Bath Abbey's Choral Evensong abandoned mid-service because of noisy buskers outside

Worshippers at Bath Abbey had to abandon their choral evensong service on Sunday night because the dulcet tones of the choirboys were being drowned out by the noise of buskers outside. Bath Abbey officials called on council chiefs to act over the noisy amplified buskers, who have been getting louder, later and more numerous in the city centre – and especially in the square in front of the famous church.

Bath Abbey musical director Peter King called a halt to the choral evensong, as attempts on a peaceful service with the abbey’s organ and choir were deemed futile in the face of the musical onslaught from outside. The choral evensong is the most gentle and quiet of the Church of England's regular Sunday services, often with a single voice heard from the choir, and with other periods of silence and prayer. After the incident, Mr King complained that the city collectively had to sort out the issue of over-loud buskers – and some buskers sympathised and said the two who carried on playing ‘did not represent’ the majority of street performers.



“The local council continues to do nothing about this nuisance,” said Mr King. “Local office staff work with ear plugs and can’t open windows in a heatwave because of buskers. The council does nothing despite numerous complaints. Other cities manage the problem, Bath just wrings its hands and says it can do nothing. Two boys had learnt solos and take them home to practice and were singing them beautifully – all wasted,” he added. One busker, Justin Towell, expressed sympathy with the abbey’s plight. “Buskers who play over Abbey events do not represent the majority of us,” he said.

“So sorry to hear this.” The issue of busking in Bath has long been a thorny one, with council chiefs allowing the buskers to entertain shoppers and thousands of tourists every day, but attempting to manage the issue. Buskers are supposed to undergo an audition to check they are good enough, and the buskers have formed their own ad hoc arrangements to ensure everyone is spaced out enough and gets a fair share of time. They all meet at 10am to agree times and places, with the pitches outside the abbey’s famous West End the most sought-after. But increasing numbers of buskers are using amplified equipment to be heard over the general din of visitors – and each other.