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Big Ben

February 26, 2023

For other uses, see Big Ben (disambiguation).

Big Ben is the nickname for the Great Bell of the Great Clock of Westminster,[1][2] at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London, England,[3] and the name is frequently extended to refer also to the clock and the clock tower.[4] The official name of the tower in which Big Ben is located was originally the Clock Tower, but it was renamed Elizabeth Tower in 2012 to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II.

Elizabeth Tower
Big Ben in 2007
Alternative namesBig Ben
General information
TypeClock tower
Architectural styleGothic Revival
LocationWestminster, London, England
Coordinates51°30′03″N 0°07′28″W / 51.5007°N 0.1245°W / 51.5007; -0.1245Coordinates: 51°30′03″N 0°07′28″W / 51.5007°N 0.1245°W / 51.5007; -0.1245
Completed31 May 1859; 163 years ago (31 May 1859)
Height316 feet (96 m)
Technical details
Floor count11
Design and construction
Architect(s)Augustus Pugin
Website
www.parliament.uk/bigben/

The tower was designed by Augustus Pugin in a neo-Gothic style. When completed in 1859, its clock was the largest and most accurate four-faced striking and chiming clock in the world.[5] The tower stands 316 feet (96 m) tall, and the climb from ground level to the belfry is 334 steps. Its base is square, measuring 40 feet (12 m) on each side. Dials of the clock are 22.5 feet (6.9 m) in diameter. All four nations of the UK are represented on the tower on shields featuring a rose for England, thistle for Scotland, shamrock for Ireland, and leek for Wales. On 31 May 2009, celebrations were held to mark the tower's 150th anniversary.[6]

Big Ben is the largest of the tower's five bells and weighs 13.5 long tons (13.7 tonnes; 15.1 short tons).[3] It was the largest bell in the United Kingdom for 23 years. The origin of the bell's nickname is open to question; it may be named after Sir Benjamin Hall, who oversaw its installation, or heavyweight boxing champion Benjamin Caunt. Four quarter bells chime at 15, 30 and 45 minutes past the hour and just before Big Ben tolls on the hour. The clock uses its original Victorian mechanism, but an electric motor can be used as a backup.

The tower is a British cultural icon recognised all over the world. It is one of the most prominent symbols of the United Kingdom and parliamentary democracy,[7] and it is often used in the establishing shot of films set in London.[8] The clock tower has been part of a Grade I listed building since 1970 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987.[9]

On 21 August 2017, a four-year schedule of renovation works began on the tower. Modifications have included adding a lift, re-glazing and repainting the clock dials, and upgrading lighting and repairing roof tiles among other improvements. With a few exceptions, such as New Year's Eve and Remembrance Sunday, the bells remained silent.[10]

Tower

Origin

Audio description of the tower by Gary O'Donoghue

Elizabeth Tower, originally referred to as the Clock Tower, but more popularly known as Big Ben,[11] was raised as a part of Charles Barry's design for a new Palace of Westminster, after the old palace was largely destroyed by fire on 16 October 1834.[12] Although Barry was the chief architect of the neo-gothic palace, he turned to Augustus Pugin for the design of the Clock Tower, which resembles earlier Pugin designs, including one for Scarisbrick Hall in Lancashire.[13] Construction of the tower began on 28 September 1843. The building contractors were Thomas Grissell and Morton Peto. An inscribed trowel now in the Parliamentary Archives records that Emily, sister of Peto's daughter-in-law, was given the honour of laying the first stone.[14] It was Pugin's last design before his descent into mental illness and death in 1852, and Pugin himself wrote, at the time of Barry's last visit to him to collect the drawings: "I never worked so hard in my life for Mr Barry for tomorrow I render all my designs for finishing his bell tower and it is beautiful".[15]

Design

 
London skyline with Big Ben and environs, including the London Eye, Portcullis House, Parliament Square, and St Margaret's Church.

Completed in 1859, the tower is designed in Pugin's Gothic Revival style, and is 316 feet (96.3 m) high making it the third tallest clock tower in the UK. Its dials (at the centre) are 180 feet (54.9 m) above ground level. The tower's base is square, measuring 40 feet (12.2 m) on each side,[16] resting on concrete foundations 12 feet (3.7 m) thick.[17] It was constructed using bricks clad on the exterior with sand-coloured Anston limestone from South Yorkshire, topped by a spire covered in hundreds of cast-iron rooftiles.[18] There is a spiral staircase with 290 stone steps up to the clock room, followed by 44 to reach the belfry, and an additional 59 to the top of the spire.[16]

Above the belfry and Ayrton light are 52 shields decorated with national emblems of the four countries of the UK: the red and white rose of England's Tudor dynasty, the thistle of Scotland, shamrock of Northern Ireland, and leek of Wales. They also feature the pomegranate of Catherine of Aragon, first wife of the Tudor king Henry VIII; the portcullis, symbolising both Houses of Parliament;[19] and fleurs-de-lis, a legacy from when English monarchs claimed to rule France.[20]

A ventilation shaft running from ground level up to the belfry, which measures 16 feet (4.9 m) by 8 feet (2.4 m), was designed by David Boswell Reid, known as "the grandfather of air-conditioning". It was intended to draw cool, fresh air into the Palace of Westminster; in practice this did not work and the shaft was repurposed as a chimney, until around 1914.[21] The 2017–2021 conservation works included the addition of a lift (or elevator) that was installed in the shaft.[22]

Its foundations rest on a layer of gravel, below which is London clay.[17] Owing to this soft ground, the tower leans slightly to the north-west by roughly 230 mm (9.1 in) over 55 m height, giving an inclination of approximately 1⁄240. This includes a planned maximum of 22 mm increased tilt due to tunnelling for the Jubilee line extension.[23] In the 1990s, thousands of tons of concrete were pumped into the ground underneath the tower to stabilise it during construction of the Westminster section of the Jubilee line.[24] It leans by about 500 mm (20 in) at the finial. Experts believe the tower's lean will not be a problem for another 4,000 to 10,000 years.[25]

Name

Journalists during Queen Victoria's reign called it St Stephen's Tower. As members of Parliament originally sat at St Stephen's Hall, these journalists referred to anything related to the House of Commons as "news from St Stephens" (the Palace does contain a feature called St Stephen's Tower, located above the public entrance).[26] On 2 June 2012, the House of Commons voted in support of a proposal to change the name from the Clock Tower to Elizabeth Tower in commemoration of Elizabeth II in her Diamond Jubilee year, since the large west tower now known as Victoria Tower had been renamed in tribute to Queen Victoria on the occasion of her Diamond Jubilee.[27] On 26 June 2012, the House of Commons confirmed that the name change could go ahead.[28] David Cameron, then Prime Minister, officially announced the change of name on 12 September 2012.[29] The change was marked by a naming ceremony in which John Bercow, then Speaker of the House of Commons, unveiled a plaque attached to the tower on the adjoining Speaker's Green.[30]

Prison Room

Inside the tower is an oak-panelled Prison Room, which can only be accessed from the House of Commons, not via the tower entrance. It was last used in 1880 when atheist Charles Bradlaugh, newly elected Member of Parliament for Northampton, was imprisoned by the Serjeant at Arms after he protested against swearing a religious oath of allegiance to Queen Victoria.[31] Officially, the Serjeant at Arms can still make arrests, as they have had the authority to do since 1415. The room, however, is currently occupied by the Petitions Committee, which oversees petitions submitted to Parliament.[32]

Ayrton Light

A new feature was added in 1873 by Acton Smee Ayrton, then First Commissioner of Works and Public Buildings. The Ayrton Light is a lantern sited above the belfry and is lit whenever the House of Commons sits after dark. It can be seen from across London. Originally, it shone towards Buckingham Palace so Queen Victoria could look out of a window and see when the Commons were at work.[33]

