The chimes are not a-changing for Bishop's Castle clock
An 18th century Shropshire town clock is to continue chiming through the night – after the hotelier who claimed it was driving his guests away withdrew his complaint about it.
Henry Hunter, the owner of the Castle Hotel in Bishop's Castle, said guests checking out had told him they would never return to the town again because the clock had kept them awake at night.
The historic clock chimes every 15 minutes, 24 hours a day.
Mr Hunter had asked if it could be switched off at night or changed to only chime hourly. He said there was "no genuine reason" for the clock to chime so often through the night.
It sparked a fierce debate on social networking site Facebook, where Bishop's Castle Town Council asked for comments and received hundreds of responses. The overwhelming majority were in favour of keeping the clock as it is.
And, at a meeting of the town council last night, councillors were told that was exactly what would happen.
Mayor Karen Bavastock said: "The original complaint has been withdrawn."
Councillors voted unanimously in favour of taking no action on the clock at the meeting, held at Enterprise House in the town.
Shirley Gould, who moved to Bishop's Castle from Glasgow 22 years ago, attended the meeting and said: "The visitors and tourists still keep coming and going. Some complain it, or about the cocks crowing, or the cows mooing, or the church bells ringing. And then they go.
"But still the clock keeps chiming on the quarter hour. And long may it continue."
