Architect wins award for work on Vicar of Dibley church

22 hours ago

Matthew LockwoodBedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire

News image — St Mary the Virgin church, in Turville, is best known for being St Barnabus, in The Vicar of Dibley

BBC Actress Dawn French, who played Vicar Geraldine Granger in the BBC sitcom The Vicar of Dibley, stands outside St Mary the Virgin Church in Turville. She is holding a black leather bible and wearing a golden cross around her neck. — St Mary the Virgin church, in Turville, is best known for being St Barnabus, in The Vicar of Dibley

An architect who helped transform a Buckinghamshire church used in The Vicar of Dibley has won an award.

Libby Watts came up with a plan to restore St Mary the Virgin in Turville after an inspection several years ago showed areas of the Grade II listed building needed extensive repairs and upgrades.

The fabric of the structure dates back to the 12th Century with its exterior doubling as St Barnabas in the BBC sitcom.

Emily Jackson, church buildings officer at the Diocese of Oxford, said: "Massive congratulations to Libby. This project has helped to make sure that this building is in good condition and equipped to serve the community into the future."

The Vicar of Dibley ran for three series on the BBC from November 1994 to January 2007. It received multiple British Comedy Awards, an International Emmy and multiple British Academy Television Awards nominations.

Airing eight months after the first 32 British women were ordained as Church of England vicars, it was created and co-written by Richard Curtis, alongside Paul Mayhew-Archer.

Watts, director of Liberty Rose Architects, has done a lot of work on different churches, but said it "was nice" to be involved in transforming a famous church.

"Often when I talk about work, people just look at me blankly, but when you go 'The church in The Vicar of Dibley?', they say 'I know where you mean now.'"

In this shot from an episode titled Celebrity Vicar, Geraldine Grainger, Frank Pickle, Jim Trott, and David Horton are depicted as characters involved in a protest outside the church. Geraldine and David are smiling — A scene from series three of The Vicar of Dibley was filmed outside the church, which has now been restored

A lot of Watts' focus went into renovating the north porch of the church. Cement render was removed, and historic timber frame and brick infill panels beneath were carefully repaired.

"For something so small, it was quite a complicated repair," she said, adding that it was something she was particularly proud of.

"The church warden was a bit apprehensive about what I was talking about, but everyone has actually commented on how [the work] has made such a difference. It's about leaving a legacy and contributing to something much bigger than yourself."

Andy Sillett Libby Watts, who has long brown hair and is wearing a blue dress, stands up while holding her framed architecture prize, inside a church. An alter and stain glass windows can be seen in the background. — Libby Watts won Young Architect of the Year at the Church Architecture Awards

The transformation also involved repairs to the glass, plaster and roof. A new disabled toilet has been added, and lighting, electrics and heating have been brought up to today's standards.

Watt is delighted to have been recognised for her work at the Church Architecture Awards, but said it was a team effort: "It is a privilege to work on such incredible buildings with such amazing craftspeople and to have been recognised is brilliant. I look forward to continuing my work."

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