Ripon (England)

Ripon is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with a population in 2011 of 16,702. Its main attraction is the cathedral, and the nearby UNESCO World Heritage Site of Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden. It’s also a good base for exploring the Yorkshire Dales.

Understand
Ripon has long been a religious centre. In 1132 thirteen monks were expelled from the Benedictine house in York (rioting, rowdiness, just the usual monastic peccadilloes). They found a new base in the valley of the little River Skell and affiliated to the Cistercians. Their abbey grew wealthy through wool, and they farmed far and wide, even as far away as Preston ("priest town") across the Pennines. The great stone buildings of Fountains Abbey grew up in the 12th and 13th centuries. It then struggled, through instability in the wool trade, attack by the Scots, plague, and the Papal schism. It revived in the 14th century but like other monasteries was dissolved by Henry VIII in 1539.

The abbey lands passed through several owners until in 1693 they were inherited by John Aislabie, who from 1718 was Chancellor of the Exchequer. In that role he almost bankrupted the entire country single-handed, by touting the South Sea Company, set up to operate the slave trade. Remarkably this made a loss, and its bubble share price collapsed in 1720. Aislabie was thrown out of Parliament, imprisoned in the Tower of London and barred from public office. With time on his hands upon his release, he set about prettifying his estate. His son William added the abbey ruins to the estate, and created the water garden. In 1983 it passed to the National Trust.

Ripon meanwhile grew as a provincial market town; it was connected for a while by canal and railway but never became industrial, so its old centre has been preserved. Its church connection continued into modern times, with a women's Anglican teacher training college based here from 1862. In 1974 this merged with a similar men's college to form the College of Ripon and York St John. It later affiliated to the University of Leeds, then to York and relocated there in 2001. It's now the independent York St John University.

By road
Ripon is 5 miles west of A1(M), which from the south you need to leave at Boroughbridge (Exit 48). Follow A168 to B6265 - A1(M) runs parallel but has no interchange at that point. The B road takes you into Ripon and onwards to Fountains Abbey.

Transdev Bus 36 runs every 15 min from Leeds, taking 90 min via Harrogate. From York, buses 142 and 143 run every two hours M-Sa, taking 80 min, usually with a change at Boroughbridge. From Thirsk, Dales Bus 70 (from Northallerton) runs every two hours M-Sa taking 40 min.

Ripon is on National Express route 537 between Glasgow and Corby. This leaves Glasgow daily at 7AM, running via Edinburgh, Newcastle and Durham to reach Ripon at 1:45PM. It continues south through Leeds, Sheffield and the Midlands. The return bus leaves Corby at 7:30AM, reaches Ripon at 1:45PM, and continues north to Glasgow for 8PM. For other destinations including London and Manchester, travel via Leeds which is much better connected.

By train
The closest railway station to Ripon is at Harrogate, which has trains from Leeds (every 30 min, taking 40 min) and York (hourly, taking 40 min). From Harrogate take bus 36 for Ripon.

To and from the north, Thirsk railway station may be quicker – but often not, as it’s longer to get there, and it has fewer trains.

Get around
Dales Bus 159 runs from Ripon to Masham, Leyburn and Richmond M-Sa every couple of hours, passing Jervaulx Abbey and Middleham Castle.

Dales Bus 139 runs from Ripon to Fountains Abbey M Th Sa at 9:45AM, 11:15AM and 4:25PM, taking 15 min. It returns at 11:30AM, 2:40PM and 4:40PM.

See

 * The Watchman blows his horn on Market Square at 9 pm, as he has every night since 886 AD, to warn everyone to get indoors, safe from marauding Vikings. The horn was originally presented by King Alfred the Great, to symbolise Ripon’s charter as a city, and to remind folk to stay vigilant against the foes he’d defeated.


 * Chapel of St Mary Magdalen on Magdalen's Road half a mile north of the cathedral was founded in the 12th century as part of a leper hospital. It was re-modelled in the 15th century, fell into disuse in the 19th but has been restored. None of the medieval skeletons found about it showed signs of leprosy (Hansen's Disease), but any disfiguring chronic skin disease could get you so labelled and shunned.
 * Ripon Canal starts from town centre and courses south for two miles to join the River Ure. It was completed in 1773, bringing in coal and taking out agricultural goods, but in the 1840s a railway company got their hands on it and deliberately let it fall derelict. It was abandoned in the 1950s but a campaign group had it restored. It's navigable throughout, as is the Ure beyond which connects to the Ouse-Aire-Calder canal network. There's a footpath but no cycleway.
 * Studley Park is outside the north gate of the abbey and water park, so you could visit separately, but most visitors see the abbey first, then exit into Studley Park. There's an ornamental lake, and the 19th-century St Mary’s Church, paid for with the unspent ransom for Frederick Grantham Vyner, murdered in 1870 by Greek bandits before they could collect. The Choristers House is a charming Victorian Gothic creation adjacent. Formerly a music school, nowadays it’s let by the National Trust as a holiday cottage (five bedrooms, sleeps ten). Beyond stretches a deer park. Studley Royal House in the park was a medieval manor which burnt down and was replaced by a Palladian mansion. This too burnt down in 1946, but the stable block survived and was converted into a private residence, which you can't visit.

Do

 * Brimhams Active is the leisure centre on Dallamires Lane, with gym, fitness clases and pool.
 * Golf: Ripon City GC is half a mile north of town on A6108. White tees 6084 yards, par 70, visitor round £38.
 * Harrogate Flower Show have their spring show at Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate, but their autumn show is at Newby Hall (see above), in mud-Sep.
 * Ripon International Festival is mostly classical music, at various local venues in Sep and Oct.
 * Harrogate Flower Show have their spring show at Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate, but their autumn show is at Newby Hall (see above), in mud-Sep.
 * Ripon International Festival is mostly classical music, at various local venues in Sep and Oct.

Buy

 * Ripon Market is held on Thursday in the main square.
 * Sainsbury's is the main supermarket within town, on main square and open M-Sa 8AM-10PM, Su 10AM-4PM.

Eat
North Yorkshire really does dinner, so if you’re prepared to drive, there are several top-rate restaurants within ten miles or so. Harrogate also has many choices.

Drink

 * Hambleton Brewery makes beer in Melmerby. No tours.
 * Ripon Cathedral Beer Festival is usually over the late May public holiday.
 * Ripon Cathedral Beer Festival is usually over the late May public holiday.

Connect
As of March 2024, Ripon and its approach roads have 4G from EE and O2, and 5G from Three and Vodafone.

Go next

 * Harrogate is a charming spa town with fine gardens; Knaresborough is its smaller sister.
 * York and Durham are both unmissable historic cities.
 * Ripon is a good base for exploring the Yorkshire Dales — take in Masham, Jervaulx Abbey and Middleham Castle on the way — and the North York Moors east of Thirsk.
 * For big city attractions, Leeds and Newcastle upon Tyne are the obvious choices.