Ripon | Yorkshire guide - information, travel, places to go, things to do

North Yorkshire

Cabmen's Shelter, RiponRipon CathedralRipon Obelisk, Market PlaceRipon is the smallest city in Yorkshire, and one of the smallest in the UK, but is steeped in tradition and has over the years grown around its market square and its cathedral.

Ripon is the only city in North Yorkshire, although it is historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire.

The city is in easy reach of some of Yorkshire's most beautiful scenery with the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty starting just two miles away from the city centre and the Yorkshire Dales National Park just 15 miles to the west. The Howardian Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and North York Moors National Park are around 14 miles to the east.

Ripon is 10 miles north of Harrogate, 10 miles south-west of Thirsk, 10 miles east-north-east of Pateley Bridge and 22 miles north-west of York.

Victoria Clock Tower, RiponRiver Skell, RiponRipon was the second place in Yorkshire, after York, to be recognised as a city. In 1836, Ripon became the cathedral city of a huge new diocese which took most western parts of Yorkshire from the Diocese of York. The cathedral, founded by St Wilfred, dates back to the 7th century (more below).

The Ripon Hornblower continues an ancient tradition in the city. Every night of the year at 9pm, the Hornblower blows the horn at the four corners of the Obelisk in Market Place and also outside the Town Hall, celebrating the many hundreds of years that a Wakeman, an overnight guardian against crime, provided a patrol of the city's streets.

The city had a railway station for nearly 120 years. The station was opened on the Leeds and Thirsk Railway in 1848, but was controversially closed under the Beeching cuts in 1967 and today Ripon is the only city in Yorkshire without a station.

City features

Market Place, Ripon

Ripon's busy compact shopping area is centered around Market Place and is particularly bustling on a Thursday when it holds its market.
Shops range from local boutiques to major High Street retailers.

Ripon's main post office is at The Arcade and there are post offices branches at Bondgate and Lark Lane.

The city has a choice of pharmacies.

Ripon has banks and a building society offices.

Kirkgate, Ripon

Ripon offers a wide choice of places to drink, from traditional Yorkshire pubs in the city to country inns in nearby villages.

Cafes, restaurants and inns provide a fine choice of fare at all times of day.

Ripon has a selection of takeaways offering fish and chips, pizzas and Indian and Chinese cuisine.

Ripon Library, run by North Yorkshire County Council, is at The Arcade.

There are several schools in and around Ripon.

Places of worship: Anglican, Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, other.

The River Laver joins the River Skell just south east of the city centre. The River Skell flows through Ripon to join the River Ure, which runs around the eastern side of Ripon.

Ripon Canal

The Ripon Canal stretches for just over 2 miles from the canal basin in Ripon to join the navigable part of the River Ure. It was originally opened in 1773. It became neglected and impassable by 1906, but was not formerly abandoned until 1956. The Ripon Canal Society spearheaded a restoration completed in 1996 and the canal is now looked after by the Canal and River Trust.

Information at the Canal and River Trust - Ripon Canal web page.

Ripon Cathedral

Minster Road

Ripon Cathedral is an ancient mother church of what is now a new diocese of the Church of England. The diocese was formed in 2014 from the dioceses of Ripon, Bradford and Wakefield and was named the Diocese of West Yorkshire and the Dales to gain public trust across its entire area, before it was later ordered to use what had actually been registered as its official name of the Diocese of Leeds. It is one of three anglican cathedrals within the combined diocese, the others being in Wakefield and Bradford. The cathedral was dedicated to St Peter in 672. It was founded by St Wilfred, who in 658 had become the Abbot of the recently founded monastery of Ripon. The crypt of the original Saxon church survives, but much of the splendid cathedral dates from later periods of rebuilding, with transepts dating from the late 12th century. Its west front, dating from the 1220s, is one of the finest examples of Early English Gothic architecture. The nave was rebuilt in the 16th century after the central tower collapsed in 1450.

More information at the Ripon Cathedral website.

