.
With the provision of new storage space, it is also intended that large areas within the cathedral will be opened up to the public for the first time in centuries.
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An initial approach has been made to the council and the Dean of Ripon, the Very Rev John Dobson, told The Stray Ferret:
“We are at an early stage of our formal engagement with HBC as we look to develop our plans and work out what would be needed for a planning application.”
He added:
“There will be a presentation of plans in the cathedral from mid-August – showing people where our thinking has got to and asking for their comments.”
The plans are part of the cathedral’s strategic vision Growing God’s Kingdom which aims to see the cathedral as a force for good, serving both the church and wider community – locally, regionally and nationally.
When the Ripon Cathedral Renewed project was launched, Dean John (pictured above), said:
“It is clear that the development of the cathedral is vital to bring this national treasure into the 21st century.
“As custodians of this fantastic building we are only too aware of the legacy we uphold. We have this ancient history, this wonderful architecture – what we haven’t got are the facilities that people need.
“Each generation has, over 13 centuries, taken on what has been handed to it and made its own contributions. We take none of this for granted and we have a responsibility, in our generation, to make our contribution now.”
He added:
“Over the last few years it has become increasingly obvious to a growing number of people that the development of Ripon Cathedral is vital as we seek to serve the communities of the region now and in the future.”