The good citizens of Galashiels are in a pickle with the decision to close down the War Memorial clock overnight in case the regular chimes cause annoyance to visitors to the town.
Hawick has its own tradition of a chiming town hall clock and much more besides. Church bells on Sundays were a regular feature as was the case in most towns and villages in the country. The ringing of bells also announced the completion of a marriag
e ceremony, the funeral of a local resident. Bell ringing would signify dangers of air raids during the war, the end of wars themselves and could be used to signal joy, alarm and a warning of dangers to come.
In Hawick, the regular chimes from the town clock did not put off visitors or business callers. On the High Street, there were three major hotels, the Tower, the Crown and the Victoria, each busy with business representatives at a time when the knitwear trade was at its busiest.
There were other familiar sounds, heard on a daily basis, within the town. Factory hooters, which signalled the start of the working day, were all part of the sound heard in a thriving town. The hotels mentioned have long gone but accommodation for all sorts of visitors is still available and it is doubtful if the silencing of bells would be a condition sought by the owners of these premises.
The days when public announcements were made by the town crier or by Elec, the Bellman are a thing of the past. Incidentally, Elec was a son of Samuel Stainton, founder of the Saxhorn Band, so there is still a 'sound' connection with the past!
Most people believe that there is a difference between noise and sound and opinions as to what constitutes sound or noise is very much a personal belief. Would they class bell chiming as a sound or a noise? Does the volume from a radio from a passing motor car fall into the category of noise or sound? Let's keep the bells and let the other noises be curtailed!
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