Historic England has awarded a grant of £343,000 towards the restoration of a series of garden buildings in the grounds of North Yorkshire visitor attraction Ripley Castle, near Harrogate.
- £343,000 grant will be used to repair a Grade II* listed Orangery and adjoining buildings in the grounds of Ripley Castle in North Yorkshire
- The repairs will help to remove the buildings from the Heritage at Risk Register
- Restored buildings will be used for educational and leisure activities
- The repair project will support COVID-19 recovery in the heritage sector through jobs for specialist craftsmen and contractors
The grant will fund repairs to the Orangery, Fire Engine House and adjoining pavilions and bothies (potting sheds) within the pleasure grounds of the 15th century country house.
This group of garden buildings are thought to have been designed around 1785 by York-born architect William Belwood for Sir John Ingilby. In 1817-18, a glass roof was added to the orangery to convert it into a palm house. Designed to grow tropical plants, palm houses were a popular status symbol in the 19th century.
Listed at Grade II*, the Orangery, Fire Engine House, pavilions and bothies collectively are amongst the top 10% most important historic buildings in the country. Owing to their poor current condition, they are on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register but the repair project will represent a significant step in ensuring their survival for future generations.
Once the restoration has been completed, the buildings will be used for educational visits and to facilitate outdoor events such as open air theatre.
The project will aid the COVID-19 recovery in the heritage sector, as the work will be carried out by specialist contractors and craftspeople.
Giles Proctor from Historic England said:
These handsome historic garden buildings form the centrepiece of Ripley Castle’s beautiful grounds.
Their restoration will improve the experience of the tens of thousands of people who visit every year, as well as provide educational and leisure opportunities.
Sir Thomas Ingilby, owner of Ripley Castle, said:
The restoration of these buildings will be a big step forward in the ambitious programme to restore the walled gardens at Ripley Castle to their former glory. We are enormously grateful to Historic England for their help and support for this project, which will, when completed, help a lot of people to overcome the financial and mental trauma of the Covid-19 pandemic.
