![]() The chimes of Big Ben were first broadcast by the BBC on December 31 1923, a tradition that continues to this day. The clock has rarely stopped - even after a bomb destroyed the Commons chamber during the Second World War, the clock tower survived and Big Ben continued to strike the hours. ![]() It now also used special £5 coins created especially for the 2012 Olympics.Īdding or taking away coins affects the pendulum's centre of mass and the rate at which it swings, Mike McCann, the clock's keeper told Reuters news service at the time. The second theory is that it was named after a heavyweight boxing champion at that time, Benjamin Caunt.Īlso known as 'Big Ben', this nickname was commonly bestowed in society to anything that was the heaviest in its class.īig Ben's timekeeping is strictly regulated by a stack of coins placed on the huge pendulum.īefore 2009, timekeepers kept 10 old pennies beside the mechanism, using the coins to keep the clock accurate. The first is that is was named after Sir Benjamin Hall, the first commissioner of works, a large man who was known affectionately in the house as 'Big Ben'. The origin of the name Big Ben is not known, although two different theories exist. It first rang across Westminster on but just months later cracked again.Ī lighter hammer had to be fitted and the bell was turned around so an undamaged section could be rung. In 1858 the metal was melted down and the bell recast in Whitechapel. The bell necessary for the giant clock had to be large, and John Warner and Sons at Stockton-on-Tees' first attempt cracked irreparably. Parliament's team of clock mechanics temporarily disconnected Big Ben and the quarter bells from the clock mechanism and lowered the weights to the base of the tower in order to provide a safe environment for the people working in the Elizabeth Tower.Īfter the Palace of Westminster was destroyed by a fire in 1834 those in charge of planning the new building decided to create a tower and clock. The tower was designed by architects Charles Barry and Augstus Wellby Pugin.Īn important part of the tower's restoration is to improve fire prevention standards. ![]() The last extensive conservation work on the UNESCO World Heritage site were completed between 19. ![]() The clock was designed and installed in 1859, with the aim of creating the most accurate public timepiece in the world.įrom spring, Big Ben and the four quarter bells will once again sound out the famous Westminster Quarters melody and resonant bongs throughout the day - the first time they have done so since the restoration began in 2017. The task has been particularly painstaking given that neither the original designer, Edmund Beckett Denison, nor installer, Edward John Dent, kept detailed records of how it was constructed. The Elizabeth Tower, housing the Big Ben bell, is seen clad in scalffolding, over the Houses of Parliament, in central London in 2017 The final face has now been restored and is showing the correct time. In January this year Big Ben's iconic clock faces caused some confusion as baffled passersby noticed that one of the four dials was stuck at 12 o'clock. Photographs of the four newly-restored clock faces on the Palace of Westminster's Elizabeth Tower showed hands on the west dial jammed at 12 o'clock. When black paint was stripped away from the dials during repair work earlier this year, it was discovered that it was originally painted in a dark hue known as Prussian blue. The bell at the world-famous London landmark was barely rung while the tower was covered in scaffolding - which was removed in late 2021, revealing a view of the clock face's restored original paint colour. Over the past five years, the 96-metre tower and the clockwork and bell mechanism within it have undergone the biggest repair and conservation project in its history. The last remaining face of Big Ben has now been fully restored to its former glory - and showing the correct time - after its refurbishment.
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