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The reputed home of Hugh Ripley, Ripon's last Wakeman and first Mayor (1604), will once again become a central point for the City of Ripon as two local ladies with a wealth of catering experience re-open the building as the Wakeman's House Café.

 

And who better to be the 'first customer' than the First Citizen of the City, Mayor Councillor Sidney Hawke.

 

The Wakeman's House is a small late medieval timber-framed building standing in the south-west corner of Ripon's spacious Market Place. 

 

When £4m was secured for Ripon City eight years ago, £3m came from the Heritage Lottery Fund. 

 

The Lottery Fund grant for the Wakeman's House was £205,000 and Harrogate Borough Council added match funding of £69,000 to ensure that this important building was restored to its former glory and included new toilets, kitchen and office storage facilities.  One of the conditions of the grant from the HLF was that the building retained an element of community use.

 

When they open the doors on 11 November, Tiggy Ferris and Jane Eccles, will be providing home baked and cooked traditional Yorkshire fayre and they will also be honouring their tenancy commitment to provide community facilities as well.

 

Tiggy Ferris who lives in Sawley, said:  "During its long life, the Wakeman's House has had many uses and was certainly first saved for future generations by the generosity of local grocer, Sydney Moss, after the first world war.  In the 1920s, the then Mayor of Ripon, Alderman William Hemsworth, undertook an enthusiastic restoration of the building and re-instated the Wakeman's House as one of Ripon's historic treasures.  It is now, of course, in public ownership.  There have been many occasions when the House has been waiting for new tenants.  We hope that now the doors are open to our welcoming and warm café, that many more people will enjoy this historic and important building."

 

Tiggy and Jane are keen to hear from local artists, schools, voluntary or social groups who maybe interested in using the Wakeman's House.

 

 

NOTE TO EDITORS:  Who was the Wakeman?  The Wakeman in medieval Ripon was responsible for the enforcement of law and order, and in turn was answerable to the Archbishop of York.   For centuries the Wakeman's duty was to arrange for a horn to be blown four times in the Market Place each evening at 9.00pm to 'set the watch', and if robbery was committed after this time the Wakeman had to compensate the injured party.   A rate was levied to provide funds for this purpose, and in a law-abiding year the Wakeman no doubt made a profit.