That same bell, crack and all, remains in use. Officials simply turned the bell so the hammer wouldn't strike the crack. Soon after, it cracked – as an earlier version had during testing. Parliament's neo-Gothic clock tower, designed by Charles Barry, is popularly known as Big Ben, although the name refers only to the 13.5 ton Great Bell inside.Ĭast at the Whitechapel Foundry in east London, Big Ben first rang out in July 1859. This is the first time since 1956 that both Big Ben's sonorous hourly bongs and the chimes that mark each quarter-hour will be silent, robbing London of one of its most distinctive sounds. What is it about During 2009, the UK Parliament celebrated the 150th anniversary of its world famous Clock Tower, Great Clock and Great Bell. They then were wound to 12 o'clock as a team of specialist "industrial rope-access technicians" descended to clean the clock's four latticework faces, part of maintenance ahead of its 150th anniversary in 2009.Īlthough the clock soon will be ticking again, the famed bell that sounds the hour at Britain's Houses of Parliament will be silent for four to six weeks as engineers replace bearings in the clock mechanism. The bell is an impressive 13.5 tons, and was created by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry (which also produced the Liberty.
The official name of the bell is the Great Bell of Westminster.
Time briefly stood still as the clock's hands were frozen shortly after 8 a.m. Big Ben is one of five bells at the top of the Elizabeth Tower, and funnily enough, even though I’m ranting about names and accuracy, Big Ben is just a nickname. LONDON – Big Ben's bongs fell silent today as workers rappelled down Parliament's iconic clock tower, beginning a month of maintenance work on the clock and its world-famous bell.
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