Whenever I think of Big Ben my mind races over the lyrics sung by Roger Miller, “England swings like a pendulum do. Bobbies on bicycles, two by two
Westminster Abbey, the tower of Big Ben.” (Roger had the best voice and charisma about him).) I am not certain why this landmark has captured my imagination but it has been many years since I have wanted to see this beauty. And a beautiful sight it is indeed!
The tower's original name was St. Steven's Tower, but it was renamed Elizabeth Tower in 2012 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation. It was built along with Westminster Palace between 1843 and 1859 to replace the old palace that had burned down in 1834. It may have been renamed but will forever be Big Ben to me.
The tower was designed by Augustus Pugin in a neo-Gothic style after seven years of planning before the design was finalized. When completed in 1859, its clock was the world's largest and most accurate four-faced striking and chiming clock.
Elizabeth Tower is an astonishing 96 metres (just under 315ft) tall, the bell in the tower weighs a whopping 13.7 tons!
Each clock face is intricately made up of 324 pieces of pot opal glass, all held together with a cast iron frame. With four clock faces on the tower, that’s 1,292 individual pieces of glass in total! The minute hands on the tower’s clock faces are 14ft long and the hour hands are just under 9ft long.
The Elizabeth Tower has an Ayrton Light, essentially a giant lantern that lights up the clock faces when parliament is in session. The bells were fixed into place and struck from the outside by hammers.
One can climb up Elizabeth Tower to get a unique look at the inside mechanisms and Big Ben itself – but it’s no mean feat! You’ll have to climb 292 steps to get to the clock faces, 42 more steps to where Big Ben hangs, and a further 65 steps to get to the Ayrton light – that’s a total of 399 steps!
I was fortunate to arrive in London and see Big Ben after five years of reconstruction and facelift work that has the iconic tower shining in all its glory. Even in the overcast skyline, the gold shining on the tower is a beautiful iconic landmark that continues to shine in my mind’s eye.
West minister Abbey stands beside it (almost appears to be attached in this photo).
Big Ben can be seen from so many locations in London it’s nearly impossible to feel lost in this huge city with Ben as a landmark.
The Elizabeth Tower can be seen from many locations and is assessable from the street however, for those with limits however people with physical limitations would find the stairs challenging.
It seems that Big Ben is in the Eye of London as well. I just can’t get enough of this beauty.
LINKS:
https://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/sightseeing/london-attraction/big-ben