Clock Quarter Chimes

Tue 12 Aug, 13:42

As I sit sweltering in our kitchen, at lunchtime, the parish clock has gone completely bonkers and is banging out chimes for all hours. Is this a campanolistic objection I ask myself? Are there spirits abroad who object at attempts to silence their centuries of ringing? Or are the ghosts of the past reassembling in the tower to stake their eternal claim? I think the Vicar should be told. 

Tue 12 Aug, 13:19

Is it going to be the cock crowing  next??. John H 

Tue 12 Aug, 12:28

Personally I'm delighted to have the chimes back every 15 mins but if you don't like them, think of the small Italian village I visited recently.  There the clock struck the hour in full every 15 minutes followed, on the quarter, half and three-quarters, by one, two or three higher-pitched strikes.  So if my arithmatic is right, between 10:59 and 12:59 the clock struck 102 times. 

Tue 12 Aug, 00:04

There are some sounds that I love to hear when half-woken, about to turn over and go back to sleep.   In  no particular order:  church bells chiming; the noise of a sleeper train (especially when muffled because it's been snowing - I used to do London to Scotland a fair bit); the sound of a cat snoring on the pillow next to me.   For some reason they all make me feel safe.  

Mon 11 Aug, 21:09

Moving near a church and complaining about the bells, heard it all now 🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️😂

Mon 11 Aug, 20:36

Absolutely love the sound of the bells.  Back in 1980 when I first came to Charlbury from London,  I couldn't sleep (because it was too quiet), so the only way I could get to sleep was to count the chimes, 1, 2 3....zzzzzz.  But there's always someone who complains!

Mon 11 Aug, 19:51

We live directly opposite the parish church and we love the bells. Also we have a wonderful vicar who rings the little bell when he is saying his prayers. How glorious to be in a place like this beautiful town. 

Mon 11 Aug, 19:26 (last edited on Mon 11 Aug, 19:27)

We have a direct line of sight (and sound) from our bedroom to the church tower. The rational solution we found was secondary double glazing. It doesn’t require listed building consent and it’s not especially expensive.

Mon 11 Aug, 17:22

We all love hearing the main bells on the hour, Wednesday practice and Sunday bell ringing too. They really are a part of what makes our town so special.

But a small re-evaluation of the quarter chimes, would be welcome to many.

If we’re honest, nobody needs them to tell the time anymore. But for many they actually disturb sleep. At midnight alone there are 28 chimes, creating a considerable amount of noise every night.

Being considerate, rational and intelligent folk, I like to think that Charlbury residents could be consulted and come up with a solution; such as the one found on Sarah’s post.

Just a small rethink, would let us all enjoy the clock's history for years to come.

Mon 11 Aug, 15:39 (last edited on Mon 11 Aug, 15:41)

Thanks Mike. That's great news to me, a fellow glocken-fan.  The earlier residents of this town would have made quite an investment to have those chimes, and they have been a part of the fabric of the church and the town for so long that it is great to have this tradition continue. (And I am also one of those who enjoys hearing the church bells wafting over the town in the wee hours.)

Mon 11 Aug, 15:19

Oh my goodness I am starting to have flashbacks of when the Village I lived in, before moving to the Market Town of Charlbury, had major internal strife over the quarter chimes... It was resolved by one of the local bell ringers actually inventing a mechanism that can save all Church Bells in the country... the Chime Volume Reduction Mechanism (CVRM)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-35541894

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/lifestyle/11355098/Quiet-revolution-saves-church-chimes.html

Mon 11 Aug, 14:56

Really great news, thank you Mike. I really miss them (at all hours, may I say!). 

Mon 11 Aug, 13:21

Holly, Is this a wind-up (sic)? 

It's a clock, and I have missed hearing the Quarter Hour chimes - I sleep with my window open just down from the church and even if I am awake in the small hours, I find them comforting. As Mike says it is great news.

Mon 11 Aug, 10:56

Thanks for the update Mike!

Before the quarter chimes are turned back on, is there an opportunity to discuss whether they need to be on 24/7?

Sat 9 Aug, 19:16

Great news!

  The quarter chimes on the church clock will soon be restored.  After nearly 140 years if wear , repairs have been taking place over the last year to return the clock to normal  functioning.  We would like to thank all those who have contributed to this project. We  will now be able to hear the clock marking out the quarters at regular intervals  which we hope will be helpful to those not able to see the clock.