Residents object to Scottish church’s chimes

BOTHWELL, Lanarkshire — The clock in the tower of the parish church at Bothwell, Lanarkshire, nine miles southeast of Glasgow, has had its hours of chiming reduced following complaints from affluent residents who have moved into new homes near the church.

Part of the church dates back to the Middle Ages though the nave and tower with the offending chime was built in 1833. The clock used to ring out the Westminster chimes — as heard from Big Ben — every quarter of an hour from 6 a.m. until 11:30 p.m.

But one resident was quoted by The Scotsman as complaining: “We all get exactly six hours’ sleep a night whether we like it or not. We have to go to bed at midnight and rise at 6 a.m., or lie in bed and pretend not to hear it.”

One resident complained to the local council, who took the matter up. The parish minister, Jim Gibson, and his kirk (church) session were “quite happy” to agree to changing the times when the clock rings, and now its chimes can only be heard from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m.