THE Vicar of Upper Wensleydale, in North Yorkshire, the Revd David Clark, has expressed disappointment on the “upsetting” response of villagers in Askrigg to the brand new rendering of the clock tower of St Oswald’s.
One described the work, unveiled last week, as “quite horrendous”.
The Grade I listed church featured within the TV series All Creatures Great and Small, where it’s portrayed because the parish church of the fictional village of Darrowby. Its orientation in Upper Wensleydale exposes it to driving rain, which had penetrated the bell-chamber. Investigations suggested that lime pointing alone wouldn’t solve the issue.
Planning permission to render and limewash the tower against further weathering was granted in 2019 by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA). A white test-patch applied in October 2022 led to protests from villagers and a web based petition that gathered greater than 400 signatures. The proposal was deemed “an absolute eyesore”, completely out of keeping with the remainder of the village, and likened to “placing a lighthouse in the midst of the Dales” (News, 4 November 2022).
Mr Clark suggested on the time that campaigners’ fears were misplaced, as the present patches didn’t represent the potential color, but purely the feel of the finish. He warned of great consequences of doing nothing to stop the damp.
Masons began the work last summer (News, 7 June 2024), reactivating campaigners’ protests. The diocese of Leeds said on the time: “The limewash is not going to be white but reasonably a soft honey color, in line with the newly cleaned masonry of the constructing.”
Roger Templeman/Creative CommonsThe tower of St Oswald’s was still covered last month
Since then, the tower has been wrapped in scaffolding and protective sheeting, which was removed last week, prompting a renewed outcry. One villager, Emma Brooke, 63, told media this week: “It’s a disgrace that this was ever allowed to occur, and I’m afraid the vicar has to shoulder lots of the responsibility. The last words to return from his mouth at a public meeting on the rendering of the tower was: ‘It is not going to be white.’ Well, I’m sorry, nevertheless it’s white. It is entirely out of keeping with the gorgeous landscape of the national park, and it’s every bit the eyesore that all of us feared it might be.”
Another resident, Phillip Halton, said: “Now the wrapping and scaffolding is down we will see it properly and all our original fears have been confirmed. . . It has disfigured the church, modified the face of the village, and it is sort of horrendous.”
Others have taken to social media. One user described the change as “an abomination” that may very well be seen for miles.
Mr Clark, maintaining that the rendering was not white, said: “To hear and to read ‘Dave Clark is a liar’ is disappointing, and it is definitely upsetting. Some of the things written online about me have been very personal, and that’s difficult. However, I actually have broad shoulders and I accept that folks feel strongly about this issue, and that, because the vicar, I’m the point of interest for that.
“We should not diminishing anyone’s distress over this, but I feel there would have been greater distress if the tower had fallen down or if the bells got here loose and fell through the ground. I’m sorry if people felt they were ignored of the loop, but someone needed to make a choice, and it definitely was not made in isolation.
“This has been a process that has gone on for ten years, and has taken on board the recommendation and guidance of experts from world wide.”
