Big Ben
The name Big Ben is often used to describe the tower, the clock and the bell but the name was first given to the Great Bell
The tower is actually named after Queen Elizabeth
The Elizabeth Tower was completed in 1859 and the Great Clock started on 31 May, with the Great Bell's strikes heard for the first time on 11 July and the quarter bells first chimed on 7 September.
The tower got new name in 2012 after current queen Elizabeth II to celebrate the Diamond Jubillee of her Majesty queen Elizabeth II. Before it was named as Clock Tower.
The Clock Tower you see today is not the first tower to be built in Parliament's grounds.
The original tower was built in 1288-1290 during the reign of King Edward I. It was located on the north side of New Palace Yard and contained a bell and clock. The bell, first named "Great Edward" and later known as "Great Tom", struck on the hour.
A second tower replaced the original in 1367. This was the first public chiming clock in England. By 1707, this tower had fallen into disrepair and was demolished. A sundial was put up in its place.
A terrible fire destroyed most of the Palace of Westminster in 1834. Architects were invited to submit their designs for the new Palace and a commission was set up to select the best. Out of 97 designs submitted, the architect Sir Charles Barry's was successful. However, his winning design did not feature a clock tower. He added this to his design in 1836.
Construction of the Clock Tower began in September 1843. This is the iconic tower which stands today in the Houses of Parliament.
The tower holds the largest four-faced chiming clock in the world and is the third-tallest free-standing clock tower.
Further read more interesting facts about Elizabeth's Tower:
The Elizabeth Tower was built from the inside outwards, meaning that no scaffolding was visible to the outside world. Materials were transported by river. A winch lifted materials to the masons and bricklayers.
The foundation stone for the Elizabeth Tower was laid on 28 September 1843. Its foundations were dug 3m deep.
Charles Barry was a fine architect but he was not a specialist clockmaker. The clock was made by Edward John Dent and his stepson Frederick, completed the clock in 1854. It cost £2500 to make.
The clock was installed in the Clock Tower in April 1859. At first, it wouldn't work as the cast-iron minute hands were too heavy. Once they were replaced by lighter copper hands, it successfully began keeping time on 31 May 1859.
Officially, the Elizabeth Tower's bell is called the Great Bell though it is better known by the name 'Big Ben'.
Warners of Norton near Stockton-on-Tees cast the new bell in August 1856. It was transported by rail and sea to London. On arrival at the Port of London, it was placed on a carriage and pulled across Westminster Bridge by 16 white horses.
The bell was hung in New Palace Yard. It was tested each day until 17 October 1857 when a 1.2m crack appeared. No-one would accept the blame. Theories included the composition of the bell's metal or its dimensions. Warners blamed Denison for insisting on increasing the hammer's weight from 355kg to 660kg.
Warners asked too high a price to break up and recast the bell so George Mears at the Whitechapel Foundry was appointed. The second bell was cast on 10 April 1858.
It took 30 hours to winch the bell to the belfry in October 1858. Big Ben rang out on 11 July 1859 but its success was short-lived. On September 1859, the new bell also cracked and Big Ben was silent for four years.
In 1863, a solution was found to Big Ben's silence by Sir George Airy, the Astronomer Royal. The total cost of making the clock and bells and installing them in the Elizabeth Tower reached £22,000.
The name Big Ben is often used to describe the tower, the clock and the bell but the name was first given to the Great Bell
The tower is actually named after Queen Elizabeth
The Elizabeth Tower was completed in 1859 and the Great Clock started on 31 May, with the Great Bell's strikes heard for the first time on 11 July and the quarter bells first chimed on 7 September.
The tower got new name in 2012 after current queen Elizabeth II to celebrate the Diamond Jubillee of her Majesty queen Elizabeth II. Before it was named as Clock Tower.
The Clock Tower you see today is not the first tower to be built in Parliament's grounds.
The original tower was built in 1288-1290 during the reign of King Edward I. It was located on the north side of New Palace Yard and contained a bell and clock. The bell, first named "Great Edward" and later known as "Great Tom", struck on the hour.
A second tower replaced the original in 1367. This was the first public chiming clock in England. By 1707, this tower had fallen into disrepair and was demolished. A sundial was put up in its place.
A terrible fire destroyed most of the Palace of Westminster in 1834. Architects were invited to submit their designs for the new Palace and a commission was set up to select the best. Out of 97 designs submitted, the architect Sir Charles Barry's was successful. However, his winning design did not feature a clock tower. He added this to his design in 1836.
Construction of the Clock Tower began in September 1843. This is the iconic tower which stands today in the Houses of Parliament.
The tower holds the largest four-faced chiming clock in the world and is the third-tallest free-standing clock tower.
Further read more interesting facts about Elizabeth's Tower:
The Elizabeth Tower was built from the inside outwards, meaning that no scaffolding was visible to the outside world. Materials were transported by river. A winch lifted materials to the masons and bricklayers.
The foundation stone for the Elizabeth Tower was laid on 28 September 1843. Its foundations were dug 3m deep.
Charles Barry was a fine architect but he was not a specialist clockmaker. The clock was made by Edward John Dent and his stepson Frederick, completed the clock in 1854. It cost £2500 to make.
The clock was installed in the Clock Tower in April 1859. At first, it wouldn't work as the cast-iron minute hands were too heavy. Once they were replaced by lighter copper hands, it successfully began keeping time on 31 May 1859.
Officially, the Elizabeth Tower's bell is called the Great Bell though it is better known by the name 'Big Ben'.
Warners of Norton near Stockton-on-Tees cast the new bell in August 1856. It was transported by rail and sea to London. On arrival at the Port of London, it was placed on a carriage and pulled across Westminster Bridge by 16 white horses.
The bell was hung in New Palace Yard. It was tested each day until 17 October 1857 when a 1.2m crack appeared. No-one would accept the blame. Theories included the composition of the bell's metal or its dimensions. Warners blamed Denison for insisting on increasing the hammer's weight from 355kg to 660kg.
Warners asked too high a price to break up and recast the bell so George Mears at the Whitechapel Foundry was appointed. The second bell was cast on 10 April 1858.
It took 30 hours to winch the bell to the belfry in October 1858. Big Ben rang out on 11 July 1859 but its success was short-lived. On September 1859, the new bell also cracked and Big Ben was silent for four years.
In 1863, a solution was found to Big Ben's silence by Sir George Airy, the Astronomer Royal. The total cost of making the clock and bells and installing them in the Elizabeth Tower reached £22,000.
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