Sport

Ripon Racecourse

Boroughbridge Road

The present racecourse opened in 1900, but there had been racing at various locations in the city long before that time, the first being recorded at Bondgate Green in 1664. In 1723, Ripon hosted the country's first recorded race exclusively for female riders. The present flat racecourse at Boroughbridge Road has a reputation as one of the best small racecourses in the north and in its beautiful surrondings is known as Yorkshire's Garden Racecourse.

Museums

Prison and Police Museum

St Marygate

The museum is based in a building with a prison and policing history, being a house of correction for vagrants from 1686 and a liberty prison for much of the 19th century before becoming West Riding Constabulary's police station for Ripon until 1956. Displays trace policing history and an extensive range of police and prison memorabilia are on show.

Further information at these Ripon Museums web pages.

Workhouse Museum & Garden

Sharow View, Allhallowgate

The gatehouse building of Ripon's former workhouse houses a museum providing a taste of life in a Victorian workhouse. The present building dates from 1855, but a workhouse had been on the site from 1776. Volunteers have also carefully restored the workhouse garden to an 1890s setting.

More details at these Ripon Museums web pages.

Courthouse Museum

Minster Road

The museum is housed in the former Quarter Sessions Courthouse built in 1830, which continued in use as a Magistrates Court after 1953 until its closure in 1998. The courthouse had remained largely unchanged when closed and model figures in period clothing show a typical 19th century scene in the courtroom.

Further details can be found at these Ripon Museums web pages.

Places to visit

Fountains Abbey

Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden

Fountains, near Ripon, North Yorkshire
A World Heritage site containing Britain's most complete Cistercian abbey ruins. Fountains Abbey dates from 1132 when it became the home of 13 monks. The water gardens in the wooded valley of the River Skell were a Georgian addition to the Studley Royal Estate with features including classical statues, follies and garden buildings. Also on the estate are the 12th century Fountains Mill, the early 17th century Fountains Hall, the Porter's Lodge exhibition in the abbey gatehouse, St Mary's Church, a splendid Victorian Gothic Church, and a deer park. The estate is off the B6265 Ripon to Pateley Bridge road about 3 miles south-west of Ripon and is managed by The National Trust.

Find out more at the

National Trust - Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal website.

Lightwater Valley

North Stainley
Lightwater Valley is a theme park in 70 hectares of countryside off the A6108 near North Stainley about 4 miles north-north-west of Ripon. It includes more than 40 rides and themed attractions aimed at under-12s.

Find Lightwater Valley on map.

Newby Hall & Gardens

Skelton on Ure
Newby Hall is a family home eight miles north-north-east of Harrogate (about 15 miles by road). It is a fine example of an Adam House, a style practised by the Scottish Adam brothers in the 18th century. Originally built in the late 17th century by Sir Christopher Wren, it was enlarged by John Carr and later modified by Robert Adam. The house has stunning 18th century interior decoration, a dolls house exhibition, Gyles Brandreth's teddy bear collection, a miniature railway and beautiful gardens with a relatively modern design dating from the early 1920s. In July, the hall is a venue for a historic vehicle rally.
For more information see the

Newby Hall & Gardens website.

Thorp Perrow

Kings Keld Bank, near Snape, 2 miles south of Bedale
Thorp Perrow Arboretum has one of the UK's finest collection of trees, including rare trees and shrubs. Located alongside the woodlands is a Bird of Prey and Mammal Centre with birds from around the world. There are regular flying demonstations when the weather is good. The mammals include meerkats, wallabies, goats and rare breed sheep. Thorp Perrow also has a children's playground and tea room. In addition to its regular opening times, Thorp Perrow has a programme of special events and experience days.

More information at the

Thorp Perrow website.
Locate on map:

Thorp Perrow

Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

Extending across an area of 232 square miles (600 sq km), the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Beauty starts 2 miles from Ripon. It covers an area between those towns and the Yorkshire Dales National Park, just a few miles further away. At its centre is the small town of Pateley Bridge. The area has a beautiful and varied landscape including rolling heather-topped moorland, stone-walled agricultural fields and farms, small villages, lake-like reservoirs and some outstanding geological features, the best known of which are Brimham Rocks. The area has a number of protected wildlife sites and provides important habitats for several varieties of birds, reptiles and animals, including otters and water vole. The area has been shaped both by nature and by human activity. The latter ranges from Iron Age settlements, old mines, quarry sites, a scattering of textile mills, traditional field barns, some historic parks and gardens and the area's huge reservoirs. See more on our Nidderdale page.