Clock

Dials

 
Two dials in 2022 following restoration

Augustus Pugin drew inspiration from the clockmaker Benjamin Lewis Vulliamy when he designed the dials. Each is made of cast iron sections bolted together. The whole frame is 22.5 feet (6.9 m) in diameter making them the third largest in the UK. They each contain 324 pieces of opalescent glass.[34] Originally, the dials were backlit using gas lamps, at first only when Parliament was sitting, but they have routinely been illuminated from dusk until dawn since 1876. Electric bulbs were installed at the beginning of the 20th century.[35] The ornate surrounds of the dials are gilded. At the base of each dial is the Latin inscription DOMINE SALVAM FAC REGINAM NOSTRAM VICTORIAM PRIMAM, which means "O Lord, keep safe our Queen Victoria the First".[36] Unlike many Roman numeral clock dials, which show the "4" position as IIII, the Great Clock faces depict "4" as IV.[37] The clock's gun metal hour hands and copper minute hands are 8.75 feet (2.7 m) and 14 feet (4.3 m) long respectively.[38]

When completed, the frame and hands were Prussian blue, but were painted black in the 1930s to disguise the effects of air pollution. The original colour scheme was reinstated during the 2017–2021 conservation work. It was found that no fewer than six different colour schemes had been used over the past 160 years.[39] The Victorian glass was also removed and replaced with faithful reproductions made in Germany by glassmakers Glasfabrik Lamberts.[40]

Movement

 
The interior of the clock face

The clock's movement is known for its reliability. The designers were the lawyer and amateur horologist Edmund Beckett Denison, and George Airy, the Astronomer Royal. Construction was entrusted to clockmaker Edward John Dent; after his death in 1853 his stepson Frederick Dent completed the work, in 1854.[41] As the tower was not completed until 1859, Denison had time to experiment: instead of using a deadbeat escapement and remontoire as originally designed, he invented a double three-legged gravity escapement, which provides the best separation between pendulum and clock mechanism, thus mitigating the effects of rain, wind and snow on the dials.[42] Dent never patented his design, and it quickly became the standard on all new high-quality tower clocks.[43]

Winding the clock mechanism

On top of the pendulum is a small stack of pre-decimal penny coins; these are to adjust the time of the clock. Adding a coin has the effect of minutely lifting the position of the pendulum's centre of mass, reducing the effective length of the pendulum rod and hence increasing the rate at which the pendulum swings. Adding or removing a penny will change the clock's speed by 0.4 seconds per day.[44] It keeps time to within a few seconds per week.[45] It is hand wound (taking about 1.5 hours) three times a week. The Keeper of the Clock is responsible for looking after the movement in addition to overseeing every aspect of maintenance around the Palace. A team of horologists are on call 24 hours a day to attend to the clock in the event of an emergency.[46]

On 10 May 1941, a German bombing raid damaged two of the clock's dials and sections of the tower's stepped roof and destroyed the House of Commons chamber. Architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott designed a new five-floor block. Two floors are occupied by the current chamber, which was used for the first time on 26 October 1950. The clock ran accurately and chimed throughout the Blitz.[47]

Breakdowns and other incidents

19th century

  • Before 1878: The clock stopped for the first time in its history, "through a heavy fall of snow" on the hands of a clock face.[48][49]
  • 21 August 1877 – January 1878: The clock was stopped for three weeks to allow the tower and mechanism to be cleaned and repaired. The old escape wheel was replaced.[48]
  • February 1900: The heavy build-up of snow on a clock face impeded the progress of the hour hand, causing the clock to stop for about eight hours.[50]

20th century

  • 1916: For two years during World War I, the bells were silenced and the clock faces were not illuminated at night to avoid guiding attacking German Zeppelins.[51] The bells were restored at 11 a.m. on 11 November 1918 to mark the end of the war.[50]
  • 29 December 1927: Snow build-up on a clock face stopped the clock.[52]
  • Winter 1928: Heavy snow stopped the clock for several hours.[50]
  • 2 April 1934: The clock stopped from 7:16 a.m. to 1:15 p.m., when it was repaired.[53]
  • 23 September 1936: A painter painting the inside of the clock room placed a ladder against a shaft driving the hands, stopping the clock from 8:47 a.m. to 10 a.m.[50]
  • 1 September 1939: Although the bells continued to ring, the clock faces were not illuminated at night throughout World War II to avoid guiding bomber pilots during the Blitz.[51]
  • 10/11 May 1941: the clock was damaged during a German bombing raid, either by a small bomb or by a British anti-aircraft shell, Stonework and ornamental ironwork was damaged, and the glass on the south dial was shattered.[50]
  • 3–4 June 1941: The clock stopped from 10:13 p.m. until 10:13 the following morning, after a workman repairing air-raid damage to the clock face left a hammer too close to the mechanism.[54][50]
  • 9 December 1944: The clock hands stopped due to mechanical failure. The broken part - a pendulum suspension spring - was replaced within a few hours.[50]
  • 25–26 January 1945: Extremely cold temperatures froze the rubber bushings on the quarter-bell hammers, preventing the chimes sounding from 9 p.m. on the 25th to 9 p.m. the following evening; the BBC broadcast the pips in the interval.[50]
  • 28 January 1947: The rubber bushings on the quarter bell hammers again froze before the clock sounded midnight, muting the chimes, though the problem was resolved by the morning.[50]
  • 12 August 1949: The clock slowed by four and a half minutes after a flock of starlings perched on the minute hand.[55][50]
  • 13 January 1955: The clock stopped at 3:24 a.m. due to drifts of snow forming on the north and east dials. Small electric heaters were placed just inside these two dials, and this measure has helped to reduce instances of freezing in recent years.[50]
  • 18 July 1955: The rope operating the striking hammer broke, silencing the clock from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.[50]
  • New Year's Eve 1962: The clock slowed due to heavy snow and ice on the hands, causing the pendulum to detach from the clockwork, as it is designed to do in such circumstances, to avoid serious damage elsewhere in the mechanism – the pendulum continuing to swing freely. Thus, it chimed-in the 1963 new year nine minutes late.[56]
  • 30 January 1965: The bells were silenced during the funeral of statesman and former prime minister Winston Churchill.[57]
  • 9 January 1968: Snow buildup on the clock faces blocked the hands from moving, stopping the clock from 6:28 a.m. to 10:10 a.m.[50]
  • 5 August 1976: The air brake speed regulator of the chiming mechanism broke from torsional fatigue after more than 100 years of use, causing the fully wound 4-ton weight to spin the winding drum out of the movement, causing much damage. The Great Clock was shut down for a total of 26 days over nine months – it was reactivated on 9 May 1977. This was the longest break in operation since its construction. During this time BBC Radio 4 broadcast the pips instead.[58] Although there were minor stoppages from 1977 to 2002, when maintenance of the clock was carried out by the old firm of clockmakers Thwaites & Reed, these were often repaired within the permitted two-hour downtime and not recorded as stoppages. Before 1970, maintenance was carried out by the original firm of Dents; since 2002, by parliamentary staff.
  • March 1986 and January 1987: The problem of the rubber bushings on the quarter bell chimes freezing recurred, muffling the chimes.[50]
  • 30 April 1997: The clock stopped 24 hours before the general election, and stopped again three weeks later.[59]

21st century

 
Cleaning of the south clock face on 11 August 2007
  • 27 May 2005: The clock stopped at 10:07 pm, possibly because of hot weather; temperatures in London had reached an unseasonable 31.8 °C (89.2 °F). It resumed, but stopped again at 10:20 pm, and remained still for about 90 minutes before resuming.[59]
  • 29 October 2005: The mechanism was stopped for about 33 hours to allow maintenance work on the clock and its chimes. It was the lengthiest maintenance shutdown in 22 years.[60]
  • 7:00 a.m on 5 June 2006: The clock tower's "Quarter Bells" were taken out of commission for four weeks as a bearing holding one of the quarter bells was worn and needed to be removed for repairs.[61] During this period, BBC Radio 4 broadcast recordings of British bird song followed by the pips in place of the usual chimes.[62]
  • 11 August 2007: Start of six-week stoppage for maintenance. Bearings in the clock's chime train and the "great bell" striker were replaced, for the first time since installation.[63] During the maintenance the clock was driven by an electric motor.[64] Once again, BBC Radio 4 broadcast the pips during this time. The intention was that the clock should run accurately for a further 200 years before major maintenance is again required; in fact the repairs sufficed for ten years.[65]
  • August 2015: Maintenance crews discovered the clock to be running seven seconds fast. They removed coins from its pendulum to correct the error, which caused it to run slow for a period.[67]
  • 21 August 2017: Start of a four-year silencing of the chimes during maintenance and repair work to the clock mechanism, and repairs and improvements to the clock tower building. During this time, dials, hands, and lights were removed for restoration, with at least one dial – with its hands driven by an electric motor – left intact, functioning, and visible at any given time. A lift was also installed during this renovation.[68][69]

