London's Big Ben, beacon of "the mother of all Parliaments", is part of one of the world's most recognisable landmarks. But contrary to popular belief, 'Big Ben' is actually the name of the 13-ton bell within St Stephen's Tower, rather than the name of the clock or indeed the tower. It was named after the first commissioner of works, Sir Benjamin Hall.
The famous clock, which looks even more spectacular at night when its faces are illuminated, is the largest four-faced chiming clock in the world and sits more than 300 feet above the River Thames.
The four dials of the clock are 23 feet square, the minute hand is 14 feet long and the figures are 2 feet high. Minutely regulated with a stack of coins placed on the huge pendulum, Big Ben is an excellent timekeeper and has rarely stopped.
Big Ben was cast on Saturday 10th April 1858, at Whitechapel Bell Foundry, London, with the first chime rung in situ on 31st May 1859.
The chimes were first broadcast by the BBC on New Year's Eve, 1923, via a microphone in the turret which is connected to Broadcasting House a few miles away.
In 1941, during the Second World War, an incendiary bomb destroyed the Commons chamber of the Houses of Parliament. However, the clock tower remained intact continued to keep time and strike away the hours. Its reassuring sound offered hope to all who heard it.
The Westminster location of Big Ben is also home to the British Houses of Parliament, which comprise the House of Commons and the House of Lords, and was the target of Guy Fawkes as he plotted to blow up James I and the Protestant aristocracy in 1605.
No visit to London would be complete without seeing Big Ben in all its glory.
The famous clock, which looks even more spectacular at night when its faces are illuminated, is the largest four-faced chiming clock in the world and sits more than 300 feet above the River Thames.
The four dials of the clock are 23 feet square, the minute hand is 14 feet long and the figures are 2 feet high. Minutely regulated with a stack of coins placed on the huge pendulum, Big Ben is an excellent timekeeper and has rarely stopped.
Big Ben was cast on Saturday 10th April 1858, at Whitechapel Bell Foundry, London, with the first chime rung in situ on 31st May 1859.
The chimes were first broadcast by the BBC on New Year's Eve, 1923, via a microphone in the turret which is connected to Broadcasting House a few miles away.
In 1941, during the Second World War, an incendiary bomb destroyed the Commons chamber of the Houses of Parliament. However, the clock tower remained intact continued to keep time and strike away the hours. Its reassuring sound offered hope to all who heard it.
The Westminster location of Big Ben is also home to the British Houses of Parliament, which comprise the House of Commons and the House of Lords, and was the target of Guy Fawkes as he plotted to blow up James I and the Protestant aristocracy in 1605.
No visit to London would be complete without seeing Big Ben in all its glory.
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