Yorkshire Dales National Park

After going through the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the 841 square miles (2,179 square kilometers) of the Yorkshire Dales National Park starts just 15 miles west of Ripon. Find out more on our Yorkshire Dales National Park page.

Travel

Bus services

Bus services operate to many neighbouring towns from the bus stands at Moss Arcade. Destinations served include Bishopton, Boroughbridge, Harrogate, Knaresborough, Leeds, Leyburn, Northallerton, Masham, Melmerby/Harrogate, Minskip, Richmond, Studley Roger, Thirsk and York . National Express coach services operate to London, Corby, Glasgow and Ashington in Northumberland.

Road travel

Ripon is about 5 miles from the A1(M) allowing fairly easy north-south access across Yorkshire. It is just 15 miles from the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, 3 miles from the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and 16 miles from the edge of the North York Moors National Park

Emergency services

North Yorkshire Police

North Yorkshire Police website.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service website.

Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust

Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust website.

Local government

Civil parish council

Ripon City Council
Ripon City Council is based at the Town HallRipon City Council, based at the Town Hall in Market Place South in Ripon, is a civil parish council of 15 councillors and provides a limited range of services within the city. It is represented at civic functions by The Mayor of Ripon.

Ripon City Council website.

Unitary authority

North Yorkshire Council

The North Yorkshire Council is a new unitary authority formed from the previous County Council from April 1, 2023. It covers the existing county duties including highways, schools, libraries and transport planning over an area of 3,109 square miles while also taking over the responsibilities of the seven huge district authorities also created in 1974 — Craven, Hambleton, Harrogate, Richmondshire, Ryedale, Scarborough and Selby — these including local planning, waste collection, street cleaning, parks and car parks, housing and markets serving a population of around 615,500*.

Councillors were elected to the County Council in 2022 and continue as councillors of the new North Yorkshire Council unitary authority. There have been a few by-elections to fill councillor vacancies since then.

Places in North Yorkshire

Link to council website: North Yorkshire Council

^ Area figure from ONS Standard Area Measurements 2022 (converted from hectares).
* Population figure from Census 2021 (combined total of former districts).
Contains public sector information licensed under the

Open Government Licence v3.0.

Political composition:

453CI 1311 NY Ind92 LC421

90 members

CI = Conservative & Independent NY Ind = North Yorkshire Independents group LC = Labour & Cooperative
Composition and groupings - source North Yorkshire Council (February 2024)

Strategic authority

York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority
The York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority was created in December 2023 combining the unitary authority of York and the unitary authority of North Yorkshire — that created in April 2023 after the abolition of the county authority and its seven district authorities. The combined authority will run some functions under the new mayor elected in May 2024 as part of the government's so-called "Devolution deal" which ties the availablity of funding to the new governance arrangements. As well as having powers over housing development, transport and boosting skills and education across the 3,214 square miles of York and North Yorkshire, the elected mayor also takes on the role and functions of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner across the area.

Elected mayor: ❚ David Skaith Labour & Cooperative

York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority website.

Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner

Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner North Yorkshire
Covers the county of North Yorkshire and City of York. This role is being transferred to the new elected mayor of York and North Yorkshire in 2024.

Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner North Yorkshire website.

Parliamentary constituency

Skipton and Ripon
Elected MP: ❚ Julian Smith Conservative

National government region

Yorkshire and the Humber

Ceremonial county

North Yorkshire

Historic

1835-1974: Municipal borough in the West Riding of Yorkshire.
1974-2023: Within Harrogate borough in the county of North Yorkshire.
April 2023 - present: Within the unitary authority of North Yorkshire.

Also in Yorkshire.guide

Near Ripon: Boroughbridge Harrogate Knaresborough Masham Pateley Bridge Thirsk

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