Ripon Cathedral
Ripon, Yorkshire
Ripon Cathedral has a history stretching back almost fourteen centuries, offering an unbroken tradition of witness to the Christian faith, both in the city of Ripon and across North Yorkshire.
A Mass centre was first established in Ripon in 1850 and the present Grade II* church which was designed by J A Hansom was opened in 1862 and consecrated in 1912.
In 1909 fittings from the private chapel at nearby Studley Royal were transferred to St Wilfrid’s following the death of the Marquess of Ripon, who had previously created the Lady Chapel within the church. These include ten stained-glass windows installed along the north and south aisles and dating from 1878. The Marquess was also the first Mayor of Ripon since the Reformation. The sanctuary was remodelled following the Second Vatican Council although the ornate reredos designed by Edward Pugin remains unaltered. Today St Wilfrid’s is recognised as one of the finest Catholic parish churches in England.