Big Ben the famous clock tower in London interesting facts

Big Ben, one of the best-known monuments in London.

London is an extraordinary city that you can visit endlessly, and yet you’ll never fully know it. There are so many landmarks here that they are countless, and there’s certainly no shortage of historical places and sites with stories to tell.

Like any other city, London has its symbols that give it character. In this case, I won’t be exaggerating when I say that one of the most famous landmarks in the capital of England, known to almost everyone in the world, is the iconic clock and tower housing it. It is known as Big Ben.

The symbol of London’s Big Ben and its history

Big Ben is currently the colloquial name for the Elizabeth Tower, part of the Palace of Westminster, which houses the British Parliament. The decision to build the tower and the adjacent part of the palace was made in 1834, shortly after a massive fire that consumed a large portion of the palace, leaving behind only rubble. Essentially, the only parts that survived the fire were the main hall and the chapel.

Numerous plans emerged for the reconstruction of the ruined palace. However, it was ultimately decided that the most suitable plan would involve the construction of a tower reaching almost one hundred meters in height. The tower would be topped with a steeply pitched roof and equipped with a massive clock mechanism featuring four dials, one on each side of the tower. The decision was also made to give the new building a neo-Gothic character to harmonize with the rest of the palace.

Construction began in the middle of 1843, with Thomas Grissell and Morton Peto as the principal contractors. The construction of the tower was completed after 16 years in 1859, at which time it was the tallest clock tower in the United Kingdom (currently it ranks third).

Big Ben in London clock tower construction

No expense was spared on the reconstruction of the Palace of Westminster, much like on the clock tower. The latter was set on a concrete foundation nearly four meters thick.

The tower is square at its base, with each side measuring over 12 meters wide. Special bricks were used in its construction, which were then covered with limestone quarried from the sandy hills of South Yorkshire County, over 200 kilometres from London. The tower was topped with a spire and a steeply pitched roof, which was covered with very durable iron tiles. This was a costly solution, but as mentioned earlier, no expense or effort was spared on the investment.

Despite the successful completion of the construction and the timeless beauty of the clock tower, its creators and architects were unable to avoid mistakes. The most significant of these was the miscalculation of the foundation size relative to the quality of the ground beneath the palace. It turned out over the years that the ground beneath Big Ben was unstable and contained loose gravel and clay, causing the entire tower to gradually lean.

In the 1990s, when Big Ben leaned off plumb by 23 centimetres, it was decided to strengthen the tower’s foundations. This project was combined with the construction of the Jubilee metro line, which runs near the Palace of Westminster. Thousands of tons of concrete were pumped into Big Ben’s foundations, which, according to construction experts, will stabilize the tower for thousands of years to come.

Big Ben in London clock tower and giant bell

The clock tower itself looks splendid, and thanks to its nearly hundred-meter height, it serves as a distinctive landmark for tourists visiting London. However, the most recognizable feature of the Elizabeth Tower is the clock mounted on it. It consists of a massive clock mechanism and four white, illuminated dials placed on each of the tower’s four faces.

All four dials of Big Ben are true masterpieces of metalwork and glasswork. They are made up of over 300 pieces of glass set in steel frames. Each dial has a diameter of seven meters, and the hands on the dials measure over 4 meters for the minute hand and nearly 3 meters for the hour hand. For completeness, it’s worth noting that the Roman numerals describing the clock face are 60 centimetres tall.

Initially, the large dials of Big Ben were illuminated by gas lamps. They were lit only when the parliament was in session in the building below. Later, this practice was changed, and they were lit from dusk until dawn, as is the case today. At the beginning of the 20th century, gas lamps were replaced with electric bulbs.

The construction of the clock was overseen by the renowned clockmaker Edmund Beckett Denison and the Royal Astronomer George Airy. They did their job properly, and from the moment the clock was launched, it was considered very accurate. It features a fascinating mechanism for regulating time. A steel container for small one-penny coins is mounted on the pendulum arm. Adding one coin changes the weight of the pendulum and speeds up the timekeeping by 0.4 seconds. As one might guess, removing a coin slows down the clock by the same amount of time.

The clock tower has its caretaker, known as the Keep of the Clock. This person is responsible for winding the spring of the Big Ben mechanism and maintaining it. There is always someone familiar with the mechanism in the tower, so they can intervene if something unexpected happens.

Most clock malfunctions are caused by weather conditions such as heat, snow, or frost. Throughout Big Ben’s long history, there have been instances where a flock of birds perched on the clock’s hands and stopped the entire mechanism. Another time, one of the mechanics inadvertently leaned a ladder against a gear wheel, also causing the clock to stop.

An integral part of Big Ben is the belfry, which houses the Great Bell, weighing over 13 tons. Initially, it was this bell that was called Big Ben, but over time, the name began to be used for the entire tower. The Great Bell is accompanied by four smaller bells, modelled after the old bells from the Great St Mary’s Church in Cambridge. They chime a few bars of Handel’s “Messiah” every 15 minutes. The large bell only tolls on the hour.

The bell whose sound we hear today is not the first one intended to hang in the tower. Initially, a real giant weighing over 16 tons was cast. However, as the tower’s construction was nearing completion, the bell cracked due to temperature changes before it could be hung in the belfry. Another bell was cast from parts of the original one, and it remains the heart of Big Ben to this day.

