Big Ben – Design
It stands at 96m HAGL with a clock at 55m AGL which makes it the 3rd tallest tower in the United Kingdom and the 22nd tallest tower in the World. It has a square base, each side measuring 12.2m, with a concrete foundation of 3.7m thickness and an iron-tiles coated spire mounting on top. The tower was constructed with Anston limestones and bricks cladding the exterior. It has 11 floors and a series of 290 stone steps to reach the clock room, another 44 steps to get to Belfry, and additional 59 steps to reach the top of the spire.
The Belfry holds 4-quarter bells; each one rings every quarter hour, and a larger bell is popularly known as Big Ben, which rings every hour. On the exterior, above the clock faces there are decorated shields representing the countries of the United Kingdom as- for England, a shield with ‘the Red and White rose’ is laid; for Northern Ireland, a shield with ‘Shamrock’ is laid; for Scotland, a shield with ‘thistle’ is laid; and for Wales, a shield with ‘leek’ is laid.
In 1873, Acton Smee Ayrton, a British Barrister, installed the Ayrton Light, which was lit whenever the Houses of Commons were at work after sunset. There runs a ventilation shaft from the bottom of the tower to the Belfry, which measures 2.4m by 5m approximately, initially built for drawing cool air to the Palace. The latest 2017 renovation project includes the installation of an elevator into this shaft for the convenience of inspectors and engineers.
Big Ben: Present Status
The Tower was formally known as St. Stephen’s Tower but in 2012, the House of Commons, the lower House of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, voted for the ‘change of name’ from St. Stephen’s Tower to Elizabeth Tower in honor of her diamond jubilee year over the Throne. Thus, since then it was officially named Elizabeth Tower.
The Clock was shut in 2017 for 4 years of restoration work until 2021 and the scaffoldings were erected; the motive of the restoration was to make further technical installations and modifications to preserve the iconic structure for the upcoming future generations. Because of the heavy criticism, one of the clock faces was always at work powered by the backup electric motor and was visible.
On December 2k21, the scaffoldings from the clock faces were totally removed and the striking bells were back with their quarterly and hourly chiming on the perfect occasion of New Year’s Eve. Today in 2k22, the Clock Tower is again attracting people from across the Seas with its new look after the past 4 years of restoration work.
Where is Big Ben? – History, Location, Facts
Hola, guys! This year is 2022 and will fade soon same as these past years. The Pandemic turned the world around. These days’ time passes just like water does in one’s palm. Oh well! Talking about the time just made me remember Big Ben. Now if you haven’t heard about it, let me guide you further into the knowledge. Big Ben is the popular striking clock of the North. It stands in London with the dignity of 163 years.
However, the name ‘Big Ben’ was never given to the tower nor the clock but instead to the largest of the five bells behind the clock faces. So, ‘Big ben’ was originally the title for the bell but the vastness of the World and drifting time eventually led to the acknowledgment of the Whole tower as Big Ben. That is why in this article we are going to study both the Bell and the Tower as a whole.
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