Do you live near a church with an hourly bell ring?

[weemouse]

Hi,
We are thinking about moving house and found a lovely property in a near by village. The house is around 300m from the church and I did hear the bell ring at around 4:00pm on a visit, so I'm assuming it's an hourly ring.

I've email the church contact to ask for a schedule of the bell ringing and wanted to ask for anyone's experience of living within hearing distance.

Did it annoy you at weekends, nights? Do you just get used to it and not really hear it through today's double glazing?

Any input appreciated, it's a lovely property and I don't want this to be a negative.
Thanks

We do and I love it. It goes every 15 mins but isn't obtrusive and doesn't disturb us at all. I work shifts and I love to hear it when I arrive home at weird times of the night - feels comforting.

My parents live over the road from a big church with a louder bell that I notice more but even then it doesn't disturb me or wake me at night. Their bell practice is amazing and when there's a wedding it feels like a huge celebration.

I associate the sound with my childhood and village life.

We live next to a church and dont hear it anymore. But then again we used to live near train tracks, the airport, a field of cows with bells...
you get used to everything.

The majority of villages have a church usually with a bell. I have always lived in villages and I can't say I've ever noticed it really. The only time it bothered me was when I worked near a church with a quarter jack. That really got on my nerves!

@ChristinaYang10

I used to live less than 100m from a church that rang hourly, including at night. You definitely get used to it. But visitors were always bothered by it waking them at night. They’d often ask how I managed to get any decent sleep.

Yeah, this - my friend lives right next to a church so I have been the visitor and found it really disruptive, essentially waking every hour all night long. Not good

I used to live about 30yds from an ancient church that sounded the hours. I loved it, I’d lie in bed all cosy and think of all the generations of people who had heard that sound, and feel small and insignificant and any worries I had were put into perspective.

Omg I'm feeling stressed out just reading these posts! Every fifteen minutes!

But seems like most people say it's fine so I guess I'm wrong.

Used to live next to a church. You get used to the sound and it didn’t disturb my sleep after the first few nights. Infact I miss it now. Bell ringing practice was loud at close quarters though!

I come from a Muslim country where we have prayers 5 times a day and every time I go there, it takes me about a week to not notice it anymore where I don't realise it's prayer time.

Now you mention it I'm pretty sure we had that in the town where I grew up. That probably tells you how unintrusive it was as I'd managed to pretty much erase it from my mind! If anything it's quite a fond memory.

There’s nothing at all ‘twattish’ about the OP wanting to know whether the church bells are 24 hour, and unless she’s going to lurk around after midnight, it’s the obvious way of finding out, surely?

I wasn’t bothered by the church bells in our village, OP, but there was a petition to stop them between midnight and 8 am before we arrived. The vicar and church wardens were outraged, but I think the PC got involved. Nighttime bell ringing practice could be maddening when trying to get a toddler to sleep, but was only once a week.

I absolutely love living within the sound of church bells, although they haven't played since March last year

I can only hear the hourly chime in the middle of the night, but Monday evenings used to be bell ringing practice- I can't wait for that to start up again.

My children's primary school was next to a senior school chapel and the bell would ring every morning just as I dropped my children off, that was lovely too. Maybe I just really like church bells. I would have thoughts it would increase a properties attentiveness.

I live near a church that rings the hour and also quarter hours. In non-Covid times there is also bell ringing. You can't really hear it through the double glazing, and when I do hear it it's not intrusive. It's a nice sound, like bird song, or the sound of the local playground.

Ovine I'm not planning on midnight lurking just yet hopefully they will reply within a day or so. Thanks for seeing my POV

Again, so many positive responses, thank you all for sharing your experiences.

I used to live 100m from a church in my early 20s when I used to party until 2am .... that bell practice really hurts if you have had a few wines 🤣🤣🤣 on Sunday am!
No sleeping in on a Sunday morning x

I agree with others, you get used to it and then miss it when you move

Bell practice is lovely. I lived near a cathedral so the practice was high quality.

Please don't be one of those.people who campaign to stop it.

I've subconsciously drowned out the sound of church bells near me

ChameleonClara Definately not planning to campaign to stop any bells. It's my choice whether to live there or not, so I would take it as it is, or find somewhere else.

I would love to live close to York Minster, just to hear Great Peter ringing every day.

Please don't be one of those.people who campaign to stop it.

Do you understand that not everyone likes the noise and find it unnecessary (especially ones going every 15 minutes, bloody hell what is the need!!).

@TwilightSkies some people don't like bells, some don't like birdsong. Soulless people everywhere! (Half joking)

I find it annoying at night. It is completely unnecessary nowadays, I doubt anyone within earshot doesn't have access to a watch/clock/phone if they wanted to know the time. There's enough noise pollution as it is, without churches' imposing more of it.

@Tangledtresses

They've stopped doing the bells on the weekends and I really miss it

I think they have stopped bellringing because it involves a group of people meeting in an enclosed space. Also the bells call people to church services and they are mostly on line during lock down. No ringing for weddings either.

I'm sure people who have moved to places with an active ringing band might be a bit surprised when ringing is allowed again. It is usual for ringing bands to ring on Sundays, one evening week for practice, and for weddings etc..

I grew up next to a church where the the clock chimed the quarters and struck the hour day and night. We really never noticed it. You get used to the normal sounds around you.

I don't understand why people who don't like bells move to houses where you can hear bells and then moan about it.

It was fine and I could sleep though it except on Sunday mornings.

some people don't like bells, some don't like birdsong.

Birdsong is natural though and can’t be controlled. Ringing a clunky bell at 15 intervals all day every day....not so much?