Pretty English city that 'packs a punch' but is barely big enough to be a town
The word “city” gives the impression of a large and bustling town, with a sprawling public transport network, bars at every corner, and suburbs spreading into the countryside.
But Ripon, tucked in between the Yorkshire Dales and North Yorkshire Moors, is the physical proof that this is a total misconception. With a population of only 16,500, Ripon is a “little city that packs a big punch” - according to a local tourism board.
In truth size means nothing when it comes to defining a city - in fact, it is the monarch who has the prerogative to name an area a city. Usually, it is given to towns with diocesan cathedrals. Interestingly enough, Ripon is far from the smallest city in the UK, a title which goes to St David’s in Wales, with a (less than) whopping 1,841 residents.
But Ripon certainly has “packed a punch”, hosting over 1,300 years of Christian history right back to the middle ages - when it was a wool trading hub. It is also believed to have been the inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland - so has a strong claim on being a magical town.
The city's rich history includes this medieval Cistercian monastery (Getty Images)The first structure built in the area was a church dedicated to St Peter, all the way back in 658. Its founder was a famous Northumbrian nobleman by the name of Wilfrid, who would later become Archbishop of York.
When emerging as a community and wool trading hub in the middle ages, Ripon attracted merchants from all the way to Florence in northern Italy - thanks to its proximity to Fountains Abbey, where the Cistercians had long farmed sheep. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the focus shifted to the production of spurs – at the time both essential horse riding kit and fashionable accessories – which became so widely known as to give rise to the proverb “as true steel as Ripon Rowels”.
The traditional city even has its own dancing troupe - the Ripon City Morris dancers (Getty Images)Despite the prowess of its mercantile endeavours, however, religion remained at the heart of Ripon’s reputation. Ripon was the first Church of England diocese to be created after the English Reformation in the 16th century.
As the existing parish church was elevated to cathedral status, so was the town, the council assumed, promoted to city – although this was only confirmed in black and white in 1865. While its architectural beauty is certainly something to marvel at, Ripon Cathedral contains plenty of treasures within, including the oldest surviving Anglo-Saxon crypt in the country.
Its animal carvings are also said to have fascinated Lewis Carroll, who spent a great deal of time there with his family. The gypsum sinkholes dotting the surrounding landscape are thought to have provided the idea for the beginning of Alice’s journey.
Out from the Cathedral sprawl a maze of narrow, atmospheric streets lined with an eclectic mix of shops, cafes and pubs. For those with the fanciest of tastes, there’s also a Michelin-starred restaurant, Shaun Rankin at Grantley Hall nearby.
The upgrade from church to cathedral gave Ripon toe chance to become a city in the 19th century (Getty Images)Thousands of tourists each year are drawn to the city, which also sports a grand central marketplace brimming with over 100 stalls every Saturday, and the national staple that is Ripon Racecourse. Nicknamed Yorkshire’s Garden Racecourse, thoroughbreds have been tearing round the one-mile, five-furlong track since 1900. The city’s horseracing pedigree goes back even further than that, however, with Britain’s first-ever female jockey race held in Ripon in 1723.
Aside from also having the breathtaking Yorkshire Dales at hand, the city benefits from its proximity to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Studley Royal Park and Fountains Abbey. A curious collection of events also dot Ripon’s calendar, sure to delight visitors no matter what the time of year.
Held on either the last Saturday of July or the first Saturday in August each year, the St Wilfrid's Procession, honouring the city’s founder, sees a carnival atmosphere descend. A procession of lavishly decorated floats parade through the streets as the locals dress up and dance to live music.
There’s also a nightly setting of the watch by the Hornblower and an annual Boxing Day pilgrimage, along with a budding art scene to be enjoyed year-round. Just two cities in England are smaller – the City of London and Wells in Somerset – but neither have quite the same outsized cultural impact as Ripon.
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