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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Church Bells?

104 replies

Hoplikeabunny · 22/05/2015 11:59

I have recently moved house, and my new house is one road along from the village church. I have lived this close to churches before, and have never experienced this, but the church I live near to now seem to ring the church bells at odd times of the night?! Every Tuesday and Thursday they ring the bells constantly from 8pm-10pm (it seems like wedding bells practice or something?), which is a bit annoying, and later than I think is acceptable really, but ultimately not the end of the world, although they have woken my DS up a few times. However, they also ring them really late, and in the early hours of the morning. For example, last night at 11pm they rang (rung...not sure which word is correct here!) them 11 times at 11pm. Then on Monday they rang them at midnight 12 times. I have also sleepily heard them in the small hours of the morning a couple of times.

I don't particularly mind, it's not the worst noise in the world, but it just seems odd, and is a bit annoying?! Also, for some reason church bells at midnight feels a bit creepy, I don't even know why! It is a bit frustrating as my 2yo doesn't sleep that well, and it has woken him up before, but i guess this is my issue.

Am I being unreasonable to find this a bit odd, or is it standard practice in village churches? Maybe i'm just not accustomed to village life yet!

I appreciate that in the grand scheme of things, this is a non-issue!

OP posts:
MissBattleaxe · 22/05/2015 12:01

I love the sound of church bells, but that does sound a little late at night. 11pm and midnight sounds like an odd time to have bell practice, although 8pm sounds reasonable enough.

SilentCharisma · 22/05/2015 12:01

It could be ringing practice at odd times - our village church does it whenever everyone is free.

I'm sorry but it's the classic response... you buy a house near a church, it comes with bell noise!

Our church is intermittent too - sometimes ringing sometimes not, morning and the evenings!

chockbic · 22/05/2015 12:02

It's the dongs of the time. So eleven dongs for eleven o clock.

Original poster
Hoplikeabunny · 22/05/2015 12:06

Well yes, I obviously knew that buying a house near a church would mean bell noise, just not in the early hours of the morning! I've lived near churches before and never experienced this! I also live opposite a football field, so I was aware that I would encounter noise from that occasionally, but I wouldn't have bargained on football cheers at 2am! It's not the bells that bother me, it's just the time.

I know that it's the dongs of time- but past 9pm this seems odd to me.

OP posts:
UniS · 22/05/2015 12:07

ERM... 11 bells at 11 o'clock, 12 at midnight.... Its a chiming clock. That's what they do and when they do it.
The chime mechanism can be tied off, it has to be to allow "real" ringing. Chimes are quieter than real ringing so maybe you don't notice all the chimed hours. Sometimes people forget to reset the chime mechanism after they have done some ringing so your clock may not chime all days.
Regular Practise hours will be set and most churches allow 1 or 2 additional sessions a week over that for visiting ringers / weddings/ competition use.
That tower of bells has been there a lot longer than you. You moved, not the bells.

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 22/05/2015 12:08

I wonder if the 11pm and midnight ringings were some specific remembrance - maybe some local tragedy, or something to do with WW1 and the anniversaries that are happening at the moment.

The regular ringing will be bellringing practice - but the ringers may not be attached to your church - some bellringing groups don't have their 'own' church, but make an arrangement with a local church to use their bells for practice - and then travel to wherever they are needed/wanted, to ring for services or events.

I would imagine that your ds will quickly learn to tune out the sound of the bells - they will become part of your and his sound environment, and you won't notice them as much. On a much smaller scale, my parents had a grandfather clock, that chimed every hour - and sometimes I would become aware that I hadn't heard it ring for hours - it had rung, of course, but I had tuned it out - and I quickly learned to sleep through it chiming at night.

My FIL is a keen bellringer (and sadly a bit of a bore on his few topics of conversation) so when he spent 9 days with us last year, every bloody time we passed a bell tower, or anything resembling a bell tower, we had to have the bellringing monologue - 'Does that tower have louvres, I wonder if it has a ring of bells.....' - every time.

Stealthsquiggle · 22/05/2015 12:11

Two separate things - bell ringing practice is a little late but that's probably the only time everyone can make and certainly not worth making yourself unpopular by objecting to it.

Striking the time is a lovely comforting noise, and I bet within weeks you and DS won't even notice it any more.

On a separate note, count yourself lucky that your church has real bells. Ours has installed a CD and speakers and the lack of quality is annoying.

Original poster
Hoplikeabunny · 22/05/2015 12:19

Haha, okay, it seems I am being unreasonable then!

It just seemed odd to me, as I really hadn't bargained on it being an all night thing. It hasn't been previously when i've lived near churches, but I guess they are all different.

I had figured out the time connection, it just seems a bit unnecessary to me at that time of night, I assumed it would be a daytime thing. Hopefully we'll get used to it soon!

