Ripon Poetry Festival. The Wooden Bell of Ripon In his book, Yorkshire Oddities, the author Sabine Baring-Gould relates a tale when the chapel was not used for worship, with the residents of the almshouses having to go to the cathedral for prayers. The dean, who was fond of port, sold the bell as he was short of funds. The parishioners demanded he returned the bell, which with much anger, he did. It was later found to be a bell made of wood and painted with gun-metal; the original bell had gone to the foundry and the scrap sold to fund the drinking habits of the dean. The chapel still retains a wooden bell. Notes References Sources External links Local webpage Church Heritage Record 846003 Anglican Diocese of Leeds Church of England church buildings in North Yorkshire Grade I listed churches in North Yorkshire Churches in North Yorkshire