The village where the clock never strikes 11

The vicar of a church where the clock never strikes 11 says villagers are "proud" of their quirky piece of history.

St Ethelbert's in Littledean, Gloucestershire, might look like a traditional 14th Century church, but closer inspection of its clock reveals a unique error.

The Roman numerals denoting the time, and painted on the clock face, go from IX (nine) to X (10), and then back to IX again, rather than progressing to XI (11).

Cinderford with Littledean vicar Mike Barnsley said the mistake had almost become "local folklore".

Rev Barnsley said: "I think, painting it close up and working with Is and Xs, it was an innocent mistake."

He said the clock was refurbished some 11 or 12 years ago and the church had to apply for permission from the Church of England's Diocesan Advisory Council which looks after the buildings.

"They said it was really important that, when we had the clock repainted, that we put the same error back in again because it was a part of history," Rev Barnsley explained.

"I thought that was nice in a way, we'd have been disappointed to have lost it.

"It's been a long, long time since we've had an 11 o'clock."

While the error has been part of the Grade-II listed building for many years, there are some people who pass through the Forest of Dean village every day who might not have noticed it.

"It's not something you necessarily notice if you're walking past or driving but once you've seen it, you can't unsee it," Rev Barnsley said.

"It's something that the schoolchildren opposite quite like, it's a talking point in the village and it's part of the history of St Ethelbert's Church, so we're proud of it."

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