Tree artist carves out town mystery

Two mysterious carvings have appeared on trees in Knaresborough and the intricate etchings are causing quite a stir among bemused residents.

Now, Knaresborough Civic Society wants to thank the elusive artist for creating another tourist attraction in the area and members are appealing to the anonymous craftsman to reveal their identity.

The eye-catching carvings of a kingfisher and a dragon have been etched on trees in Abbey Road, which is home St Robert’s Cave and the Chapel of Our Lady of the Crag.

They are believed to have appeared around two months ago, however no-one has spotted the artist leaving their creative imprint on the tree trunks.

Althea Farmer, chairman of the Knaresborough Civic Society, said the whole town had been talking about the strange appearance of the carvings.

She said: “One of our members was walking down there and saw two carvings. They said one in particular – a diving kingfisher with a fish in its mouth – was absolutely marvellous. They were blown away by it. It must have taken a while to do them.

“No one has come forward and revealed who it was and it’s quite a mystery. It’s good publicity for the town as it is like having North Yorkshire’s answer to Banksy and it could be another tourist attraction.”

The civic society is currently trying to track down the artist and is urging them to get in touch in an attempt to solve the Knaresborough mystery.

Mrs Farmer, a former Lord Mayor of the market town, said: “We are very interested in finding out who it is but we quite like the fact that nobody knows as it gives it a mystery like the Banksy drawings. However, they are very talented so we would like them to come forward.”

Anyone with information on the carvings can contact Mrs Farmer on 01423 861435.