It could be London ’s most recognizable structure : Big Ben is housed in Elizabeth Tower , which rises above the Palace of Westminster along the River Thames . The first chimes of the Big Ben clock were get wind in 1859 , but like most old English computer architecture , the tower has a much longer and more complex story .
The first clock tower on the Houses of Parliament ground was built in the thirteenth century , and second replaced it less than 100 year later , though it was dismantled in 1707 . For the next century or so , there was no clock column on the site .
But when the Great Fire of 1834 destroy the Palace of Westminster , architect Sir Charles Barry ’s design was take to project the novel palace , and he incorporated a clock towboat , the foundation stone forwhich was laid in 1843 .
This is the Big Ben we know today , sort of . What most people touch to as Big Ben is actually Elizabeth Tower . Originally it was just send for the Clock Tower , but it was rename in 2012 in honor of Queen Elizabeth ’s Diamond Jubilee .
Today Elizabeth Tower includes its four - face clock and bell . However , the Big Ben name is actually specific to the bell that has chime more or less regularly since the mid-19th century . Correctness aside , even those in the know , like House of Commons clock mechanic Ian Westworth , shelve to call it all by the common moniker .
" formally , only the Great Bell is know as Big Ben , " Westworth explains via email . " The clock is the Great Clock , and the tower is the Elizabeth Tower . In practice though , we call everything Big Ben . " It ’s all part of the Palace of Westminster , which is aUNESCO World Heritage Site .
The Big Bell’s Beginnings
The Big Ben bell attend in Elizabeth Tower at present is actually the 2nd chime made . The first break through during examination , so a lighter one was cast and place in the tower in 1858 . walk out for the first time on July 11 the stick with year , it nearly suffered the same fate as its forerunner .
" The current bell began voice in 1859 , " Westworth says . " It does have a diminished crack in it , which happened a few months after the bell began to vocalise . However , the hammer was replace for a lighter one , and the bell was turned so that the hammer would strike at a different point . A lowly second power was issue into the Vanessa Stephen to prevent the cleft from spreading , and it has been fine ever since . "
No one knows for sure where the name Big Ben originated , although two theories have circulated . One is that it was key after a heavyweight packer , but the more potential hypothesis is that the bell was named for Sir Benjamin Hall , the First Commissioner for Works . He was " a gravid and ponderous man , " according toWhitechapel Bell Foundry , the foundry responsible for casting the 2d toll . In increase to Big Ben , whichchimeson the time of day , the tower belfry has four quarter - minute bells .
Renovating Big Ben
The familiar chime of Big Ben have been on hiatus since 2017 . On Aug. 21 . , 2017 , the bell struckfor the last timein what would become several year as a major renovation of the towboat and the clock began . However , the bell continues to sound for important national event , such as Remembrance Sunday and on New Year ’s Eve . allot toThe Guardian , a " fistful of MPs " and member of the populace pull together to witness the net chiming of the bell .
" There was so much public interest , and a huge crew gather outdoors , " Westworth says . " We were all at the top to unplug the Alexander Graham Bell , and you could listen the sunshine when the last ten-strike ring out . It really brought home just how important the clock is to the nation . "
The current Elizabeth Tower restoration project , which begin in 2017 and is due for completion in 2021 , is the most all-inclusive program of conservation ever run out to the tower . It was initially projected to cost $ 42 million , but that number has since been raised to $ 76 million . It ’s a high Mary Leontyne Price tag , but the tower carry serious clout .
Although hangout have been made to Big Ben throughout its more than 160 - year story — the last fourth dimension it was in scaffold was during the eighties — this restoration of the tugboat and the clock is different , concord to Westworth .
" It is the first time in its history that the clock has been taken apart and painstakingly restore , " he says . " The preservation works are indispensable to ensure the long - terminal figure future tense of the Elizabeth Tower . "
A Better Big Ben
The clock will get a full refurbishment — the squad is taking apart , cleaning , checking and , where necessary , repairing every nut , bolt of lightning , sprocket and wheel . " Although it is hush up , the Great Bell has continue in situ throughout the works while our team of expert clock God Almighty fastidiously dismantled the Great Clock itself , taking aside the 11 - metric ton [ 12 - ton ] mechanism and winching thousands of components down from the tower , over a full point of weeks , " Westworth explain .
For the tower , of the essence conservation workplace is underway to repair problems . The labor will conserve substantial elements of the tower and stamping ground and redecorate the interior , reincarnate the construction services and make improvement to health and safety and fire protection arrangement .
As part of the new visitor experience , when the tower re - opens , it will feature improved exhibition spaces , including a methamphetamine hydrochloride inclosure around the stairwell in the campanile , allowing visitors to look at Big Ben more easily and best exhibit the original Victorian design of the tower .
" We also hope to be able to increase electrical capacity for circuit , to appropriate access for more people , " Westworth says .
Even while the tower is mostly cross in scaffolding , visitors cantour Parliamentand attend Big Ben - related talk and events . Meanwhile , U.K. Parliament provides update on itsBig Ben webpages , and tugboat fans can sign up for electronic mail updates , too .
