Ripon Cathedral had a link with Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland that we posted yesterday. The father of Lewis Carroll was canon of Ripon Cathedral from 1852 until 1858 and the young Lewis Carroll spent a lot of his time in the cathedral. Here, he would have seen the misericords, which are carved with images that are particularly reminiscent of Wonderland. Perhaps this would become part of the inspiration later in his life.
A church was founded on this site by St Wilfrid and dedicated in 672, although it has been rebuilt several times since. The ancient Saxon crypt, one of the oldest in the country, is the only part of Wilfrid's original church that remains to this day. The cathedral also has many other interesting features, not least the medieval woodcarvings that decorate the choir stalls.
The present church is the fourth on the site, and was built between the 13th and 16th centuries. This shot shows the southern of the two western towers, and is an imposing structure. The central tower (out of shot to the right) is a rather short structure. It originally carried a spire, but that collapsed in 1615 and was not replaced. Two smaller spires on the western towers were also removed after the collapse.
The cathedral is well worth exploring, both outside and in. There is a warm welcome from staff there, who are most helpfull.
Thank you all for your lovely comments and favs, they are very much appreciated.
This is the last shot of Ripon for now. There are others I want to share, but I will save those until early June, since they are part of the Ripon commemoration of the 80th anniversary of D Day.
Thank you all for your lovely comments and favs, they are very much appreciated.
This is the last shot of Ripon for now. There are others I want to share, but I will save those until early June, since they are part of the Ripon commemoration of the 80th anniversary of D Day.
Ian
Thank you Kathy, it is an interesting building to explore.
Ian