Sir Thomas Ingilby - Castle Life in the 21st Century. November 2014 meeting
As our November meeting was held on Armistice Day the format was changed to allow us to observe a 2
minute silence at 11am.
Sir Thomas has owned and managed the Ripley Castle Estate, between Ripon and Harrogate, since 1974.
He told us that running an estate like Ripley provides daily challenges which have to be faced with fortitude
and a sense of humour. He certainly displayed both in his talk.
When he inherited the Estate he realised that to maintain and restore it he would need to apply for grant aid.
To qualify for this he would need to open the Castle to the public on at least 28 days a year and so the Castle
went from being a private home to a stately home.
During the 1980s large estates needed to diversify to keep afloat. Sir Thomas was approached by a company
who wanted to host a dinner in grand surroundings and this led to private functions, dinners, charity balls etc
being introduced.
In 2000, Ripley Castle obtained a licence to hold wedding ceremonies, not just receptions. and this is a large
part of Castle Life today.
Sir Thomas told many amusing stories of the people he had met and the functions he had hosted or attended
over the years and I must say I cannot imagine a more genial host.
Sir Thomas asked that we made a donation to Myeloma UK in lieu of a fee.