12/26/2023 0 Comments Download elizabeth towerThe origin of the bell's nickname is open to question it may be named after Sir Benjamin Hall, who oversaw its installation, or heavyweight boxing champion Benjamin Caunt. It was the largest bell in the United Kingdom for 23 years. īig Ben is the largest of the tower's five bells and weighs 13.5 long tons (13.7 tonnes 15.1 short tons). On, celebrations were held to mark the tower's 150th anniversary. All four nations of the UK are represented on the tower on shields featuring a rose for England, thistle for Scotland, shamrock for Ireland, and leek for Wales. Dials of the clock are 22.5 feet (6.9 m) in diameter. Its base is square, measuring 40 feet (12 m) on each side. The tower stands 316 feet (96 m) tall, and the climb from ground level to the belfry is 334 steps. When completed in 1859, its clock was the largest and most accurate four-faced striking and chiming clock in the world. The tower was designed by Augustus Pugin in a neo-Gothic style. The official name of the tower in which Big Ben is located was originally the Clock Tower, but it was renamed Elizabeth Tower in 2012 to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II. Within the belfry (whose bells were first broadcast by the BBC in 1932) is a spiral with 334 steps with a total of 399 to the lantern (the Ayrton Light) and an elevator is also expected to be added during the current restoration work.51☃0′03″N 0☀7′28″W / 51.5007°N 0.1245°W / 51.5007 -0.1245īig Ben is the nickname for the Great Bell of the Great Clock of Westminster, at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London, England, and the name is frequently extended to refer also to the clock and the clock tower. The Elizabeth Tower is often mistakenly called Big Ben which is actually the name of the bell within the tower inscribed with the name of Sir Benjamin Hall, First Commissioner for Works after whom it is believed the bell takes it’s name. The tower was renamed the Elizabeth Tower in 2012 in honour of Queen Elizabeths jubilee and stands 96 meters tall housing 11 floors. There’s something strangely satisfying about looking behind the scenes of an iconic building and there are fewer buildings more famous than the Houses of Parliament and the iconic Clock Tower.
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