Demands to reinstate 'heartbeat of Birkenhead'

Angry residents are signing a petition to restore the regular number of chimes made by a town hall clock. It was revealed this week that Wirral Council has restricted the chimes of Birkenhead Town Hall's clocktower to once an hour after a single noise complaint was made.

Now a new petition has been launched by local resident Josephine Wood, demanding the "heartbeat of Birkenhead" be reinstated. The historic Grade II* listed building, which overlooks the town's historic Hamilton Square, was previously the base of the local authority and its clock tower stands at 200 feet in height.

The tower's five bells were manufactured and fitted by Gillett and Co for a total cost of £900 at the time (over £92,000 in today's money). After it was revealed the clock's chimes were being reduced to once an hour, Josephine Wood's launched a petition that, at the time, had 66 signatures.

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She wrote: “For 63 long years, the resonance of the Birkenhead Town Hall clock chiming has woven itself into the fabric of my existence. It paints audible strokes on the canvas of our shared experiences and serves as a quiet, steady narrator of our collective timeline.

"Recently, the local authority, Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council, has ruled that this familiar timekeeper will cease to ring out the quarter hours. This decision came about due to a single complaint. Just one voice, among the hundreds of thousands that live, work, and grow in the rhythm of the chiming clock.

"It seems disproportionate that the fond, timeless music of our town, the heartbeat of Birkenhead, should be silenced following a single grievance. It’s unjust to let the few dictate the happiness of the many. It's unclear how much the council considered other perspectives and personal attachments to the iconic sound – a sound that embodies the history and spirit of our community.”

The cutting of the clock's chimes has evoked strong opinions among locals, with Claire Salvatore stating: "It's our history and precious to thousands of us". Gaynor Simpson added: "Bit by bit you are eroding our history & traditions. WBC you should be ashamed of yourself."

Confirming the reason behind the decision to introduce the restriction this week, a Wirral Council spokesperson said: "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 at the resident's location the chimes were found to be at a level of a statutory noise nuisance.

“On advice from the Council Heritage team and because the authority, like all others, has an obligation to comply with addressing a noise nuisance, a compromise was agreed to reduce the chimes to hourly while the authority looks into other available options.”