VILLAGERS in Askrigg, in the Yorkshire Dales, have been assured that the limewash rendering of the clock tower of St Oswald’s will be honey-coloured, not the white “eyesore” that campaigners against the work say that it will be.
The Grade I listed church has featured in the TV series All Creatures Great and Small, where it is portrayed as the parish church of the fictional village of Darrowby.
‘It’s good to get the whole community involved’
Its orientation in Upper Wensleydale exposes it to driving rain, which has penetrated into the bell-chamber. Lime pointing alone will not solve the problem: English Heritage tests on damp towers over the past 20 years have shown that water penetration continues after two days of continuous rain.
The need arose ten years ago, and the project has been active for five. A public consultation in September 2019 brought no objections, and the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA) gave planning permission to render and limewash the tower against further weathering: a process that repels water, but enables the building to breathe.
It concluded: “The evidence from the church, from the limited records available, from other historic records and, indirectly, from the results of the English Heritage research, all support the proposal as being a sensible, practical and historically justifiable method of seeking to reduce the effects of weathering on the tower at Saint Oswald’s.
“The church and tower have provided a focus in the Dales for hundreds of years. . . It is hoped that the continued and current increased focus on the building, to repair and improve the fabric, will help to maintain the communal value for many years to come.
“The render will quickly weather down to a varied tone and colour to blend with the existing stonework. . . The proposal will seek to cause the minimum change in appearance, consistent with the use of lime materials.”
A white test-patch applied in October 2022 led to protests from villagers, and an online petition that gathered more than 350 signatures. The proposal was deemed “an absolute eyesore”, completely out of keeping with the rest of the village, and likened to “placing a lighthouse in the middle of the Dales” (News, 4 November 2022).
The Vicar of Upper Wensleydale, the Revd David Clark, suggested at the time that campaigners’ fears were misplaced, as the current patches did not represent the potential colour, but purely the texture of the finish. He warned of serious consequences of doing nothing to stop the damp.
Masons have now begun the work, which has reactivated campaigners’ protests. A statement from the diocese of Leeds on Monday reiterated, “Information regarding the historic development of this specific church was taken into account, specifically the physical and documentary evidence suggesting that the tower would have been rendered prior to the 19th century.
“The limewash will not be white but rather a soft honey colour, in keeping with the newly cleaned masonry of the building.”
Mr Clark told Church Times on Tuesday: “Our intention has always been to keep the village involved with the progress of ideas.
“To this end, we have given progress updates in the local paper and newsletters, on social media, and at annual meetings and public meetings. The latest was in May, to hear and ask questions of our team of professional advisers, architect, diocese, National Park, Historic England, and co-author of the damp-towers report.
“We have repeated many times that it will not be finished in white, although the whole building used to be. I asked members of the parish council to meet with me after the last public meeting to discuss the final colour choice.
“We were strongly advised against grey, as this could look like the building has been covered in cement; we’ve chosen a honey-type hue in the hope that this will complement the original colour of the stone that would be cleaned and visible around the windows.
“We understand that this is an emotional issue, and I did my best to communicate this in our last meeting. Change is always a challenge — we’ve grown accustomed to the tower looking as it does for the last 170 years, but for the previous 430 years it didn’t, and was rendered. . . Our forefathers knew what they were doing.
“We continue to receive support from locals who understand that something significant must be done to save and preserve the tower, and who, after hearing the story, are understanding why this particular intervention is being recommended as the best solution.
“It is our dearest wish that we can ‘own’ this project as a community, and work on keeping this historic landmark in a condition that will survive for another 600 years. The situation in the tower and the main building has become very difficult and unhealthy, and is affecting our worship and our ministry.
“We continue to be enormously grateful to everyone who has helped us get to this stage and for their financial support. ‘To God be the glory.’”