London's symbol is the tower of big ben, at the Palace of Westminster. Big Ben is actually the great bell, a large bell located inside the Elizabeth Tower, building that houses the Houses of Parliament of the Great Britain and brings the most famous watch in the world - the Great Clock. Many people think Big Ben is the Tower of Parliament, which is wrong.
the bell big ben weighs 13.7 tons and measures 2.28 m in height by 2.75 m in width. It first sounded in July 11, 1859. It sounds at every exact hour set by the official London clock, chimes that are broadcast by the broadcaster British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). In addition to the famous Big Ben, other smaller bells ring every 15 minutes in Elizabeth Tower.
Big Ben's clock is made up of four giant, illuminated faces. Built in the reign of Queen Victoria, the building has the inscription in Latin MASTER SALVAM FAC REGINAM NOSTRAM VICTORIAM PRIMAM (Lord, keep our Queen Victoria First safe).
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History
SymbolBritish, Big Ben was not part of the original design of the Palace of Westminster. The construction of his home, the Elizabeth Tower, was only designed after a fire on October 18, 1834, which destroyed almost the entire Palace. As Westminster Hall was the part that remained standing despite the flames, the option was to rebuild the building while preserving the part that had resisted the fire. The Parliament decided to make some innovations at the site, requesting the construction of a tower and a clock, an object that would officially mark the hours of London.
The construction of the clock
Big Ben's clock was a work with risky technical requirements for the time and confusion marked its construction: the architect Charles Barry, responsible for the project, chose a manufacturer of his choice without consulting the possibilities existing in London - this branch of the industry was very important at the time. The real astronomer George Airy, which was in charge of the technical part, faced protests due to the risky technical specifications defined, which could affect the safety of the work.
Parliament had to define an intermediary for the Big Ben clock project, Edmund Beckett Denison, but the decision did not facilitate the progress of the work. After taking over the creation of the design, Denison handed over the product to manufacturer Messrs E.J. Dent & Co, and the watch was finished in 1854.
The construction of the bell
If building the tower clock was something that caused impasses in the project, creating the design and manufacturing a ton bell that was synchronized with the scheduled hours was a great challenge. Denison decided to design the bell for the Palace of Westminster within technical specifications established by himself, ignoring the bell that was already produced for the work. After it's ready, the Great Bell could not support the weight and broke.
The material for the broken bell was handed over to the foundry master and owner of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry, George Mears, and a new bell was built, totaling a cost of £572. O new great bell was approved by Denison himself, responsible for the previous design.
Big Ben transport and holiday
Weighing over 13 tonnes, the transport of Big Ben required lane closures and a holiday was decreed on the day. A carriage with 16 horses was used to carry the bell to the tower in 1858.
Cracked Bell - Justice Case
The bell could not withstand the impact of the inner spade (responsible for the tolling) and ended up cracking. Blame for the damage was Denison's, as the project did not correctly calculate the weight of the shovel. The case went to court, giving a favorable case to the Whitechapel Bell Foundry.
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Origin of the name Big Ben
bigBen it is a "surname" of the bell of the Parliament Tower, and its origin is not certain. However, some historians link the name to Sir Benjamin Hall, first Baron of Llanover, responsible for overseeing the construction of the London postcard.
Even Big Ben's house, the Elizabeth Tower, had other names before honoring Queen Elizabeth II. The place was once called the Clock Tower and also St Stephen's Tower, referring to an association of journalists.
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Where is Big Ben?
River Thames divides the London Eye Ferris Wheel on the left and Big Ben on the right.**
Big Ben tower is located in regioncentralinLondon, next to the River Thames at the Palace of Westminster. Its strategic position contributes to the location being one of the Postal cards Londoners and attract the attention of tourists. Another tourist spot nearby is the London Eye, the fourth largest Ferris wheel in the world.
How to visit Big Ben
Access to Big Ben can be done by subway, as Westminster station is close by. Guided tours of Big Ben are exclusive to those living in the UK, but are suspended due to the renovation that ends in 2020.
An option for foreigners to visit the Big Ben tower is to visit the Parliament and its Chambers. The organ brings in its official page information about the visitation and curiosities about the Elizabeth Tower.
The Big Ben Tower (Elizabeth Tower) is located in the Palace of Westminster in London.***
big ben silent
In its entire trajectory, there were few times that the bigBennorang. The first time the world's most famous bell was silent was at the First World War, to avoid attacks from the Germans. At Second war, in turn, only the lights were turned off and the bell continued to ring normally.
In 2007, a maintenance also brought the tolls to a standstill and, in 2017, the British postcard entered a silent period (which will last until 2021) due to a renovation in the tower, a stoppage that aims to preserve the integrity of the workers of the construction.
Delay in Big Ben
Known for their punctuality, the British count the Big Ben clock as their official time. Physically, the Great Clock is resistant to many conditions, including bombing. However, some technical errors have already occurred, the best known being the ten minutes delay at the turn of the year 1962.
Remodeling
Since 2017, the Big Ben tower has been undergoing complete renovation. In addition to the repairs necessary for the maintenance of the building, clocks and bells, an elevator is being installed that takes you to the top of the Elizabeth Tower, without having to climb the 334 steps along the way.
Big Ben Tower Clock during maintenance in 2017. ****
*Image credits: visuals/shutterstock.com
**Image credit: Luciano Mortula - LGM / Shutterstock
*** Image Credit: Jessica Taylor / www.parliament.uk
****Image credits: Catherine Bebbington / www.parliament.uk
By Lorraine Vilela
Journalist