Ripon Font

According to the North Yorkshire Council, the Tudor font in the Ripon Cathedral, was created in the early 16th century and carved out of a solid piece of granite taken from Lintzgarth in Teesdale. "In 2017 the wooden top can still be seen on the font. Originally, it would have had a chain attached via a metal hasp to provide a locking mechanism to prevent people from stealing the Holy water which was often appropriated by pagans and other sects for their own practices including sorcery."

Quiet

Had a few moments to explore Ripon Cathedral before heading down the hill to the cathedral's rehearsal hall. We served as the choir in residence for the weekend while the cathedral's regular choir was on break.

"Ripon Cathedral has a vibrant choral tradition that has spanned 14 centuries, since St Wilfrid introduced cantors from Canterbury Cathedral in AD680, and it remains at the heart of our worship. The uplifting sound of the cathedral’s outstanding choirs, as well as the dramatic notes of the mighty pipe organ, can be experienced at regular services such as Choral Evensong."

Crypt

Some oddities about Ripon Cathedral. I took this photo in the crypt below. Here's how one website describes it:

"Built in 672 by Saint Wilfrid, Ripon Cathedral’s Crypt predates England itself by 255 years, and it’s still accepting pilgrims and visitors today.

Accessed by steep and narrow steps, a claustrophobic and gloomy passageway winds underneath a medieval cathedral. This cramped tunnel leads to a white painted void, believed by its creators to be a faithful representation of Jesus’s modest tomb.

With an arched ceiling, a simple altar, and a 14th-century alabaster carving of the resurrection, the otherwise chilly emptiness of this simple whitewashed crypt disguises its rich historical significance.

Ripon's crypt, and the long-vanished basilica it was originally built beneath, were the first of their kind to be built in the Kingdom of Northumbria, a territory that once covered most of Northern England and part of Southern Scotland."

Ripon

Another reason to eat lunch at the Royal Oak is that it is literally around the corner from the cathedral where I was headed next for rehearsal. We had so many rehearsals because the choir sang different music for each performance. In fact, most of us traveled with separate bags for the sole purpose of carrying our music and choir robes. Also, each cathedral or chapel had its own unique acoustics and physical space, requiring us to quickly settle in and adjust to the new circumstances.

The Royal Oak

So the story behind I found myself eating at The Royal Oak in Ripon begins with the dinner I enjoyed the night before in Harrogate. There the waiter, learning that I was to sing the next day at Ripon Cathedral, heartily recommended that I grab lunch here. He was right. It was a great place to eat. Plus I was welcomed there by a very cordial and, I must say, quite accommodating canine maître d'. :-)

Meat Pies

 

 

Appleton's in Ripon. Reminded me of the "meat pies" I ate as a kid living in England not far from here.

Ripon

First look at Ripon Cathedral, where we sang evensong and the next morning's Eucharist.

"The Cathedral Church of St Peter and St Wilfrid, commonly known as Ripon Cathedral, and until 1836 known as Ripon Minster, is a cathedral in Ripon, North Yorkshire, England. Founded as a monastery by monks of the Irish tradition in the 660s, it was refounded as a Benedictine monastery by St Wilfrid in 672. The church became collegiate in the tenth century, and acted as a mother church within the large Diocese of York for the remainder of the Middle Ages. The present church is the fourth, and was built between the 13th and 16th centuries. In 1836 the church became the cathedral for the Diocese of Ripon." -- Wikipedia