Hornblower job advert creates a big noise for ancient city of Ripon

A job advertisement for the post of a new Ripon hornblower has attracted worldwide attention and helped to put it on the map, according to the city council.
Ripon City Hornblower Wayne Cobbett blows a horn, a centuries-old ceremonial role that started in AD886, as Ripon advertises to recruit a new member of the Hornblowing Team. Picture: Danny Lawson/PA WireRipon City Hornblower Wayne Cobbett blows a horn, a centuries-old ceremonial role that started in AD886, as Ripon advertises to recruit a new member of the Hornblowing Team. Picture: Danny Lawson/PA Wire
Ripon City Hornblower Wayne Cobbett blows a horn, a centuries-old ceremonial role that started in AD886, as Ripon advertises to recruit a new member of the Hornblowing Team. Picture: Danny Lawson/PA Wire

An ideal candidate for the role is being sought by the authority, to help maintain a tradition that dates back more than 1,000 years.

The hornblower is required to blast their horn four times and then “provide a brief history of the horn blowing ceremony for the public in attendance”.

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It requires up to three hours work a week and will pay £8.72 an hour.

Yesterday marked the deadline for applications, and the clerk of the city council, Paula Benson, will now have the task of sorting through them.

She said: “We have received a number of applications and we are pleased with the response, both in terms of quantity and quality. The interview process will now begin and interviews will be held in the next two weeks.

“We have been really overwhelmed by the interest in the role from people all over the world.

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“We hope it will encourage people to want to learn about our history and traditions and visit Ripon. We hope we can turn this into something very positive for the city. Since 886AD a horn has been sounded four times in Ripon market place every night at 9pm to “sound the watch”.

The tradition is said to have begun when Alfred the Great visited the city and presented it with a horn as a symbol of it being granted a Royal Charter.

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