Big Ben itself has never had to be rebuilt, it was constructed new in 1859 following the fire that destroyed the old Houses of Parliament in 1834. The new Houses of Parliament (known as the Palace of Westminster) took about 20 years to build. Although the House of Commons was bombed during World War 2, Big Ben itself was never hit and survived the attack. It has never had to be reconstructed, just had odd bits of restoration work done on it over the decades. By the way, the name 'Big Ben' refers to the great bell inside the clock tower, and not to the tower itself. This has been recently named The Elizabeth Tower in honour of Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee.
Tin and copper, plus pieces of the old Big Ben, which was damaged
The clock is in Pro's along with several historic photos!
he is 31 years old
I thing he wsss 31
154 this year. The tower was completed on 10th April 1858
Big Ben is the largest bell in the clock tower of the Palace of Westminster (aka Houses of Parliament). The clock tower was built along with the new palace after the old tower and palace were destroyed in 1834.
Big Ben was born on may31st 1859 made the first sound ever in london history in 1989 Big Ben turns 100 years old then 2009 turns 150 years old and in 2014 Big Ben is now 155 years old so happy birhday to the clock tower
Big Ben - the world-renowned clock tower that resides in London, England - was built in 1858 after a fire destroyed the old Palace of Westminister. The clock tower was renamed the Elizabeth Tower in 2012 to celebrate Queen Elizabeth's 60th anniversary as queen.
No, it was 150 years old in 2009, and is the 3rd tallest free standing clock tower in the world. It was part of the design for new building after Westminster was largely destroyed by fire in 1834, designed by Charles Barry. The actual clock tower will probably be renamed the Elizabeth Tower, as a tribute to our Queen in her jubilee year
Big Ben -- St. Stephen's 316 foot clock-tower was completed by 1859, thereby replacing another that stood close to the site of the old palace clock-tower (1288-1707). The name, Big Ben, probably after Sir Benjamin Hall, First Commissioner of Works and a man of vast girth, applied originally only to the bell, which was cast at the Whitechapel Foundry. The Aryton light above the clock is lit while the Commons is sitting. Big Ben is commonly referred to as the clock housed in the tower at the eastern end of Britain's Houses of Parliament. Designed by Sir Edmund Beckett (1816
Tin and copper, plus pieces of the old Big Ben, which was damaged
No, Big Ben is a mechanical clock. It is maintained to be very accurate and its timing is altered minutely by varying the weight of the pendulum by adding or removing old pennies.
Big Ben is the biggest four-faced, chiming clock in the world.The real name of the tower, housing the clock until October 2012 was the 'Clock Tower', but since October 2012 it's known as 'Elizabeth Tower'. This change in name was brought about in recognition of Her Majesty the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.Big Ben is actually the nickname of the main bell, formally known as the Great Bell, housed within the tower. However, the nickname is more popular than the official one.A survey of 2,000 people was conducted in 2008 that came up with conclusion that the tower was the most popular landmark in the United Kingdom.The Clock Tower has incorrectly been called St. Stephen's Tower. However that tower is actually the spired tower towards the middle of the Palace, which serves as the main point of entry for attendees of debates and committees. It is also called Big Tom.Big Ben was built along with the new parliament buildings and palace to replace the Old Palace of Westminster after it was destroyed by fire in October 1834.The clock became operational on 7th September 1859.The building of Big Ben was overseen by architect Charles Barry.The clock tower, clock and its dials were designed by Augustus Pugin.The first 61 meters of Clock Tower are made up of brickwork and stone cladding and the remainder of tower is made from cast iron.The Tower leans slightly towards the northwest by 8.66 inches.The great bell of 'Big Ben' weighs 13.7 tonnes.The bell did not stop working, even during World War 2The tower is sited on a 15-metre square raft, made of 3-metre thick concrete, at 4 meters below ground level.The four faces of the clock are 55 meters above ground. The interior volume of the tower is 4,650 cubic metersAt the base of each clock face is a Latin inscription, in gilt letters. It reads - DOMINE SALVAM FAC REGINAM NOSTRAM VICTORIAM PRIMAM, which means "O Lord, keep safe our Queen Victoria the First".Big Ben is the focus of New Year celebrations in the United Kingdom, with radio and TV stations tuning in to it's chimes to welcome the start of the year.On Remembrance Day, the chimes of Big Ben are broadcast to mark the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.ITN's "News at Ten" opening sequence features an image of the Clock Tower, with the sound of Big Ben's chimes punctuating the announcement of the news headlines. It has done so, on and off, for the last 41 years.Turret clocks seen around the world have been inspired by the look of the Great Clock of Big Ben.Big Ben is synonymous as the Great Bell, the Clock and the Tower in which it is encased.Big Ben is actually said to be named after Sir Benjamin Hall, a very popular politician of the time and commissioner of the works.Although Big Ben is not open to tourists, you can request an internal visit by asking your local MP.The original great bell was bigger and heavier. It cracked during testing and was removed. The second and current great bell also cracked upon testing. It was patched up and turned for the hammer to strike solid metal. It gives the bell it's distinctive sound.The mechanism is the most accurate of analogue precision and the pendulum is adjusted by adding and removing old pre-decimal penny coins as weights.Big Ben is actually the nickname of the 14 ton Great Bell of the Clock Tower of the Palace of Westminster and not the clock itself, although most people now use the name 'Big Ben' for the clock. Big Ben was installed in 1859 and is the largest chiming four-sided clock in the world. It is not without irony that a flawed and off key bell has sounded over a parliament building for over 150 years.The first bell cast was a 16 tonner by John Warner ans Sons at the Crescent Foundry, Stockton-on-Tees on 6th August 1856, but it cracked irreparably under test in the palace yard, Westminster. The current bell was cast from the original bell at Whitechapel Foundry on 10th April 1858 and first rang over London on 31st May 1859. It cracked 2 months later because of the overweight hammer fitted. The crack was 'stopped' and the bell turned to present a solid face to the hammer. The fitting of a lighter hammer completed the repair. This is the bell in use today and it remains the biggest bell ever cast by the Whitechapel foundry. The name 'Big Ben' was the nickname of the most famous heavyweight boxer of the day, Benjamin Caunt. It is entirely plausible that the biggest and most famous bell was imbued with the name of the most popular public hero of the time.
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Big Ben London Eye One Canada Square The Angel of the North Jodrel Bank Old Harry Rocks Ben Nevis Edinburgh Castle Buckingham Palace Stone Henge Bodlean Library The O2 The BT Tower Tower Bridge
The tower was completed in 1859.