A DARING craftsman abseiled from a 100ft church tower yesterday to paint the three faces of its clock.

Terry Hill's efforts began the finishing touches to a £40,000 project to renovate the tower and clock at St Mary's Parish Church, Barnard Castle.

Smiths, a company from Derby, repaired the mechanism and reinstalled it in the tower, which will soon be the first in Durham diocese to be open to the public.

New staircases and a viewing balcony have been built into the tower so that visitors can view the mechanism and bells.

The church dates from the 12th Century. The tower was built in 1874 and the clock was added a year later.

A sound containment system has been installed in the belfry to limit the decibels when the bells are rung.

The tower will be opened on July 4, when the public will be admitted from 2pm to 4pm, followed by a lecture about the clock by Geoff Sykes of the Antiquarian Horological Society.

The ceremony will coincide with this year's festival organised by the Friends of St Mary's.