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Big Ben

Clock tower of Westminster Palace, commonly known as "Big Ben"

Presentation

Type

Clock Tower

Architect

Charles Barry

Construction date

1843-1859 .

The building faces the river Thames , between Westminster Bridge (Westminster Bridge) and Westminster Abbey (Westminster Abbey).

A fire destroys part of the Parliament building in 1835. Following this event, a committee is established to choose the new style of building. The winning plan is that of Charles Barry , which provides among other things include a bell tower to the building.

The first bell is manufactured in 1856. To be able to carry up the clock tower, is installed on a cart pulled by 16 horses. She cracks a few months after its installation, a second bell is then molded to the smelter Whitechapel on 10 April 1858. In October of that year, the bell was moved 61 meters to the belfry of the steeple in 18 hours. On 31 May 1859 , the famous clock enters service. Each year it is set by placing a piece of a penny on the mechanism if it forges ahead, removing one or if it delays.

The sound of the bell Big Ben is due to the fact that it was cracked in 1859, barely two months after its official establishment, which gives it a very distinctive tone. For technical reasons, the bell is oriented so that the hammer does not strike the crack. His sound is composed of: A, G, F, C / F, A, G, C, B, D, C.

Big Ben in figures

The height of the tower is 98.5 meters.
Visitors pass through 335 steps to the belfry.
The clock itself is composed of four quadrants of 7 meters in diameter and a bell weighing 13.5 tonnes with a diameter of 2.7 meters and a height of 2.2 meters.
The clock mechanism alone weighs 5 tons and when the hammer weighs him nearly 200 kg.
A British flag flies over the clock when the parliament seat.
The light illuminates when the parliament meets
First bell cast: 1856
First bell split: 1857
First sound of a bell: 31 May 1859
The sound of the door chime to three kilometers.

Origin of name

Initially, the actual name of this bell is The Great Bell. The origin of the name Big Ben is uncertain. One of the most famous theories on this subject refers to one who ordered the casting of the bell, Benjamin Hall , a civil engineer and politician , whose nickname was Ben, who was somewhat corpulent (Big) is the called him "Big Ben". Another theory refers rather to the nickname of a champion boxer Ben Caunt who played his last fight in the year the name of the bell was at the heart of the debate.

Big Ben today

If Big Ben refers strictly to the bell, the British often use this term to refer to the tower. Since 1859, it was the bells of Big Ben at midnight on December 31 , announced in all English homes the beginning of the new year. The sound is broadcast on all television and radio across the country.