Oh goodness no I wasn't thinking of complaining! It's a lovely friendly village and I love it here, I was just confused about the bells! I genuinely had no idea they would ring so much!

Stealth- CD and speakers sounds a bit rubbish- I think i'll take my real bells over that!

OP posts:
AnnPerkins · 22/05/2015 12:21

We used to live fairly near a church that rang its bells throughout the night. If I was already awake I would hear them in the early hours but they didn't wake me. I wouldn't have moved any closer though, they would have driven me mad.

I did think it was common knowledge that many churches ring their bells at night though?

Our church had bell ringing practice every Monday evening until 10pm. I quite liked hearing it. And it's better than them ringing the bells without any practice Grin

My parents have a grandfather clock which rings Westminster chimes throughout the bloody house on every quarter hour, all night long. We're not planning to stay over again Hmm

Original poster
Hoplikeabunny · 22/05/2015 12:26

I did think it was common knowledge that many churches ring their bells at night though?

More than likely...but me and common knowledge don't go very well together!

Haha, yes I am sure they sound better with practice than without, perhaps i'll just be grateful for that!

OP posts:
Becca19962014 · 22/05/2015 12:28

I lived near a church that had bell ringing practice every Thursday from 8pm-10pm as well as the hours through the day and night, like you I was surprised as the church in the village I'd lived in before hadn't done that, but you really do get to a point where you don't hear them.

The worst was when I stayed in a hotel next to a church which not only rang the hours (not a problem for me) but also every quarter!! Confused On the bright side I felt so much better when I returned home and it was only hourly Wink

YDdraigGoch · 22/05/2015 12:28

If you really want an explanation, I would contact the church and ask. Emphasise that you're not complaining (if you're not), but you're a newcomer to the area, and would love to know the significance of the bells that are rung at various times of the day and night. They'd be delighted to give you the information and try to recruit you to their bellringing team

TheWildRumpyPumpus · 22/05/2015 12:32

Our village church bell goes off every hour, all day and night. We live about 40m away maybe.

I like hearing it, it doesn't wake me up if I'm already asleep, but I do notice it if I'm up with the kids.

WhetherOrNot · 22/05/2015 12:32

I love it - absolutely LOVE it !! [sceptical]

Ringing 11 times at 11 pm - oh ha ha ha ha Grin

Original poster
Hoplikeabunny · 22/05/2015 12:33

try to recruit you to their bellringing team - For this reason, I daren't ask for an explanation! I'm a total pushover, and i'll have signed myself up to the bellringing team before I knew what I was doing!

Becca- Wow, every quarter is a bit excessive! I am very glad my bells don't do that!

OP posts:
NotOneIota · 22/05/2015 12:34

I live in a town,a couple of streets away from the town clock. It strikes on the hour,and every quarter hour all through the day and night. I got used to it,but your church bells seem random OP!

PotteringAlong · 22/05/2015 12:36

Our church chimes at night too. I don't hear it now.

NerrSnerr · 22/05/2015 12:37

I grew up by a church that goes off every 15 minutes. The little tune gets slightly longer each time and then has the bongs every hour. You'll get used to it.

Igneococcus · 22/05/2015 12:39

I grew up right next to a Catholic church (not in the UK) and they rang (and still do) all through the night, not only the hour but also, quarter, half and three quarter hours. They also ring at 6 am and 6 pm to remind you to say a specfific prayer (can't remember what it is called) and they ring a few times before every church service, at 3pm on Fridays to mark the hour Jesus died and they ring to announce when someone in the parish has died. There are probably other occassions too.
I love the bells but it annoys dp massively when we are visiting my mother.

PandaNot · 22/05/2015 12:40

I spent four years living practically next door to a cathedral where the bells chimed every quarter as well as practise twice a week. You get used to it and even now when we're in town I don't even notice it like the dc do.

Becca19962014 · 22/05/2015 12:40

hop excessive is one word but wasn't the one I was using Grin when I checked out the hotel comments book was full of comments about The Bells. I was glad I only stayed a week!!

MrsHathaway · 22/05/2015 12:46

We hear our church bells all night ... but only when the wind is in the right direction.

Villages are great. And like living near a railway line you stop hearing the bells.

coolaschmoola · 22/05/2015 12:47

The bells in our village church ring to mark every hour day and night. I love it.

My aunt has a grandfather clock. It chimes every hour and quarter hour day and night. As a child I got used to it and it didn't wake me and it is significantly louder to have the bongs in the house. You'll get used to it.

MaidOfStars · 22/05/2015 12:48

I live in a small market town opposite a church. Apart from 10am on a Sunday, there is no apparent pattern or tune to the bell-ringing.

Sallyingforth · 22/05/2015 13:54

I moved very close to a suburban church. Unfortunately they don't have bell ringing - I would love to have that sound.