Bells

Great Bell

 
The second "Big Ben" (centre) and the Quarter Bells from The Illustrated News of the World, 4 December 1858
 
Big Ben

The main bell, officially known as the Great Bell but better known as Big Ben, is the largest bell in the tower and part of the Great Clock of Westminster. It sounds an E-natural.[70]

The original bell was a 16 ton (16.3-tonne) hour bell, cast on 6 August 1856 in Stockton-on-Tees by John Warner & Sons.[3] It is thought that the bell was originally to be called Victoria or Royal Victoria in honour of Queen Victoria, but that an MP suggested the bell's current nickname of "Big Ben" during a Parliamentary debate; the comment is not recorded in Hansard.[71]

Since the tower was not yet finished, the bell was mounted in New Palace Yard but, during testing, it cracked beyond repair and a replacement had to be made. The bell was recast on 10 April 1858 at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry as a 13.5-ton (13.76-tonne) bell.[3][72] The second bell was transported from the foundry to the tower on a trolley drawn by sixteen horses, with crowds cheering its progress; it was then pulled 200 ft (61.0 m) up to the Clock Tower's belfry, a feat that took 18 hours. It is 7 feet 6 inches (2.29 m) tall and 9 feet (2.74 m) diameter. This new bell first chimed in July 1859; in September it too cracked under the hammer. According to the foundry's manager, George Mears, the horologist Denison had used a hammer more than twice the maximum weight specified.[3] For three years Big Ben was taken out of commission and the hours were struck on the lowest of the quarter bells until it was repaired. To make the repair, a square piece of metal was chipped out from the rim around the crack, and the bell given an eighth of a turn so the new hammer struck in a different place.[3] Big Ben has chimed with a slightly different tone ever since, and is still in use today with the crack unrepaired. Big Ben was the largest bell in the British Isles until "Great Paul", a 16.75-ton (17 tonne) bell currently hung in St Paul's Cathedral, was cast in 1881.[73]

In August 2007, the bell's striker was replaced for the first time since installation.[63]

Nickname

The origin of the nickname Big Ben is the subject of some debate. The nickname was applied first to the Great Bell; it may have been named after Sir Benjamin Hall, who oversaw the installation of the Great Bell, or after English heavyweight boxing champion Benjamin Caunt.[3][74][75] Now Big Ben is often used, by extension, to refer to the clock, the tower and the bell collectively, although the nickname is not universally accepted as referring to the clock and tower.[76] Some authors of works about the tower, clock and bell sidestep the issue by using the words Big Ben first in the title, then going on to clarify that the subject of the book is the clock and tower as well as the bell.[58][77]

Chimes

Along with the Great Bell, the belfry houses four quarter bells which play the Westminster Quarters on the quarter hours. The four quarter bells sound G♯, F♯, E, and B. They were cast by John Warner & Sons at their Crescent Foundry in 1857 (G♯, F♯ and B) and 1858 (E). The Foundry was in Jewin Crescent, in what is now known as The Barbican, in the City of London.[78] The bells are sounded by hammers pulled by cables coming from the link room—a low-ceiling space between the clock room and the belfry—where they are triggered by cables coming from the chime train.[18]

The quarter bells play a once-repeating, 20-note sequence of rounds and four changes in the key of E major: 1–4 at quarter past, 5–12 at half past, 13–20 and 1–4 at quarter to, and 5–20 on the hour (which sounds 25 seconds before the main bell tolls the hour). Because the low bell (B) is struck twice in quick succession, there is not enough time to pull a hammer back, and it is supplied with two wrench hammers on opposite sides of the bell. The tune is that of the Cambridge Chimes, first used for the chimes of Great St Mary's church, Cambridge, and supposedly a variation, attributed to William Crotch, based on violin phrases from the air "I know that my Redeemer liveth" in Handel's Messiah.[79][80] The notional words of the chime, again derived from Great St Mary's and in turn an allusion to Psalm 37:23–24, are: "All through this hour/Lord be my guide/And by Thy power/No foot shall slide".[81] They are written on a plaque on the wall of the clock room.[82]

One of the requirements for the clock was that the first stroke of the hour bell should be correct to within one second per day. The tolerance is with reference to Greenwich Mean Time (BST in summer).[83] So, at twelve o'clock, for example, it is the first of the twelve hour-bell strikes that signifies the hour (the New Year on New Year's Eve at midnight). The time signalled by the last of the "six pips" (UTC) may be fractionally different.

On 13 November 2022, Remembrance Sunday, the chimes of Big Ben returned to regular service for the first time since August 2017, preceding the hour bell being sounded at 11:00 a.m. local time, the first hour strike marking the beginning of two minutes of silence.[84]

Cultural significance

 
A London-themed Paddington Bear statue, featuring Big Ben, located outside the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square in 2014

The clock has become a cultural symbol of the United Kingdom, particularly in the visual media. When a television or film-maker wishes to indicate a generic location in the country, a popular way to do so is to show an image of the tower, often with a red double-decker bus or black cab in the foreground.[85]

In 2008, a survey of 2,000 people found that the tower was the most popular landmark in the United Kingdom.[86] It has also been named as the most iconic film location in London.[87]

The sound of the clock chiming has also been used this way in audio media; the Westminster Quarters are imitated by other clocks and other devices, but the sound of Big Ben is preferred as the original and best. Big Ben is a focal point of New Year celebrations in the United Kingdom, with radio and television stations airing its chimes to welcome the start of the New Year. To welcome in 2012, the clock tower was lit with fireworks that exploded at every toll of Big Ben.[88] Similarly, on Remembrance Day, the chimes of Big Ben are broadcast to mark the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month and the start of the two minutes' silence.[89]

The chimes of Big Ben have also been used at the state funerals of monarchs on four occasions, chiming one stroke for each year of the monarch's life: firstly, at the funeral of King Edward VII in 1910, when Big Ben chimed 68 times; secondly, at the funeral of King George V in 1936 (70 strokes); thirdly, at the funeral of King George VI in 1952 (56 strokes);[90] and lastly, at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022 (96 strokes).[91]

Londoners who live an appropriate distance from the tower and Big Ben can, by means of listening to the chimes both live and on analogue radio, hear the bell strike thirteen times. This is possible because the electronically transmitted chimes arrive virtually instantaneously, while the "live" sound is delayed travelling through the air since the speed of sound is relatively slow.[92]

ITN's News at Ten opening sequence formerly featured an image of the tower with the sound of Big Ben's chimes punctuating the announcement of the news headlines of the day.[93] The Big Ben chimes (known within ITN as "The Bongs") continue to be used during the headlines and all ITV News bulletins use a graphic based on the Westminster clock dial. Big Ben can also be heard striking the hour before some news bulletins on BBC Radio 4 (6 p.m. and midnight, plus 10 p.m. on Sundays) and the BBC World Service, a practice that began on 31 December 1923. The sound of the chimes is sent live from a microphone permanently installed in the tower and connected by line to Broadcasting House.[94]

At the close of the polls for the 2010 general election the results of the national exit poll were projected onto the south side of the tower.[95] On 27 July 2012, starting at 8:12 a.m, Big Ben chimed 30 times, to welcome the Games of the 30th Olympiad, which officially began that day, to London.[96]

2017 renovation

 
Scaffolding erected in 2017 to allow worker access
 
Elizabeth Tower with the scaffolding mostly removed, March 2022

On 21 August 2017, Big Ben's chimes were silenced for four years to allow essential restoration work to be carried out on the tower. The decision to silence the bells was made to protect the hearing of the workers on the tower, and drew much criticism from senior MPs and Prime Minister Theresa May.[97] The striking and tolling of the bells for important occasions, such as New Year's Eve and Remembrance Sunday, was handled via an electric motor; and at least one of the four clock faces always remained visible during the restoration. Scaffolding was put up around the tower immediately after the bells were silenced. The original cost of the project to the taxpayers and creditors was estimated to be roughly £29 million, but this was then more than doubled, to £69 million.[98]

