Ripon, Yorkshire
Ripon is a small cathedral city in North
Yorkshire, England. As a historic Yorkshire
city, Ripon had a population of 15,922 at
the 2001 census, making it the fourth
smallest city in England after Wells, Ely
and the City of London (in the rest of the
United Kingdom, St David's, Bangor, and
Armagh are also smaller).
Ripon is situated at the confluence of the
streams Laver and Skell with the River Ure,
which is crossed by a fine bridge of nine
arches. The streets are for the most part
narrow and irregular, and, although most of
the houses are comparatively modern, some of
them retain the picturesque gables
characteristic of earlier times. Ripon is
part of the Skipton and Ripon parliamentary
constituency.*
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Ripon Marketplace and Busker in Ripon
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Ripon Cathedral
The cathedral, which the 1911 Encyclopędia
Britannica described as "not ranking among
those of the first class", is nevertheless
celebrated for its fine proportions, and is
of great interest from the various styles of
architecture which it includes. Its entire
length from east to west is 266 feet, the
length of the transepts 130 feet, and the
width of the nave and aisles 87 feet.
Besides a large square central tower, there
are two western towers. The Minster was
founded on the ruins of St Wilfrid's abbey
about 680, but of this Saxon building
nothing now remains except the crypt, called
St Wilfrid's Needle.*
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It is thought that Lewis Carroll wrote Alice in Wonderland after being inspired, amongst many other things, by this carving. The carving is on a misericord in the choir. Lewis's real name was Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. He lived from 1832-98. His father became a residentiary canon of the Cathedral in 1852.
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Ripon and the River Ure
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The River Ure is a river in North Yorkshire,
England. It is the principal river of
Wensleydale, which is the only one of the
famous Yorkshire Dales now named after a
village rather than its river. The old name
for the valley derived from the river name
was Yoredale.
The Ure is sometimes said to be a tributary
of the River Ouse, but the transition is
usually regarded as a change of name, rather
than the start of a new river. (However, the
river below the transition point is dealt
with in a separate article).
Tributaries include the River Swale and the
River Skell.*
Ripon Canal
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