Ripon Cathedral Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Ripon Cathedral
The west front of the cathedral
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OS grid reference	SE 31446 71129
Location	Minster Road, Ripon, North Yorkshire HG4 1QT
Country	England
Denomination	Church of England
Tradition	Liberal Anglo-Catholic
History
Status	Cathedral (since 1836)
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade I
Style	Anglo-Saxon, Gothic (Early English)
Years built	1160–1547
Administration
Diocese	Leeds (since 2014)
Province	York

Cathedral with its two west towers (left) and its central tower

Ripon Cathedral, officially known as the Cathedral Church of St Peter and St Wilfrid, is a very old and important church in Ripon, North Yorkshire, England. For many years, it was called Ripon Minster. A minster is a large church, often linked to a monastery. In 1836, it became a cathedral, which means it's the main church for a bishop.

This amazing building started as a monastery in the 660s. Later, in 672, St Wilfrid rebuilt it as a Benedictine monastery. The church you see today is actually the fourth one on this spot! It was mostly built between the 13th and 16th centuries.

Ripon Cathedral is famous for its beautiful Gothic style, especially its west front. This part is considered one of the best examples of the Early English style. It also has a special east window. A very old part of the cathedral is the crypt, which dates back to the 7th century. This crypt is a rare example of early Christian buildings in England. The cathedral is so important that it has a Grade I listed building status.

History of Ripon Cathedral
- Building the First Churches
- Changes and Additions Over Time
Becoming a Cathedral
Music at Ripon Cathedral
- The Organ
- Bells of the Cathedral
Images for kids
See also

History of Ripon Cathedral

There has been a stone church on this site since the year 672. Saint Wilfrid built it to replace an older wooden church. He wanted it to be in the Roman style. This was one of the first stone buildings in the ancient Kingdom of Northumbria. The oldest part of the cathedral, the crypt, comes from this very early time.

Building the First Churches

The nave, or main part, of Ripon Cathedral

The church you see today is the fourth one to stand here. Saint Wilfrid brought skilled workers like stonemasons, plasterers, and glaziers from France and Italy. They helped him build a grand church in 672 AD. A writer from that time, Stephen of Ripon, described it as a church made of dressed stone. It had many columns, side-aisles, tall walls, windows, and arched ceilings.

Saint Wilfrid was buried in this church. Sadly, in 948 AD, the English king Eadred destroyed most of Wilfrid's church. Only the crypt survived. A second minster was built, but it was also destroyed in 1069 by William the Conqueror.

After that, Thomas of Bayeux, the first Norman Archbishop of York, started building a third church. Some parts of this church can still be found in the later chapter house.

Changes and Additions Over Time

The beautiful Early English west front was added around 1220. Its two towers originally had tall wooden spires covered in lead. The large east window was built between 1286 and 1330. An expert on architecture, Nikolaus Pevsner, called it a "splendid" example of the Decorated Gothic style.

Major building work had to stop because of the Wars of the Roses. This was a series of wars fought in England. Work started again in 1485 when Henry VII became king and peace returned. The central tower collapsed in an earthquake in 1450 and was rebuilt, but it was never fully finished.

Between 1501 and 1522, the walls of the main part of the church, called the nave, were made taller. New side sections, called aisles, were also added. The church has thirty-four misericords, which are small wooden seats with carvings underneath. These were carved between 1489 and 1494. The same group of carvers also made misericords for other important churches.

In 1547, during the time of Edward VI, the college of canons at Ripon was closed down. This meant the church lost its funding. Because of this, the tower was never fully completed. It wasn't until 1604 that James I helped restore the church. During the English Civil War, many of the stained-glass windows were broken, and some statues were destroyed.

Becoming a Cathedral

The minster officially became a cathedral in 1836. This meant it became the main church for the new Anglican Diocese of Ripon. This was the first new diocese created in England since the Reformation. A bishop's special chair, called a cathedra, is kept in the cathedral.

In 2014, the Diocese of Ripon became part of the new Diocese of Leeds. Ripon Cathedral is now one of three main cathedrals for the Bishop of Leeds.

Music at Ripon Cathedral

Music has always been an important part of Ripon Cathedral. The current director of music is Dr Ronny Krippner.

The Organ

The cathedral has a wonderful organ built by Harrison and Harrison. It was rebuilt from an older organ from 1878. The organ is located on a screen and has beautiful wooden casing designed by Gilbert Scott. The organ was last fully cleaned and repaired in 2013.

Bells of the Cathedral

In the south-west tower, there is a set of 12 bells. There is also an extra 'flat sixth' bell. A set of ten bells was made in 1932. In 2008, three more bells were added. Two new smaller bells were put in to make a full set of twelve. An extra 'flat sixth' bell was also added to allow for a lighter ring of eight bells.

Images for kids

Engraving of the west front.
Detail of the western façade.
A misericord, said to be an inspiration for Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
A blemyah carving from a choir stall.
Ripon Minster, by Hendrik Frans de Cort, c. 1800.
Stained glass window of St Michael, West end
Moses and Melchizedek; Stained glass window, St Peter's chapel
The eastern façade of the cathedral
The Rood screen
The Organ
The Choir of Ripon Cathedral
1901 photograph of the crypt