In February 2020, it was confirmed that the renovations had revealed that the Elizabeth Tower had sustained greater damage than originally thought in the May 1941 bombing raid that destroyed the adjacent House of Commons. Other costly discoveries included asbestos in the belfry, the "extensive" use of lead paint, broken glass on the clock dials, and serious deterioration to the tower's intricate stone carvings due to air pollution. The cost of addressing the new problems was estimated at £18.6 million, bringing the total budget for restoring the Elizabeth Tower to nearly £80 million.[99]

The 2,567 cast-iron roof tiles have been removed and refurbished, and a lift has been installed to make access easier, along with a basic toilet facility with running water, for the first time in the tower itself. The Ayrton Light at the top of the tower, which is lit when Parliament is sitting, has also been fully dismantled and restored along with the other lights in the Belfry, the lights being replaced with low-energy LEDs.[100] One of the most visible changes to the tower has been the restoration of the clock-face framework to its original colour of Prussian blue, used when the tower was first built in 1859, with the black paint that was used to cover up the soot-stained dial frames now having been stripped away. The clock faces have been regilded, and the shields of St George have been repainted in their original red and white colours. The 1,296 pieces of glass that make up the clock faces have also been removed and replaced.[101][102]

In December 2021, after four years of renovations and restoration, the tower emerged from behind its scaffolding in time for the ringing in of the new year.[103] In April 2022, the gantry supporting the scaffolding was removed, leaving the tower free of scaffolding.[104]

See also

References

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  2. ^ "West Dial re-connected to the Great Clock". UK Parliament. 28 April 2022. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g . Whitechapel Bell Foundry. Archived from the original on 17 February 2018. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  4. ^ Fowler, p. 95.
  5. ^ Excell, Jon (5 July 2016). "Why is Big Ben falling silent?". BBC News.
  6. ^ . UK Parliament. Archived from the original on 2 February 2009.
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  8. ^ "Big Ben in films and popular culture". The Daily Telegraph. 8 November 2016. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022.
  9. ^ Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "UNESCO World Heritage Centre - World Heritage List". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  10. ^ Fowler, Susanne (12 April 2021). "What Does It Take to Hear Big Ben Again? 500 Workers and a Hiding Place". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  11. ^ "Big Ben 'bongs' to be silenced for £29m refurbishment". BBC News. 26 April 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  12. ^ "1289-1834: Big Ben and Elizabeth Tower". UK Parliament. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  13. ^ McKay, p. 45.
  14. ^ McKay, p. 46.
  15. ^ Hill, p. 482.
  16. ^ a b McKay, p. 266.
  17. ^ a b McKay, p. 201.
  18. ^ a b McKay, pp. 47–48.
  19. ^ "Portcullis". UK Parliament. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  20. ^ "Elizabeth Tower decorative shields: before and during the conservation". UK Parliament. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  21. ^ McKay, p. 44.
  22. ^ "Big Ben: Lifts". UK Parliament. 9 December 2020.
  23. ^ (PDF). Post Report Summary. Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology. January 1997. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 November 2006.
  24. ^ McKay, p. 25.
  25. ^ "Clock ticking for leaning Big Ben". BBC News. 11 October 2011.
  26. ^ "Frequently asked questions: Big Ben and Elizabeth Tower". UK Parliament.
  27. ^ Hough, Andrew (2 June 2012). "The Queen's Diamond Jubilee: 'Big Ben to be renamed Elizabeth Tower'". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  28. ^ Rath, Kayte (26 June 2012). "Big Ben's tower renamed Elizabeth Tower in honour of Queen". BBC News.
  29. ^ "Questions to the Prime Minister". House of Commons Hansard Debates for 12 Sept 2012. Hansard. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
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  32. ^ "The Prison Room of Elizabeth Tower". Parliamentary Archives. 28 May 2020.
  33. ^ McKay, p.28.
  34. ^ "Great Clock facts". UK Parliament. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  35. ^ McKay, pp. 121–129.
  36. ^ McKay, p. 11.
  37. ^ Good, P. 81.
  38. ^ McKay, pp. 266-267.
  39. ^ "Turning Big Ben's clock dials blue". UK Parliament. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
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Bibliography

External links

  • Official website   at UK Parliament
  • The Palace of Westminster at UK Parliament
  • Big Ben's Clapper at Houghton-le-Spring Heritage Society
  • Interior photos of the tower at UK Parliament's Flickr
  • —transcript of a lecture by Prof. John Burland (archived 12 October 2007)

Videos

  • What's inside Big Ben? (Elizabeth Tower) Comprehensive 2022 YouTube animation that shows clock's workings
  • Inside Big Ben's Makeover short 2020 film by the B1M
  • The Mechanical Genius of Big Ben (2017) documentary by Discovery
  • Big Ben's a Hundred (1959) newsreel by British Pathé
  • Big Ben's Clean Up (1955) by British Pathé
  • Big Ben: Inside London's Famous Clock (1950) by British Pathé

