Saturday, July 06, 2019

Ripon Cathedral

We arrived in Rippon around lunch time so after a scone and coffee at a lovely cafe just down the road opposite - I had a blackberry and apple scone and Paul had a Wenslydale cheese scone - both delicious, we entered the cathedral.


Ripon Cathedral has a history dating back to the 7th century and was founded by St Wilfred in the year 672, it has been rebuilt several times since.  The Saxon Crypt is thought to be the oldest in the country.

The pulpit designed by Henry Wilson in 1913 in a mixture of the  Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau styles.

 
It is made of bronze and stands on marble columns.  The figures are of four Anglo-Saxon Saints, Cuthbert, Etheldreda, Hilda and Chad.  It was rather impressive.

Above the original stone pulpit which used to be on top of the medieval screen below.

The stone screen above dates from the 15th century although the figures are modern, dating from about 1947 and depict local people of Ripon who have been influential both in the town and church.

The Saxon Crypt is all that survives of the original church and it is where relics brought back from Rome by St Wilfred were housed.

View across the nave - There was a large school party being guided around the church so we set off in the opposite direction but by doing this I'm afraid I missed one or two things and didn't get back to them later.

The stairs leading up to the Cathedral's library.

The library is a large, light and airy room built in the 14th century.  It houses many ancient books plus displays of silver communion vessels too.  Also on display is the Ripon Jewel, a gold disc which dates from the time of St Wilfred.  It was found near the cathedral in 1976.

The jewel was quite fascinating.  It is small, about 29mm in diameter.  On the back it is plain gold and on the front it has settings for jewels.  There are pieces of amber still in place but other gems have been lost.  It may have been used as a brooch or as an embellishment for a relic casket.

The Holy Spirit Chapel with metalwork designed in the 1970s by Leslie Durbin who also designed the first £1 coins.

The Font. is part Tudor and the rest Victorian.
 
Two things of note about the cathedral are its literary connections.  The father of Charles Dodgson was a member of the clergy team at the Cathedral in the 1860s.  Charles Dodgson wrote as Lewis Carroll and it is said that the misericord carvings in the Quire influenced his writing of 'Alice in Wonderland.'

The poet Wilfred Owen spent his 25th birthday in March 1918 visiting Ripon Cathedral. Just a few months later he was killed in action at Sambre-Oise Canal in France just days before the end of the war.

Next we'll visit the workhouse and try out a Ripon speciality.

30 comments:

  1. A wonderful post and photos. Ripon Cathedral looks so very interesting. The pulpit is beautiful and The Ripon Jewel is superb. It is great that the Saxon crypt can still be seen with its connections to St Wilfred. The medieval stone pulpit has some fantastic carvings on it. Thanks so much for sharing all the photos :)

    Your lunch sounds delicious :)

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    1. Thank you RR glad you enjoyed the photos. I thought Ripon Cathedral was very beautiful and I was impressed with both pulpits. It was quite a way down to the Crypt and very atmospheric. The cafe offered the best scones in Ripon on a board outside and I'm sure they were:)

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  2. I especially like the Saxon crypt. I bet you could feel the history down there! x

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    1. The crypt was very atmospheric, Simone also peaceful for a short while then a guide and a school party arrived so we left and went back later:)

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  3. Bet it was lovely and cool in there.
    Briony
    x

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    1. Yes, it was very cool and good to be inside as the weather was warming up after all the rain of the previous few days:)

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  4. Ages since I visited Ripon, thank you for the lovely reminder.
    It may not have the scale and granduer of nearby Durham but I think it is a wonderful building, particularly the Saxon crypt.

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    1. Thank you Jayne, glad to have brought back memories of you visit. I was very impressed with the cathedral, I thought it was quite beautiful and such a contrast to Durham which we visited the next day:)

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  5. I really enjoyed the trip round Ripon Cathedral, particularly as a couple of scones were involved! Isn't it beautiful, you can't beat a visit to a cathedral, so full of atmosphere and wonder. 😊

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    1. We couldn't resist the scones and they were as delicious as the cathedral as beautiful:)

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  6. Wonderful! So much to see and appreciate.

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    1. It was lovely, Linda, Iwas quite impressed by it:)

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  7. A real feast for the eyes, such a lot to look at and admire. The scones sounded delicious too...lol!

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    1. I'm sure I missed a lot of things but I enjoyed what I saw, it's such a beautiful building:)

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  8. A very interesting history this cathedral has. The pulpit is certainly stunning.

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    1. Thank you Julie, the pulpit is stunning isn't it? I found the history of the building fascinating:)

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  9. Thanks Rosie. I loved Ripon Cathedral & was intrigued that we could take photos inside, even though we had to pay & wear a little tag. Think we missed some of it after seeing your photos & definitely didn't know about the library. Take care.

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    1. Thank you Susan, yes we had to pay £3 for taking photos and were given stickers to wear too. The steps to the library looked quite new so perhaps it wasn't open or accesible when you visited. I thought it was beautiful both inside and out:)

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  10. Lovely photos, I always enjoy hearing about literary connections :)

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    1. Thank you Pam, those connections fascinate me too, how places influenced writers and the knowledge that you are walking in their footsteps:)

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  11. A cathedral with a lot of history. I've never visited Ripon, but it seems an interesting place. I like the sound of a blackberry and apple scone too.

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    1. Ripon seemed a nice place and small for a city, much like Lichfield. The scone was delicious:)

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  12. Another very interesting post, Rosie. I love Ripon - it is such a lovely city. Marie x

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    1. Thank you Marie, I thought Ripon seemed like a lovely place , very welcoming and everyone we spoke to so helpful abd friendly:)

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  13. A super post, Rosie, but then I am a sucker for a cathedral and this one looks quite special. I don't think I've ever seen a bronze pulpit before, it's beautiful. Thank you so much for showing me round. x

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    1. Thank you Mrs T. It was a rather beautiful cathedral with things from different centuries all blending together quite seamlessly, I thought the bronze pulpit was stunning:)

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