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Ripon Cathedral
Attractions in Ripon

Ripon to see, Ripon Cathedral first

Among the places to visit in and near Ripon are 3 museums, 3 historic houses and 2 historic sites. The built-up area itself has 5 places on our list; 10 others are within 5 km of its edge. Heritage bodies look after 5 of them: 4 by the National Trust and 1 by English Heritage. On foot, 5 are within 1 km of the centre. Go 35 km out for York Minster.

Photo: Ripon Cathedral, Diliff (CC BY-SA 3.0)
In Ripon
5
inside the built-up area
Within 5 km
10
of the town’s edge
Museums & galleries
3
in or near town
Castles & historic places
8
in or near town
Cared for
5
National Trust, English Heritage, Cadw and others
Best known

First stops in Ripon

Along with Ripon Cathedral, see 3 museums, an attraction and an abbey or priory.

CathedralRipon Cathedralin townMuseumRipon Prison and Police Museumin townMuseumThe Courthouse Museumin townMuseumWorkhouse Museumin townAttractionAttractionRipon Heritage Centrein townAbbey or priory · English HeritageFountains Abbey3.1 km outside town, to the southwest

Each has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.

The map

Where to go

The map puts most of the 10 to the southwest.

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The dashed line is Ripon’s built-up area; orange marks its middle (where most people live). Numbers match the list below. © OpenStreetMap contributors · ONS built-up area 2022

By kind

The list by type

8 are castles or historic places; museums or galleries come next with 3.

Museums & galleries 3 museums3 in town
Castles & historic places 3 historic houses · 2 historic sites · 1 cathedral · 1 abbey or priory · 1 castle1 in town · 7 nearby
Gardens & estates 1 garden · 1 park or estate0 in town · 2 nearby
Zoos, theme parks & days out 1 theme park0 in town · 1 nearby
Other attractions 1 attraction1 in town

Green: inside Ripon. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.

5 places are cared for: 4 by the National Trust and 1 by English Heritage (Fountains Abbey, Studley Royal Park, Fountains Hall and The Chorister's House, and 1 more).

Every place

The whole list for Ripon

15 places in all: 5 in town and 10 within 5 km of its edge.

Fountains Hall

Historic house · 3.4 km outside town, to the southwest

Grade I listed historic house museum in Lindrick with Studley Royal and Fountains, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, UK.

Run by National Trust
About Fountains Hall →

The 5 inside Ripon come first, best known first; then the places within 5 km, close and well known first. Churches and listed buildings are on the History page, not here.

276 listed buildings and 3 scheduled monuments are on Ripon’s History page → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Ripon →

Big names nearby

Further afield

Most famous of the 12 is York Minster, 35 km from the centre.

ChurchYork Minster35 km southeastMuseumBig drawMuseumNational Railway Museum34 km southeast · 808K visitors a yearCastle · English HeritageClifford's Tower35 km southeastHistoric houseHarewood House26 km southHistoric houseRipley Castle11 km southCastleCastle · English HeritageMiddleham Castle25 km northwestMuseumYorkshire Museum35 km southeast · 164K visitors a year (2019)CastleKnaresborough Castle15 km southCastle · English HeritageSpofforth Castle21 km southAbbey or priory · English HeritageRievaulx Abbey Museum30 km northeastMuseumYork Castle Museum36 km southeast · 284K visitors a year (2013)CastleBolton Castle35 km northwest

Places well known beyond Ripon (Wikipedia articles in several languages, published visitor counts, or a National Trust, English Heritage or Cadw property), close and famous first. Distances are straight lines from the middle of the town.

Seeing Ripon: your questions

What are the main attractions in Ripon?

The best known inside Ripon’s built-up area are Ripon Cathedral, Ripon Prison and Police Museum, The Courthouse Museum and Workhouse Museum. In all, 5 places to visit are mapped inside the town, and 10 more within 5 km.

Does Ripon have a museum?

3 museums and galleries are in or within 5 km of Ripon: Ripon Prison and Police Museum, The Courthouse Museum and Workhouse Museum.

Is there a National Trust or English Heritage property near Ripon?

Yes. In or within 5 km of Ripon, 5 places are cared for: 4 by the National Trust and 1 by English Heritage (Fountains Abbey, Studley Royal Park, Fountains Hall and The Chorister's House).

What are the best-known days out near Ripon?

Within 40 km: York Minster (35 km), National Railway Museum (34 km), Clifford's Tower (35 km), Harewood House (26 km).

Where are Ripon’s historic buildings listed?

Ripon has 276 listed buildings, 3 of them Grade I. They are on its History page, from Historic England’s list, not repeated here.

How is this list made?

From OpenStreetMap (museums, galleries, zoos, theme parks and attractions, castles, forts and abbeys, and historic houses and gardens that are open to visitors) and Wikidata (what each place is, who runs it, its website and visitor counts). A place counts for Ripon when it is inside the ONS 2022 built-up area, and as nearby within 5 km of its edge. Opening times and prices are not shown: check the official site.

Places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database Licence) and Wikidata (CC0), placed in the ONS 2022 built-up area (Open Government Licence v3.0). Visitor counts are the latest Wikidata gives, with their year.

Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).

Photo credits (21)

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.