By GB News (World News) | Created at 2024-11-29 11:26:17 | Updated at 2024-11-29 13:33:01
2 hours ago
A historic tradition spanning 137 years has come to an end at Birkenhead Town Hall after a single noise complaint prompted officials to silence its quarter-hourly chimes.
The iconic clock tower - which has marked time for generations of local residents - will now only toll on the hour following an investigation by Wirral council.
The decision came after one resident living near the town hall complained about the frequency and volume of the chimes.
Subsequently, the council's environmental health officer determined the regular 15-minute chimes constituted a "statutory nuisance."
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A local campaigner has said that it was a "great shame"
PA
The historic clock tower stands 200 feet high and features five bells manufactured and fitted by Gillett and Co.
Construction of Birkenhead Town Hall began in 1883, with the building completed in 1887.
A council spokesman explained: "A complaint was made by a resident near Birkenhead Town Hall regarding the frequency and volume of the chimes from the building's clock tower, which sounded on the quarter hour."
"The authority has a duty to investigate in such cases. Following an assessment by the council's environmental health [officer] at the resident's location, the chimes were found to be at a level of a statutory noise nuisance."
The iconic bell has chimed for over a century
Google Street View
The council spokesman added that the decision to reduce the chimes to hourly intervals was made "on advice from the council heritage team."
The authority emphasised that, like all councils, it has "an obligation to comply with addressing a noise nuisance."
In the meantime, the compromise of hourly chimes will remain in place while "the authority looks into other available options."
This change has marked a significant shift in the town hall's timekeeping tradition, which had been maintained uninterrupted since the Victorian era.
