16/07/2026
Our beautiful Askrigg. A perfect walk from Ingleby Lodge and the refresh in the village with 3 pubs, and brewery and a delicious deli, not forgetting the village shop for all those essentials. Xx
James Herriot, lions, race-horses, clockmakers, a controversial tower & an imprisoned queen: Askrigg has a rich history and plenty of modern day reasons to visit. It's certainly easy to spot Askrigg from a distance now - just look for the strikingly white church tower of St. Oswalds. The Parish Church of St. Oswalds dates from 1446. Pevsner declaimed the nave ceiling to be the "finest in the North Riding". The font is thought to date from before the 15th century.
The tower has suffered from a damp problem for many years, with algae on the walls. Many solutions were suggested, before deciding to use the same materials and method as used in the 18th century: a render of limewash, goat hair and other materials. When first painted, any photos of the tower looked like bad AI images but I think it's already settling into itself and should fade to a more subtle pale honey colour. I like the sign outside the church - it points to the shop across the road saying 'bread' and to the church saying 'daily bread'!
Askrigg is a small village set on a hill, lined with fine tall houses curving up the hill, a tiny cobbled market area and cross. Pause for a while to enjoy delicious cakes at The Bake-Well, Market Place or browse in Heather & Grouse across the road.
You might find that Askrigg already looks familiar: probably thanks to its fame as a key location for the BBC's James Herriot's All Creatures Great and Small, using one of the houses as Skeldale House and the King's Arms as the Drovers'. You can see photos from the filming in the pub. The King's Arms was built as a coaching inn by John Pratt, a renowned racehorse breeder who kept his hunters and hounds in the yard behind the pub. The buildings behind the pub now belong to a holiday company, but you can still walk through and see the semi-circular enclosure.
'Askrigg' is thought to mean the 'ridge where ash trees grow', and is mentioned as 'Ascric' in the Domesday book. It's believed that Cistercian monks from Jervaulx Abbey grazed their sheep here. Elizabeth 1st granted a market charter in 1587. The fine houses either side of the road mainly date back to the 18th and 19th century when Askrigg was part of the then lucrative textile industry. The market cross dates back to 1830. Askrigg was also celebrated as a centre for clock-making, starting with John Ogden in 1680, and continuing through the centuries. Other well-known clockmakers were Mark Metcalfe, James Pratt and Christopher Caygill. You can see some examples of Askrigg clocks in the Dales Countryside Museum in Hawes.
Over 60 years ago Marie Hartley and Joan Ingilby told the history of Askrigg in their celebrated book, 'Yorkshire Village'.
Look out for the market cross, pump and iron bull ring set into the cobbles. And I'm still looking for the full story of the lions (look up on the right hand side of the village towards the top)...
