A historic church tower in the Yorkshire Dales has become the centre of a heated dispute after being rendered bright white.
Residents of Askrigg in Wensleydale have branded Grade I-listed St Oswald's Church an "eyesore" after Reverend Dave Clark had its 15th-century tower covered in limewash render.
The transformation was revealed this week when scaffolding and plastic sheeting were removed.
Photographs show the tower now stands in stark contrast to the remaining grey stonework of the church.
Residents of Askrigg in Wensleydale have branded Grade I-listed St Oswald's Church an 'eyesore' after its limewashed tower emerged from scaffolding
The village, which served as the setting for Darrowby in the BBC's All Creatures Great and Small, has been left divided by the controversial renovation.
Emma Brooke, a 63-year-old local businesswoman, launched a "stop the rendering" petition, which garnered 438 signatures in a village with just 500 residents.
She called the situation a "disgrace", adding: "From the hills that surround the village it can be seen for miles and looks so out of place, particularly when the rest of the church has been left in its original state."
Paul Halton, 73, said the vicar had "disfigured the church" and "changed the face of the village".
Rachel Tysoe, who lives two miles away in Thornton Rust, said she can still see the tower.
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The village, which served as the setting for Darrowby in BBC's All Creatures Great and Small, has been left divided by the controversial renovation
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"You could never see the house before but now there's no missing it," she added.
Reverend Clark defended the renovation, insisting the render "is a honey hue made from local stone" rather than white.
He told The Telegraph that limewashing is reversible, adding: "So if 50 years down the line there's a new technology that can fulfil the same function, it can be changed."
The vicar explained the rendering was necessary to prevent water from leaking through the brickwork.
"With my hand on my heart, I can say it is not white - and when you look at it properly, you can see that," he stated.
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He also acknowledged the controversy, saying: "In a few months, I'm hoping people will get used to the new rendering and that it will weather and fade down."
Reverend Clark noted the church had been standing for 600 years before Victorians removed it in the 1850s.
"There would be greater distress if the tower had fallen down or if the bells came loose and fell through the floor," he warned.
Despite the backlash, some residents have expressed support for the limewash on social media.
One supporter wrote: "I rather like it. A bit of a beacon - can see it from miles away around the Dale. It's almost ethereal which is apt for the church tower."
Another commented: "It needs to be done to help preserve it, as terrible as it looks it's better it being that colour than it becoming unusable and possibly degrading over time."