February 26, 2023
other, uses, disambiguation, nickname, great, bell, great, clock, westminster, north, palace, westminster, london, england, name, frequently, extended, refer, also, clock, clock, tower, official, name, tower, which, located, originally, clock, tower, renamed, . For other uses see Big Ben disambiguation Big Ben is the nickname for the Great Bell of the Great Clock of Westminster 1 2 at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London England 3 and the name is frequently extended to refer also to the clock and the clock tower 4 The official name of the tower in which Big Ben is located was originally the Clock Tower but it was renamed Elizabeth Tower in 2012 to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II Elizabeth TowerBig Ben in 2007Alternative namesBig BenGeneral informationTypeClock towerArchitectural styleGothic RevivalLocationWestminster London EnglandCoordinates51 30 03 N 0 07 28 W 51 5007 N 0 1245 W 51 5007 0 1245 Coordinates 51 30 03 N 0 07 28 W 51 5007 N 0 1245 W 51 5007 0 1245Completed31 May 1859 163 years ago 31 May 1859 Height316 feet 96 m Technical detailsFloor count11Design and constructionArchitect s Augustus PuginWebsitewww wbr parliament wbr uk wbr bigben wbr The tower was designed by Augustus Pugin in a neo Gothic style When completed in 1859 its clock was the largest and most accurate four faced striking and chiming clock in the world 5 The tower stands 316 feet 96 m tall and the climb from ground level to the belfry is 334 steps Its base is square measuring 40 feet 12 m on each side Dials of the clock are 22 5 feet 6 9 m in diameter All four nations of the UK are represented on the tower on shields featuring a rose for England thistle for Scotland shamrock for Ireland and leek for Wales On 31 May 2009 celebrations were held to mark the tower s 150th anniversary 6 Big Ben is the largest of the tower s five bells and weighs 13 5 long tons 13 7 tonnes 15 1 short tons 3 It was the largest bell in the United Kingdom for 23 years The origin of the bell s nickname is open to question it may be named after Sir Benjamin Hall who oversaw its installation or heavyweight boxing champion Benjamin Caunt Four quarter bells chime at 15 30 and 45 minutes past the hour and just before Big Ben tolls on the hour The clock uses its original Victorian mechanism but an electric motor can be used as a backup The tower is a British cultural icon recognised all over the world It is one of the most prominent symbols of the United Kingdom and parliamentary democracy 7 and it is often used in the establishing shot of films set in London 8 The clock tower has been part of a Grade I listed building since 1970 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987 9 On 21 August 2017 a four year schedule of renovation works began on the tower Modifications have included adding a lift re glazing and repainting the clock dials and upgrading lighting and repairing roof tiles among other improvements With a few exceptions such as New Year s Eve and Remembrance Sunday the bells remained silent 10 Contents 1 Tower 1 1 Origin 1 2 Design 1 3 Name 1 4 Prison Room 1 5 Ayrton Light 2 Clock 2 1 Dials 2 2 Movement 2 3 Breakdowns and other incidents 2 3 1 19th century 2 3 2 20th century 2 3 3 21st century 3 Bells 3 1 Great Bell 3 1 1 Nickname 3 2 Chimes 4 Cultural significance 5 2017 renovation 6 See also 7 References 8 Bibliography 9 External links 9 1 VideosTowerOrigin source source Audio description of the tower by Gary O Donoghue Elizabeth Tower originally referred to as the Clock Tower but more popularly known as Big Ben 11 was raised as a part of Charles Barry s design for a new Palace of Westminster after the old palace was largely destroyed by fire on 16 October 1834 12 Although Barry was the chief architect of the neo gothic palace he turned to Augustus Pugin for the design of the Clock Tower which resembles earlier Pugin designs including one for Scarisbrick Hall in Lancashire 13 Construction of the tower began on 28 September 1843 The building contractors were Thomas Grissell and Morton Peto An inscribed trowel now in the Parliamentary Archives records that Emily sister of Peto s daughter in law was given the honour of laying the first stone 14 It was Pugin s last design before his descent into mental illness and death in 1852 and Pugin himself wrote at the time of Barry s last visit to him to collect the drawings I never worked so hard in my life for Mr Barry for tomorrow I render all my designs for finishing his bell tower and it is beautiful 15 Design London skyline with Big Ben and environs including the London Eye Portcullis House Parliament Square and St Margaret s Church Completed in 1859 the tower is designed in Pugin s Gothic Revival style and is 316 feet 96 3 m high making it the third tallest clock tower in the UK Its dials at the centre are 180 feet 54 9 m above ground level The tower s base is square measuring 40 feet 12 2 m on each side 16 resting on concrete foundations 12 feet 3 7 m thick 17 It was constructed using bricks clad on the exterior with sand coloured Anston limestone from South Yorkshire topped by a spire covered in hundreds of cast iron rooftiles 18 There is a spiral staircase with 290 stone steps up to the clock room followed by 44 to reach the belfry and an additional 59 to the top of the spire 16 Above the belfry and Ayrton light are 52 shields decorated with national emblems of the four countries of the UK the red and white rose of England s Tudor dynasty the thistle of Scotland shamrock of Northern Ireland and leek of Wales They also feature the pomegranate of Catherine of Aragon first wife of the Tudor king Henry VIII the portcullis symbolising both Houses of Parliament 19 and fleurs de lis a legacy from when English monarchs claimed to rule France 20 A ventilation shaft running from ground level up to the belfry which measures 16 feet 4 9 m by 8 feet 2 4 m was designed by David Boswell Reid known as the grandfather of air conditioning It was intended to draw cool fresh air into the Palace of Westminster in practice this did not work and the shaft was repurposed as a chimney until around 1914 21 The 2017 2021 conservation works included the addition of a lift or elevator that was installed in the shaft 22 Its foundations rest on a layer of gravel below which is London clay 17 Owing to this soft ground the tower leans slightly to the north west by roughly 230 mm 9 1 in over 55 m height giving an inclination of approximately 1 240 This includes a planned maximum of 22 mm increased tilt due to tunnelling for the Jubilee line extension 23 In the 1990s thousands of tons of concrete were pumped into the ground underneath the tower to stabilise it during construction of the Westminster section of the Jubilee line 24 It leans by about 500 mm 20 in at the finial Experts believe the tower s lean will not be a problem for another 4 000 to 10 000 years 25 Name The Palace of Westminster Big Ben and Westminster Bridge Journalists during Queen Victoria s reign called it St Stephen s Tower As members of Parliament originally sat at St Stephen s Hall these journalists referred to anything related to the House of Commons as news from St Stephens the Palace does contain a feature called St Stephen s Tower located above the public entrance 26 On 2 June 2012 the House of Commons voted in support of a proposal to change the name from the Clock Tower to Elizabeth Tower in commemoration of Elizabeth II in her Diamond Jubilee year since the large west tower now known as Victoria Tower had been renamed in tribute to Queen Victoria on the occasion of her Diamond Jubilee 27 On 26 June 2012 the House of Commons confirmed that the name change could go ahead 28 David Cameron then Prime Minister officially announced the change of name on 12 September 2012 29 The change was marked by a naming ceremony in which John Bercow then Speaker of the House of Commons unveiled a plaque attached to the tower on the adjoining Speaker s Green 30 Prison Room Inside the tower is an oak panelled Prison Room which can only be accessed from the House of Commons not via the tower entrance It was last used in 1880 when atheist Charles Bradlaugh newly elected Member of Parliament for Northampton was imprisoned by the Serjeant at Arms after he protested against swearing a religious oath of allegiance to Queen Victoria 31 Officially the Serjeant at Arms can still make arrests as they have had the authority to do since 1415 The room however is currently occupied by the Petitions Committee which oversees petitions submitted to Parliament 32 Ayrton Light A new feature was added in 1873 by Acton Smee Ayrton then First Commissioner of Works and Public Buildings The Ayrton Light is a lantern sited above the belfry and is lit whenever the House of Commons sits after dark It can be seen from across London Originally it shone towards Buckingham Palace so Queen Victoria could look out of a window and see when the Commons were at work 33 ClockDials Two dials in 2022 following restoration Augustus Pugin drew inspiration from the clockmaker Benjamin Lewis Vulliamy when he designed the dials Each is made of cast iron sections bolted together The whole frame is 22 5 feet 6 9 m in diameter making them the third largest in the UK They each contain 324 pieces of opalescent glass 34 Originally the dials were backlit using gas lamps at first only when Parliament was sitting but they have routinely been illuminated from dusk until dawn since 1876 Electric bulbs were installed at the beginning of the 20th century 35 The ornate surrounds of the dials are gilded At the base of each dial is the Latin inscription DOMINE SALVAM FAC REGINAM NOSTRAM VICTORIAM PRIMAM which means O Lord keep safe our Queen Victoria the First 36 Unlike many Roman numeral clock dials which show the 4 position as IIII the Great Clock faces depict 4 as IV 37 The clock s gun metal hour hands and copper minute hands are 8 75 feet 2 7 m and 14 feet 4 3 m long respectively 38 When completed the frame and hands were Prussian blue but were painted black in the 1930s to