Ripon Centre
Despite its relatively small size, Ripon is packed with historic buildings, monuments and museums just waiting to be explored.
The Market Square
The City of Ripon clusters round its central marketplace in time-honoured fashion. Here you can shop, go to the Thursday Market, take part in the many events we organise or just sit and watch the world go by.
The central obelisk, some 90ft (27m) tall, has stood in the centre of the square for over 300 years. The nightly Wakeman ceremony takes place at the foot of the obelisk every evening at 9pm.
The Market Square is also a good starting point for a shopping trip to Ripon. It combines a wide range of nationally recognised stores with a whole host of speciality shops. There's a good selection of places to eat and drink as well, and you're only minutes from the other shops and places of interest that make a visit so enjoyable.
Market Square & Other Events
There is a year-round calendar of events to appeal to everyone; many of these take place on the market square and include a variety of markets.
Spa Gardens
In a bustling market town the award winning Spa Gardens offer an oasis of calm and visual splendour.
Only 2 minutes walk from the Market Square, the Spa Gardens is a great place for family entertainment. Try out the 18-hole putting course, the 9-hole crazy golf or the traditional, flat bowling-green. Alternatively, you could just take a stroll through the beautiful floral displays to the Victorian bandstand before taking a well-earned break in the Sun Parlour Café.
The Spa Gardens are open from February to December although the Sun Parlour café and all activities are open from April to September. Contact 07851 395923.
Thorpe Prebend House Heritage Centre
Set in the precincts of the Cathedral on High St Agnesgate is the magnificently restored Heritage Centre, Thorpe Prebend House. Thorpe Prebend House was once home to one of the ruling clergy of Ripon Minster and later to influential men in the city. Its date of origin is obscure, but it was described as "in ruins" in 1310! After its most recent restoration it now acts as a Heritage Centre for the Cathedral and houses some 50 exhibits which unveil the story of Ripon and the Cathedral over the centuries.
Thorpe Prebend’s Jacobean knot garden overlooks the River Skell and is the City’s last remaining medieval Canon’s house. It is thought that Lewis Carroll, author of ‘Alice in Wonderland’, took inspiration for his story from the Cathedral while visiting his father who was Canon of Ripon from 1852 to 1868. As a result it has now become a fascinating ‘Ripon in Wonderland’ experience. See Thorpe Prebend, Alice & Law + Order Trail
Standing in the shadow of the Cathedral, a visit to Thorpe Prebend is a perfect complement to a visit to the Cathedral itself. Open through the summer months for independent visitors, and available all year round for school and group visits, the House can also be hired for corporate and private functions.