Clock tower in London and renovation for huge amounts of money

At the beginning of the 20th century, structural surveys of the tower revealed large cracks and fissures in the building’s walls. Therefore, a decision was made to renovate Big Ben.

Initially, it was estimated that the costs should not exceed 40 million pounds. However, if you have ever renovated a house, you know that planned costs should be multiplied by two. This rule turned out to be true during the renovation of Big Ben, and the final amount reached just over 80 million pounds.

The work began in 2017 and was only completed in 2022. During this time, the residents of London did not hear their favourite bell. Tourists also could not visit the tower or even see it as it was constantly shrouded in scaffolding.

During the renovation period, the Big Ben clock mechanism was dismantled and transported to a master clockmaker, who replaced most of the steel parts. A large portion of the glass elements of the dials were also replaced with replicas melted in Germany. Lighting was also replaced during the renovation, original colours were restored, and the building was protected from further deterioration.

Today, not only the tower but also the Palace of Westminster, of which Big Ben is a part, can be visited.

Big Ben in London and practical information

London is not a city where travelling by car is convenient. There are charges for entering the city centre, and finding parking near Westminster is nearly impossible. Therefore, I advise against driving to Big Ben. You should leave your car at one of the numerous parking lots around London and use the tube.

The nearest tube station is Westminster Underground Station, and the following lines serve it:

• Jubilee Line (gray)
• Circle Line (yellow)
• District Line (green)

Visiting Big Ben is only possible with a guide, and the duration of the tour is approximately 90 minutes. Subsequent groups are admitted every 15 minutes from 8:45 am to 4:45 pm.

Upon entering Big Ben, you must leave large bags and stuffed backpacks downstairs and pass through a metal detector. Additionally, taking photos inside the building during the tour is not allowed! I don’t quite understand why! With today’s technology, if someone wanted to get pictures of a place like Big Ben, they could easily obtain them.

Ticket prices depend on their type. A standard ticket for adults costs just under £20, while students and seniors will pay £17. Children aged 5 to 15 must pay £8, and younger ones enter for free. It’s a good idea to purchase group tickets, which cost £15 per person, but you must gather at least 10 people.

To reach the top of Big Ben, you have to walk. Although there is a small lift in the tower, it is only intended for disabled individuals.

Big Ben in London information and interesting facts

• Big Ben is the name that was originally used to refer to the bell hanging in the clock tower (The Clock Tower). Today, it is used to refer to the entire tower along with the bell and the clock.
• The origin of the name Big Ben has been forgotten, and all theories are more or less probable. According to one theory, the name comes from Benjamin Hall, who oversaw the hanging of the bell and was a giant man. Another theory suggests that the bell was named, remembering a popular 19th-century London boxer known as Big Ben.
• The tower is part of the Palace of Westminster, a neo-Gothic landmark that houses the British House of Commons, the House of Lords, and various parliamentary offices.
• The construction of Big Ben lasted for 16 years.
• The tower stands at a height of 96.3 meters.
• Big Ben first chimed on July 11, 1859.
• The clock, or rather its dials, is located at a height of 60 meters above ground level.
• The room housing the Big Ben clock mechanism is at the same height as the clock dials, and to reach it, one must climb 290 stone steps. Above the clock room is the belfry, which is accessed by another 44 steps. Above that is only the spire, separated from the belfry by 59 steps.
• The exterior of the belfry is adorned with shields featuring the national emblems of all four countries that constitute the United Kingdom. There is the white rose of the Tudors, eight shields from Scotland, the shamrock of Northern Ireland, and Welsh symbols. The remaining shields bear the insignias of the various great families of Britain.
• Inside the tower, there is a ventilation shaft, which is called the “ancestor of air conditioning.” Thanks to its design, air in the tower was supposed to circulate naturally without additional devices. Unfortunately, the idea, which looked good on paper, didn’t work in reality, and in 2017, during renovations, a lift was installed in the ventilation shaft.
• Until 2012, the official name of the tower, colloquially called Big Ben, was The Clock Tower. It was changed to Elizabeth Tower to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee — sixty years of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign.
• Inside the tower, there is a prison cell, which can only be accessed from the parliament side. Traditionally, it housed members of parliament who had incurred the wrath of the palace guard. The last inmate in the cell was the atheist Charles Bradlaugh, who refused to take the religious oath of allegiance to Queen Victoria in 1880.
• An armed sergeant serving in parliament is entitled to make arrests, even of parliamentarians, if deemed necessary. This right was granted in 1415.
• Since the inception of Big Ben, the clock on the tower has experienced various malfunctions. Today, there is a special team of trained mechanics who monitor it 24 hours a day to ensure it keeps accurate time.
• Several decades ago, birds perching on its large hand caused the clock to stop for over 40 minutes.
• The tower in London owes its colloquial name Big Ben to the large bell hanging in the belfry, which weighs over 13 tons.
• Big Ben underwent extensive renovation in 2017, costing over £80 million, and the work lasted for 4 years.
• During World War II, the BBC World Service radio broadcast the sound of the bell after each major attack by fascist Germany. It was a signal that Britain was still fighting and had not been defeated.

Polish version