disguise the effects of air pollution The original colour scheme was reinstated during the 2017 2021 conservation work It was found that no fewer than six different colour schemes had been used over the past 160 years 39 The Victorian glass was also removed and replaced with faithful reproductions made in Germany by glassmakers Glasfabrik Lamberts 40 Movement The interior of the clock face The clock s movement is known for its reliability The designers were the lawyer and amateur horologist Edmund Beckett Denison and George Airy the Astronomer Royal Construction was entrusted to clockmaker Edward John Dent after his death in 1853 his stepson Frederick Dent completed the work in 1854 41 As the tower was not completed until 1859 Denison had time to experiment instead of using a deadbeat escapement and remontoire as originally designed he invented a double three legged gravity escapement which provides the best separation between pendulum and clock mechanism thus mitigating the effects of rain wind and snow on the dials 42 Dent never patented his design and it quickly became the standard on all new high quality tower clocks 43 source source source source source source source source source source track Winding the clock mechanism On top of the pendulum is a small stack of pre decimal penny coins these are to adjust the time of the clock Adding a coin has the effect of minutely lifting the position of the pendulum s centre of mass reducing the effective length of the pendulum rod and hence increasing the rate at which the pendulum swings Adding or removing a penny will change the clock s speed by 0 4 seconds per day 44 It keeps time to within a few seconds per week 45 It is hand wound taking about 1 5 hours three times a week The Keeper of the Clock is responsible for looking after the movement in addition to overseeing every aspect of maintenance around the Palace A team of horologists are on call 24 hours a day to attend to the clock in the event of an emergency 46 On 10 May 1941 a German bombing raid damaged two of the clock s dials and sections of the tower s stepped roof and destroyed the House of Commons chamber Architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott designed a new five floor block Two floors are occupied by the current chamber which was used for the first time on 26 October 1950 The clock ran accurately and chimed throughout the Blitz 47 Breakdowns and other incidents 19th century Before 1878 The clock stopped for the first time in its history through a heavy fall of snow on the hands of a clock face 48 49 21 August 1877 January 1878 The clock was stopped for three weeks to allow the tower and mechanism to be cleaned and repaired The old escape wheel was replaced 48 February 1900 The heavy build up of snow on a clock face impeded the progress of the hour hand causing the clock to stop for about eight hours 50 20th century 1916 For two years during World War I the bells were silenced and the clock faces were not illuminated at night to avoid guiding attacking German Zeppelins 51 The bells were restored at 11 a m on 11 November 1918 to mark the end of the war 50 29 December 1927 Snow build up on a clock face stopped the clock 52 Winter 1928 Heavy snow stopped the clock for several hours 50 2 April 1934 The clock stopped from 7 16 a m to 1 15 p m when it was repaired 53 23 September 1936 A painter painting the inside of the clock room placed a ladder against a shaft driving the hands stopping the clock from 8 47 a m to 10 a m 50 1 September 1939 Although the bells continued to ring the clock faces were not illuminated at night throughout World War II to avoid guiding bomber pilots during the Blitz 51 10 11 May 1941 the clock was damaged during a German bombing raid either by a small bomb or by a British anti aircraft shell Stonework and ornamental ironwork was damaged and the glass on the south dial was shattered 50 3 4 June 1941 The clock stopped from 10 13 p m until 10 13 the following morning after a workman repairing air raid damage to the clock face left a hammer too close to the mechanism 54 50 9 December 1944 The clock hands stopped due to mechanical failure The broken part a pendulum suspension spring was replaced within a few hours 50 25 26 January 1945 Extremely cold temperatures froze the rubber bushings on the quarter bell hammers preventing the chimes sounding from 9 p m on the 25th to 9 p m the following evening the BBC broadcast the pips in the interval 50 28 January 1947 The rubber bushings on the quarter bell hammers again froze before the clock sounded midnight muting the chimes though the problem was resolved by the morning 50 12 August 1949 The clock slowed by four and a half minutes after a flock of starlings perched on the minute hand 55 50 13 January 1955 The clock stopped at 3 24 a m due to drifts of snow forming on the north and east dials Small electric heaters were placed just inside these two dials and this measure has helped to reduce instances of freezing in recent years 50 18 July 1955 The rope operating the striking hammer broke silencing the clock from 10 a m to 5 p m 50 New Year s Eve 1962 The clock slowed due to heavy snow and ice on the hands causing the pendulum to detach from the clockwork as it is designed to do in such circumstances to avoid serious damage elsewhere in the mechanism the pendulum continuing to swing freely Thus it chimed in the 1963 new year nine minutes late 56 30 January 1965 The bells were silenced during the funeral of statesman and former prime minister Winston Churchill 57 9 January 1968 Snow buildup on the clock faces blocked the hands from moving stopping the clock from 6 28 a m to 10 10 a m 50 5 August 1976 The air brake speed regulator of the chiming mechanism broke from torsional fatigue after more than 100 years of use causing the fully wound 4 ton weight to spin the winding drum out of the movement causing much damage The Great Clock was shut down for a total of 26 days over nine months it was reactivated on 9 May 1977 This was the longest break in operation since its construction During this time BBC Radio 4 broadcast the pips instead 58 Although there were minor stoppages from 1977 to 2002 when maintenance of the clock was carried out by the old firm of clockmakers Thwaites amp Reed these were often repaired within the permitted two hour downtime and not recorded as stoppages Before 1970 maintenance was carried out by the original firm of Dents since 2002 by parliamentary staff March 1986 and January 1987 The problem of the rubber bushings on the quarter bell chimes freezing recurred muffling the chimes 50 30 April 1997 The clock stopped 24 hours before the general election and stopped again three weeks later 59 21st century Cleaning of the south clock face on 11 August 2007 27 May 2005 The clock stopped at 10 07 pm possibly because of hot weather temperatures in London had reached an unseasonable 31 8 C 89 2 F It resumed but stopped again at 10 20 pm and remained still for about 90 minutes before resuming 59 29 October 2005 The mechanism was stopped for about 33 hours to allow maintenance work on the clock and its chimes It was the lengthiest maintenance shutdown in 22 years 60 7 00 a m on 5 June 2006 The clock tower s Quarter Bells were taken out of commission for four weeks as a bearing holding one of the quarter bells was worn and needed to be removed for repairs 61 During this period BBC Radio 4 broadcast recordings of British bird song followed by the pips in place of the usual chimes 62 11 August 2007 Start of six week stoppage for maintenance Bearings in the clock s chime train and the great bell striker were replaced for the first time since installation 63 During the maintenance the clock was driven by an electric motor 64 Once again BBC Radio 4 broadcast the pips during this time The intention was that the clock should run accurately for a further 200 years before major maintenance is again required in fact the repairs sufficed for ten years 65 17 April 2013 The bells were silenced as a mark of profound dignity and deep respect during the funeral of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher 66 August 2015 Maintenance crews discovered the clock to be running seven seconds fast They removed coins from its pendulum to correct the error which caused it to run slow for a period 67 21 August 2017 Start of a four year silencing of the chimes during maintenance and repair work to the clock mechanism and repairs and improvements to the clock tower building During this time dials hands and lights were removed for restoration with at least one dial with its hands driven by an electric motor left intact functioning and visible at any given time A lift was also installed during this renovation 68 69 BellsGreat Bell The second Big Ben centre and the Quarter Bells from The Illustrated News of the World 4 December 1858 Big Ben The main bell officially known as the Great Bell but better known as Big Ben is the largest bell in the tower and part of the Great Clock of Westminster It sounds an E natural 70 The original bell was a 16 ton 16 3 tonne hour bell cast on 6 August 1856 in Stockton on Tees by John Warner amp Sons 3 It is thought that the bell was originally to be called Victoria or Royal Victoria in honour of Queen Victoria but that an MP suggested the bell s current nickname of Big Ben during a Parliamentary debate the comment is not recorded in Hansard 71 Since the tower was not yet finished the bell was mounted in New Palace Yard but during testing it cracked beyond repair and a replacement had to be made The bell was recast on 10 April 1858 at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry as a 13 5 ton 13 76 tonne bell 3 72 The second bell was transported from the foundry to the tower on a trolley drawn by sixteen horses with crowds cheering its progress it was then pulled 200 ft 61 0 m up to the Clock Tower s belfry a feat that took 18 hours It is 7 feet 6 inches 2 29 m tall and 9 feet 2 74 m diameter This new bell first chimed in July 1859 in September it too cracked under the hammer According to