Ripon: Delays to nightly hornblowing event spark apology

Cyril Hawley was captured on camera in the 1960s in action as Ripon's official hornblower

Recent delays to a daily 1,000-year-old tradition in a North Yorkshire city which involves the blowing of a horn have prompted a council apology.

Ripon's hornblower "sets the watch" by blowing the horn in the city's Market Square at 21:00 BST each night.

However, the city council said it was aware of recent "issues around the timing of the setting of the watch".

It said it was working to ensure the "much-celebrated" ceremony was correctly maintained.

In a statement on its Facebook page, the city council said it considered itself the custodian of the ancient tradition and took the responsibility "very seriously".

"The council recently became aware of issues around the timing of the setting of the watch in recent weeks.

"We will continue to do everything within our power to ensure our employees continue to maintain the tradition in line with both the high standards previously achieved and the expectations of everyone who knows and loves our much celebrated ceremony."

Ripon City Council added its apologies to anyone who had been disappointed when the watch had been set late.

It added the tradition "remains unbroken" although it was "undertaken later than at the normal time of 21:00 on two separate occasions recently".

The "setting the watch" event is due to take place in Ripon's Market Square each night at 21:00

The "setting the watch" tradition is said to date back to 886 AD, when Saxon king Alfred the Great presented Ripon with a horn after granting the city a Royal Charter.

The horn is blown at each of the four corners of the obelisk in the Market Square and then three times outside the mayor's house every night.

It commemorates the time in the Middle Ages when Ripon's first citizen, the Wakeman, was responsible for crime prevention in the city from 21:00 until dawn and had to compensate victims of burglary.

The event regularly attracts a large crowd of spectators and is popular with tourists.

The job was carried out by a single person until 2015 when the council decided to appoint several hornblowers to share the duties.

During the pandemic, the team continued to blow the horn, but from their own gardens.

The role carries a small payment for evening duties and for attending civic events in the city.