The clock chimes of Madley parish church in the Wye Valley, Herefordshire, have fallen silent for two years due to a snapped wire, broken cogs, and crashed weights. Following successful grant applications and specialist engineering work, the chimes are now ready to ring once more.
A Day of Celebration and Nervous Excitement
On a Saturday morning at 11:55, the bellringing chamber filled with well-wishers and regular congregation members. The Reverend Lockett blessed the clock mechanism, bell ropes, and gathered company with water and a trinitarian blessing. Mike, a lead ringer, disconnected wires to release the hammers on the eight bells. After a tense minute of waiting until noon, twelve distinct dongs rang out, met with cheers from the Saturday Social Club below.
Relief and Laughter Follow the First Chimes
With tension released, laughter echoed in the chamber as Mike and the Reverend raced down the spiral staircase to the ground floor. Mike played the Ellacombe chimes, a device allowing one person to operate all bells, choosing the tune Little Donkey. He received a second blessing alongside the box of ropes.
Historical Significance of the Madley Clock and Chimes
Installed in 1901 in memory of Queen Victoria, funded by villagers, the clock and chimes are a local institution. Farming families recall relatives who relied on the chimes to signal dinner or the end of work. Parishioners missed the reassuring sound during the two-year silence, finding comfort in knowing the time during dark, worrying hours.
Concerns for New Residents
The Reverend now worries about recent village arrivals who may be woken by the night-time chimes. He hopes they will eventually grow accustomed to the bells, recalling a childhood memory of living near a train line where a couple over a tunnel could not sleep during a train strike. Only time will tell how the newly chiming bells will be received.
Under the Changing Skies: The Best of the Guardian's Country Diary, 2018-2024 is available now at guardianbookshop.com.