the foundry s manager George Mears the horologist Denison had used a hammer more than twice the maximum weight specified 3 For three years Big Ben was taken out of commission and the hours were struck on the lowest of the quarter bells until it was repaired To make the repair a square piece of metal was chipped out from the rim around the crack and the bell given an eighth of a turn so the new hammer struck in a different place 3 Big Ben has chimed with a slightly different tone ever since and is still in use today with the crack unrepaired Big Ben was the largest bell in the British Isles until Great Paul a 16 75 ton 17 tonne bell currently hung in St Paul s Cathedral was cast in 1881 73 In August 2007 the bell s striker was replaced for the first time since installation 63 Nickname The origin of the nickname Big Ben is the subject of some debate The nickname was applied first to the Great Bell it may have been named after Sir Benjamin Hall who oversaw the installation of the Great Bell or after English heavyweight boxing champion Benjamin Caunt 3 74 75 Now Big Ben is often used by extension to refer to the clock the tower and the bell collectively although the nickname is not universally accepted as referring to the clock and tower 76 Some authors of works about the tower clock and bell sidestep the issue by using the words Big Ben first in the title then going on to clarify that the subject of the book is the clock and tower as well as the bell 58 77 Chimes Along with the Great Bell the belfry houses four quarter bells which play the Westminster Quarters on the quarter hours The four quarter bells sound G F E and B They were cast by John Warner amp Sons at their Crescent Foundry in 1857 G F and B and 1858 E The Foundry was in Jewin Crescent in what is now known as The Barbican in the City of London 78 The bells are sounded by hammers pulled by cables coming from the link room a low ceiling space between the clock room and the belfry where they are triggered by cables coming from the chime train 18 The quarter bells play a once repeating 20 note sequence of rounds and four changes in the key of E major 1 4 at quarter past 5 12 at half past 13 20 and 1 4 at quarter to and 5 20 on the hour which sounds 25 seconds before the main bell tolls the hour Because the low bell B is struck twice in quick succession there is not enough time to pull a hammer back and it is supplied with two wrench hammers on opposite sides of the bell The tune is that of the Cambridge Chimes first used for the chimes of Great St Mary s church Cambridge and supposedly a variation attributed to William Crotch based on violin phrases from the air I know that my Redeemer liveth in Handel s Messiah 79 80 The notional words of the chime again derived from Great St Mary s and in turn an allusion to Psalm 37 23 24 are All through this hour Lord be my guide And by Thy power No foot shall slide 81 They are written on a plaque on the wall of the clock room 82 One of the requirements for the clock was that the first stroke of the hour bell should be correct to within one second per day The tolerance is with reference to Greenwich Mean Time BST in summer 83 So at twelve o clock for example it is the first of the twelve hour bell strikes that signifies the hour the New Year on New Year s Eve at midnight The time signalled by the last of the six pips UTC may be fractionally different On 13 November 2022 Remembrance Sunday the chimes of Big Ben returned to regular service for the first time since August 2017 preceding the hour bell being sounded at 11 00 a m local time the first hour strike marking the beginning of two minutes of silence 84 Cultural significance A London themed Paddington Bear statue featuring Big Ben located outside the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square in 2014 The clock has become a cultural symbol of the United Kingdom particularly in the visual media When a television or film maker wishes to indicate a generic location in the country a popular way to do so is to show an image of the tower often with a red double decker bus or black cab in the foreground 85 In 2008 a survey of 2 000 people found that the tower was the most popular landmark in the United Kingdom 86 It has also been named as the most iconic film location in London 87 The sound of the clock chiming has also been used this way in audio media the Westminster Quarters are imitated by other clocks and other devices but the sound of Big Ben is preferred as the original and best Big Ben is a focal point of New Year celebrations in the United Kingdom with radio and television stations airing its chimes to welcome the start of the New Year To welcome in 2012 the clock tower was lit with fireworks that exploded at every toll of Big Ben 88 Similarly on Remembrance Day the chimes of Big Ben are broadcast to mark the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month and the start of the two minutes silence 89 The chimes of Big Ben have also been used at the state funerals of monarchs on four occasions chiming one stroke for each year of the monarch s life firstly at the funeral of King Edward VII in 1910 when Big Ben chimed 68 times secondly at the funeral of King George V in 1936 70 strokes thirdly at the funeral of King George VI in 1952 56 strokes 90 and lastly at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022 96 strokes 91 Londoners who live an appropriate distance from the tower and Big Ben can by means of listening to the chimes both live and on analogue radio hear the bell strike thirteen times This is possible because the electronically transmitted chimes arrive virtually instantaneously while the live sound is delayed travelling through the air since the speed of sound is relatively slow 92 ITN s News at Ten opening sequence formerly featured an image of the tower with the sound of Big Ben s chimes punctuating the announcement of the news headlines of the day 93 The Big Ben chimes known within ITN as The Bongs continue to be used during the headlines and all ITV News bulletins use a graphic based on the Westminster clock dial Big Ben can also be heard striking the hour before some news bulletins on BBC Radio 4 6 p m and midnight plus 10 p m on Sundays and the BBC World Service a practice that began on 31 December 1923 The sound of the chimes is sent live from a microphone permanently installed in the tower and connected by line to Broadcasting House 94 At the close of the polls for the 2010 general election the results of the national exit poll were projected onto the south side of the tower 95 On 27 July 2012 starting at 8 12 a m Big Ben chimed 30 times to welcome the Games of the 30th Olympiad which officially began that day to London 96 2017 renovation Scaffolding erected in 2017 to allow worker access Elizabeth Tower with the scaffolding mostly removed March 2022 On 21 August 2017 Big Ben s chimes were silenced for four years to allow essential restoration work to be carried out on the tower The decision to silence the bells was made to protect the hearing of the workers on the tower and drew much criticism from senior MPs and Prime Minister Theresa May 97 The striking and tolling of the bells for important occasions such as New Year s Eve and Remembrance Sunday was handled via an electric motor and at least one of the four clock faces always remained visible during the restoration Scaffolding was put up around the tower immediately after the bells were silenced The original cost of the project to the taxpayers and creditors was estimated to be roughly 29 million but this was then more than doubled to 69 million 98 In February 2020 it was confirmed that the renovations had revealed that the Elizabeth Tower had sustained greater damage than originally thought in the May 1941 bombing raid that destroyed the adjacent House of Commons Other costly discoveries included asbestos in the belfry the extensive use of lead paint broken glass on the clock dials and serious deterioration to the tower s intricate stone carvings due to air pollution The cost of addressing the new problems was estimated at 18 6 million bringing the total budget for restoring the Elizabeth Tower to nearly 80 million 99 The 2 567 cast iron roof tiles have been removed and refurbished and a lift has been installed to make access easier along with a basic toilet facility with running water for the first time in the tower itself The Ayrton Light at the top of the tower which is lit when Parliament is sitting has also been fully dismantled and restored along with the other lights in the Belfry the lights being replaced with low energy LEDs 100 One of the most visible changes to the tower has been the restoration of the clock face framework to its original colour of Prussian blue used when the tower was first built in 1859 with the black paint that was used to cover up the soot stained dial frames now having been stripped away The clock faces have been regilded and the shields of St George have been repainted in their original red and white colours The 1 296 pieces of glass that make up the clock faces have also been removed and replaced 101 102 In December 2021 after four years of renovations and restoration the tower emerged from behind its scaffolding in time for the ringing in of the new year 103 In April 2022 the gantry supporting the scaffolding was removed leaving the tower free of scaffolding 104 See also London portal Big Ben Aden a 22 metre replica built in 1890 Kolkata Time Zone Tower in Lake Town Kolkata India a 30 metre replica built in 2015 Little Ben a smaller 1892 clock tower near London Victoria station Parliament Buildings Nairobi a similar clock tower built in 1954References Andersson Jasmine 29 October 2022 When do the clocks go back Big Ben prepares for first change in five years BBC News Retrieved 30 October 2022 West Dial re connected to the Great Clock UK Parliament 28 April 2022 Retrieved 30 October 2022 a b c d e f g The Story of Big Ben Whitechapel Bell Foundry Archived from the original on 17 February 2018 Retrieved 4 May 2022 Fowler p 95 Excell