01/09/2026
CURIOUS RIPON 🏥 | Ripon’s medieval l***r chapel
You may have passed this little chapel on Magdalens Road without realising just how old it is.
The Hospital of St Mary Magdalene was founded by Archbishop Thurstan in the 12th century. Its sisters and priest cared for people affected by leprosy, supported blind priests born in Ripon and gave alms to the poor.
By the mid-1300s, there were apparently no longer enough leprosy patients to need a separate house, and that building was demolished - but remarkably, the chapel survived.
Historic England describes it as the only complete part of any of Ripon’s medieval hospitals to survive from the time of its foundation. Today it is Grade I listed.
Copyright: © Ian Kendall 2022, Creator: Ian Kendall