To HATE the church bells?

[ShyPearlMoose]

I have just moved to a new area and I am so annoyed by the church bells ringing. They ring from 7:30-9pm on Tuesday and Wednesday nights and they are SO LOUD. I'm trying to wind down by this time but cannot get any silence so they're really bothering me. I know it's people practicing but does their hobby really have to disturb the entire town's evening for 90 minutes twice a week?
I can only think how annoyed some parents might be when trying to get their children to sleep on school nights.
Anyone else annoyed by them?

After a time you do get used to it- that includes children trying to sleep.

I grew up opposite a church with bells and regular evening practice. Both my sibling and I slept through it as small children, growing up it just becomes background noise.

A full peel of 7 or more bells is like a marathon. It’s 5,000 or so different sequences. The stamina and concentration are something else.

Ringing a church bell is surprisingly difficult to learn and can be dangerous!

My (then) local church rang a quarter peel in my honour once. It was lovely.

I always figured that as the church has probably been there for somewhere up to a thousand years, whereas I've been there for roughly ten minutes, it's a bit stupid to be surprised that there's normal noise for a church, much less to complain about it.

The village will not suffer if you move.

I love the sound of the bells from our local church. Its the clock tower on the high street that chimes 3 minutes too slow every hour that I find annoying.

Practicing twice a week means that weddings and funerals can be celebrated in traditional fashion.
It’s one of the arts we will lose if people don’t practice, like languages and drywalling.

Unfortunately us bell ringers come from all walks of life. Some work some don’t. So practice sessions tend to be evening or Saturdays. It’s a hobby that needs to be practiced and is hard mentally and physically especially if you get tricky bells to ring. If you want bells ring for weddings/christenings/funerals/church services and other occasions then it’s what happens. Computer simulations only help you a little to learn the basics of methods. If you don’t like the sound - why not roach up to a practice session and get involved and help make the practice sessions go from meh to perfection!

Bells can be rung muffled, but it doesn’t stop the sound totally. You can ask the tower captain if it’s possible and offer to help purchase or make and install and then remove the muffles as needed for practice sessions and services. It’ll be much appreciated!

@MooseBeTimeForSnow Ooh, how did that come about?

I love to hear bell ringing practice here, I was just listening to it! I'm probably not as close as OP but I love the sound, I find it comforting.

I'll walk over one night and see how loud it is if you live next to it - but any church is almost sure to have been there first. It's 90 mins here and has ben 2 hours a couple of times. Two nights a week.

No, it's not. The houses were built there first

OP said she had just moved to a new area where the bells are ringing ???

Not asking the bells to stop I'm just saying they're annoying in my opinion
I can't 'just move' I don't have that luxury. It's not worth moving house over but it's still annoying

How long is your rental agreement for? Is it private or council/housing assoc. Depending on the tenancy if you don’t get used to it, then would moving further away from the church be possible. If it’s a long term tenancy then other than soundproofing as much as possible and headphones, I’m not sure what the solution is really. Unless enough people are disturbed by the practice sessions, there’s no chance of altering or shortening the time I shouldn’t think. I do think kids would be so used to it they’d not even be aware of it after a while . Even people living under flight paths often seem to get acclimatised to it somehow. I hope it’s something you get used to in time. My DB lives between and very close to two churches in a Catholic country. Christmas, New Year, Easter and saints days, they can go on for ages, day and during the night. Sometimes, seemingly randomly

I couldn’t get that exercised about it. I’ve rented for long periods of my adult life (including, actually, my long stint near a village church that had bellringing Wed night till 9.30 and from 9 on Sunday mornings before the main service). You have a secure tenancy. You say it’s likely to have been available because of its proximity to the church.

It's half 8, it's not like it's 3am!!

It’s not something I’d choose to live near but there are worse noisy neighbours to have. At least it’s scheduled, predictable noise and you know when it’s going to stop.

I’d get really good ear plugs or headphones and make Tuesday and Wednesday my go-to nights for the gym, dinner out with friends or going to the cinema.

You could always see if they’re looking for new bell ringers. If you can’t beat them …

You should have researched th area better so tough. Yabu.

As well as the people who move to a very nice house overlooking the village green where the cricket team plays or move into the country and complain about country smells!

So move or get used to them

YABU unless a church with bells have been built since you moved in.

Hopefully you will learn to love them and enjoy the fact there are church bells as a bonus of living in a nice area. Maybe you could even join them....? It's a lively way to meet your neighbours!

Tuesday seems to be a popular night for bell-ringing practice.

Church bells are lovely. And I speak as someone who lives in close proximity to a bell-ringing church, so I’m very aware of the noise. YABU, op. A woman moved to our village and complained about the bells as well as other things and she was given short shrift by the locals. She moved and isn’t missed!

Confucius he say- man who lives in pigsty cannot complain about smell!

We live near a church, have small children the bells don’t bother us at all.

Things like this piss me off. People who move near something, pubs, stadiums, event venues then complain about the noise and foot traffic.

I lived by a church that had bell ringers and a chiming clock. Woke me all the time for the first couple of months then suddenly I stopped hearing it. My brain completely turned it out unless I actively listened.
Hang on there and you should soon get used to it.

Why not write to the church and complain that they 100+ year old bells and ringing practice is disturbing you relaxing in your new home.

I spent my entire childhood and early adulthood living right next to Cathedral. The bells ring every 15 minutes. And on ever special occasion. For hours. It's really not that bad.

When I was 8 my parents moved us to a village where we lived next door to the church (mum and dad still there). After a while you don’t even notice them. Every couple of years new people move here and it’s not long before they start complaining. Never gets them anywhere though so I’m afraid it’s tough luck. These places aren’t going to change just because you need a kip