Jon 5 July 2016 Why is Big Ben falling silent BBC News Join in the anniversary celebrations UK Parliament Archived from the original on 2 February 2009 Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbey including Saint Margaret s Church UNESCO Big Ben in films and popular culture The Daily Telegraph 8 November 2016 Archived from the original on 11 January 2022 Centre UNESCO World Heritage UNESCO World Heritage Centre World Heritage List UNESCO World Heritage Centre Retrieved 8 November 2022 Fowler Susanne 12 April 2021 What Does It Take to Hear Big Ben Again 500 Workers and a Hiding Place The New York Times Retrieved 15 April 2021 Big Ben bongs to be silenced for 29m refurbishment BBC News 26 April 2016 Retrieved 26 April 2016 1289 1834 Big Ben and Elizabeth Tower UK Parliament Retrieved 9 July 2014 McKay p 45 McKay p 46 Hill p 482 a b McKay p 266 a b McKay p 201 a b McKay pp 47 48 Portcullis UK Parliament Retrieved 21 January 2021 Elizabeth Tower decorative shields before and during the conservation UK Parliament Retrieved 21 January 2021 McKay p 44 Big Ben Lifts UK Parliament 9 December 2020 Tunnel Vision PDF Post Report Summary Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology January 1997 Archived from the original PDF on 21 November 2006 McKay p 25 Clock ticking for leaning Big Ben BBC News 11 October 2011 Frequently asked questions Big Ben and Elizabeth Tower UK Parliament Hough Andrew 2 June 2012 The Queen s Diamond Jubilee Big Ben to be renamed Elizabeth Tower The Daily Telegraph Archived from the original on 11 January 2022 Retrieved 9 July 2014 Rath Kayte 26 June 2012 Big Ben s tower renamed Elizabeth Tower in honour of Queen BBC News Questions to the Prime Minister House of Commons Hansard Debates for 12 Sept 2012 Hansard Retrieved 13 September 2012 Elizabeth Tower naming ceremony U K Parliament 12 September 2012 Retrieved 30 April 2016 McKay p 7 The Prison Room of Elizabeth Tower Parliamentary Archives 28 May 2020 McKay p 28 Great Clock facts UK Parliament Retrieved 30 January 2021 McKay pp 121 129 McKay p 11 Good P 81 McKay pp 266 267 Turning Big Ben s clock dials blue UK Parliament Retrieved 31 December 2020 New glass for Big Ben Dachser 20 February 2020 Denison Dent and delays Building the Great Clock London UK Parliament 13 November 2009 Archived from the original on 4 December 2009 Retrieved 23 November 2009 McKay p 13 McKay p 4 Great Clock facts Big Ben London UK Parliament 13 November 2009 Archived from the original on 7 October 2009 Retrieved 23 November 2009 McKay p 130 McKay p 5 Jardine Cassandra 29 May 2009 Let s hear it again from Big Ben The Daily Telegraph London Archived from the original on 11 January 2022 a b Big Ben The Herald Melbourne Melbourne 5 January 1878 p 3 Retrieved 2 April 2019 Big Ben The Kyneton Observer 10 January 1878 p 2 Retrieved 2 April 2019 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n MacDonald Peter 13 October 2005 Big Ben The Bell the Clock and the Tower The History Press ISBN 978 0 7524 9549 1 Retrieved 18 June 2017 a b Bong Big Ben rings in its 150th anniversary NBC News Associated Press 29 May 2009 Retrieved 1 June 2009 Snow Stops Big Ben The Labor Daily Sydney 30 December 1927 p 1 Retrieved 2 April 2019 Big Ben Stops on Holiday The News Adelaide 3 April 1934 p 10 Retrieved 2 April 2019 Big Ben stopped by hammer The Morning Bulletin Rockhampton 6 June 1941 Retrieved 11 May 2014 Big Ben s big clean BBC News 21 August 2001 Plester Jeremy 9 November 2016 Bell tolls for Big Ben snow ice and sunflower effect stop the clock The Guardian London Big Ben to be silent for Baroness Thatcher s funeral BBC News 15 April 2013 Retrieved 7 February 2014 a b Macdonald Peter G 25 January 2005 Big Ben The Bell The Clock And The Tower Stroud Gloucestershire ISBN 978 0 7524 9549 1 a b Big Ben chimes stoppage mystery BBC News 28 May 2005 Retrieved 26 April 2010 In pictures Big Ben s big turn off BBC News 29 October 2005 Retrieved 26 April 2010 Bong A change of tune at Westminster The Independent 4 June 2006 Retrieved 8 June 2022 Rippon Peter 12 June 2006 The Editors Bongs and Birds BBC News Retrieved 10 April 2017 a b Big Ben silenced for repair work BBC News 11 August 2007 Retrieved 26 April 2010 Big Ben 1859 2009 Keeping the Great Clock ticking UK Parliament Archived from the original on 3 June 2009 Retrieved 27 May 2009 Brand Stewart 2008 The Clock of the Long Now New York Basic Books ISBN 978 0 7867 2292 1 Watt Nicholas 15 April 2013 Margaret Thatcher funeral Big Ben to be silenced as mark of respect The Guardian London Retrieved 17 May 2013 Phipps Claire 25 August 2015 Clockwatchers ticked off as Big Ben s chimes run seven seconds fast The Guardian Retrieved 30 August 2015 Big Ben s bongs to fall silent until 2021 for repairs BBC News London 14 August 2017 Retrieved 30 January 2021 Big Ben to be silenced for four years for maintenance The Guardian 14 August 2017 Retrieved 8 January 2021 Facts and figures www parliament uk Retrieved 23 November 2021 Big Ben How did Big Ben get its Name Icons of England Archived from the original on 24 January 2010 Retrieved 30 April 2016 The actual weight quoted by the founders is 13 tons 10 cwts 3 qtrs 15 lbs The History of Great Paul Bell foundry museum Leicester Archived from the original on 30 September 2007 Retrieved 19 October 2008 The Great Bell Big Ben UK Parliament Retrieved 9 July 2014 The Great Bell Big Ben Living Heritage UK Parliament 13 November 2009 Retrieved 28 July 2012 Betts Jonathan D 26 November 2008 Big Ben Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica Online Archived from the original on 2 November 2008 Retrieved 27 October 2008 Lockhart Ann 1997 Big Ben and the Westminster Clock Tower Stroud Gloucestershire ISBN 978 0 85372 839 9 The New Houses of Parliament The Standard London 16 November 1855 p 2 Phillips Alan 1959 The Story of Big Ben Her Majesty s Stationery Office p 13 Starmer William Wooding 1910 Quarter Chimes and Chime Tunes London Novello pp 6 8 Lockyer p 149 Milmo Cahel 5 June 2006 Bong A change of tune at Westminster The Independent London Retrieved 8 April 2008 The Story of Big Ben Whitechapel Bell Foundry Retrieved 9 July 2014 Big Ben to resume striking on Remembrance Sunday 2022 UK Parliament 13 November 2022 Patterson John 1 June 2007 City Light The Guardian London Archived from the original on 18 June 2008 Retrieved 26 December 2016 Big Ben UK s favourite landmark BBC News 9 April 2008 Retrieved 26 April 2010 Big Ben most iconic London film location Metro London 21 October 2007 Retrieved 30 April 2016 Fireworks going off at the London Eye and Big Ben to welcome 2012 in London BBC One Archived from the original on 19 December 2021 Retrieved 31 December 2011 Remembrance Day across the UK BBC News 14 November 2004 Retrieved 13 August 2012 Hibbert amp Weinreb pp 66 68 Big Ben tolled every minute for 96 minutes once for every year of Queen Elizabeth II s life www cbsnews com Retrieved 19 September 2022 How to make Big Ben s clock strike 13 BBC News 4 November 2010 Retrieved 13 August 2012 Robinson James 22 October 2009 ITV to drop Big Ben from News at Ten titles The Guardian London Retrieved 13 August 2012 Big Ben Microphone BBC Retrieved 15 April 2015 General election results beamed onto Big Ben UK Parliament Archived from the original on 11 November 2010 Retrieved 30 April 2016 Big Ben rings in Olympic Morning ITV News 27 July 2012 Archived from the original on 19 December 2021 Retrieved 10 April 2018 via YouTube Hughes Laura 16 August 2017 Theresa May says it can t be right for Big Ben to be silent for four years The Daily Telegraph London ISSN 0307 1235 Archived from the original on 11 January 2022 Retrieved 12 July 2019 Big Ben tower repair costs double BBC News 29 September 2017 Retrieved 12 July 2019 Syal Rajeev 13 February 2020 Wartime bomb damage and asbestos inflates Big Ben repair bill to 80m The Guardian London Retrieved 13 February 2020 Big Ben to be silenced for 29m refit BBC News 26 April 2016 Retrieved 12 July 2019 Big Ben Has Been Repainted Blue Londonist 21 March 2019 Retrieved 12 July 2019 Elizabeth Tower contract awarded News from Parliament UK Parliament 29 September 2017 Retrieved 5 September 2020 Sandle Paul Marks Lucy 23 November 2021 London s Big Ben to show fresh face to ring in New Year Reuters Retrieved 26 November 2021 Elizabeth Tower now free of scaffolding UK Parliament Retrieved 1 June 2022 BibliographyFowler H W 1976 The Concise Oxford dictionary of current English 6th ed Clarendon Press ISBN 978 0 19 861121 9 Good Richard 1996 Victorian Clocks British Museum Press ISBN 978 0 7141 0578 9 Hill Rosemary 2009 God s Architect Pugin amp the Building of Romantic Britain Yale University Press ASIN B008W30TJO Lockyer Herbert 1993 A Devotional Commentary on Psalms Kregel Christian Books ISBN 978 0 8254 9742 1 McKay Chris 2010 Big Ben the Great Clock and the Bells at the Palace of Westminster Oxford University Press ISBN 978 0 19 958569 4 Weinreb Ben Hibbert Christopher 2011 Big Ben The London Encyclopaedia 3rd ed Macmillan ISBN 978 0 2307 3878 2 External linksBig Ben at Wikipedia s sister projects Definitions from Wiktionary Media from Commons News from Wikinews Travel information from Wikivoyage Data from Wikidata Official website at UK Parliament The Palace of Westminster at UK Parliament Big Ben s Clapper at Houghton le Spring Heritage Society Interior photos of the tower at UK Parliament s Flickr A tale of Two Towers Big Ben and Pisa transcript of a lecture by Prof John Burland archived 12 October 2007 Videos What s inside Big Ben Elizabeth Tower Comprehensive 2022 YouTube animation that shows clock s workings Inside Big Ben s Makeover short 2020 film by the B1M The Mechanical Genius of Big Ben 2017 documentary by Discovery Big Ben s a Hundred 1959 newsreel by British Pathe Big Ben s Clean Up 1955 by British Pathe Big Ben Inside London s Famous Clock 1950 by British Pathe Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Big Ben amp oldid 1137192654, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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