What does Big Ben look like in London? Big Ben is one of the most recognizable symbols of England
Big Ben- a clock, tower and bell that are a symbol of London and one of the world's most famous landmarks. At the same time, to be precise, the name Big Ben is only given to the bell that rings the clock, but people most often call the clock itself or the entire tower by this name.
About Big Ben
The Big Ben bell is located in the Elizabeth Tower, one of the towers of the Palace of Westminster. Previously, this tower was simply called the "clock tower" or, informally, "St. Stephen's Tower", but in 2012 it was officially renamed in honor of the 60th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II.
A bell, a pendulum and the entire clock mechanism are mounted inside the tower. Outside the tower there are 4 dials that look in all directions.
The name Big Ben is also not official; according to one version, the bell received its name in honor of Benjamin Hall, who supervised the construction of the Palace of Westminster and took part in the installation of the bell. Sir Hall was tall; this fact could have been a reason to give this name to the Big Bell, but many consider this version untenable, arguing that Big Ben got his name in honor of the boxer and athlete Benjamin Ben Count.
Facts about Big Ben:
- Clock starting date: May 31, 1859, but the bell first struck on July 11 of that year
- Bell weight: 13.76 tons
- Height of the Elizabeth Tower: 96 meters
- Clock mechanism weight: 5 tons
- Clock hand dimensions: minute – 4.2 meters, 100 kg, hour – 2.7 meters, 300 kg
- Hammer weight: 200 kg
- Big Ben dial diameter: 7 meters
History of Big Ben
The Elizabeth Tower, home to Big Ben and the Great Westminster Clock, is part of the Palace of Westminster, or the Houses of Parliament, which was built between 1840 and 1870 on the site of the first building that burned down in 1834.
The decision to build accurate clock was adopted by Parliament in 1844, it was decided to place them in one of the towers of the new palace under construction. Charles Barry, the chief architect, hired Augusto Pugin to build the clock tower.
The clock itself was designed by Benjamin Vallamy, a court watchmaker and consultant to the architect Charles Barry. But this caused discontent among other famous watchmakers of the time, and as a result, a competition was announced in 1846, and court astronomer Sir George Biddel Airy was appointed judge.
Airy approached the matter responsibly, which caused a delay in construction for almost 7 years, but in the end the mechanism of amateur watchmaker and lawyer Edmund Denison was recognized as the best. In February 1952, watches designed by Denison began to be built at the factory of the famous watchmaker John Dent. The first problem arose almost immediately - the finished mechanism did not fit into the tower under construction, but the internal space was slightly expanded. Then, in 1853, John Dent died, but his adopted son Frederick Dent handled the clock assembly job.
The clock was assembled and ready for installation in 1854, but the clock tower of the Palace of Westminster was still under construction and this played into everyone's hands - Denison received time to finalize the clock. As a result, he invented a unique gravitational escapement mechanism, which increased the accuracy of the movement and eliminated, for example, the force of wind pressure on the clock hands.
However, after installing the watch, another problem appeared - the minute hand turned out to be too heavy for the mechanism. But the problem was solved quite quickly by simply cutting out new lightweight hands from a copper sheet and the Big Ben clock began its operation on May 31, 1859, and less than two months later it was connected to it. impact mechanism bells
This is the story of the creation of the Great Clock of Westminster, which we know as the Big Ben Clock. But later many interesting events happened in their destinies.
On December 31, 1923, the chimes were broadcast on BBC radio, since then it has become a tradition and on BBC Radio 4 the ringing of Big Ben can be heard twice a day, at 6 pm and at midnight. In this case, you will not hear a recording, but real sound, which is transmitted using a microphone installed inside the tower.
During the world wars, a special clock operating mode was used. From 1916, for two years, the bell did not chime the time, and the lights were turned off at night. From September 1, 1939, the clock worked and even the bell struck, but the backlight was not turned on. And in June 1941, Big Ben was damaged during an air raid, but the damage was minor, the clock continued to run, then it was stopped only for a day to repair the tower.
There were also funny cases, for example, in 1949, a flock of starlings sat on the minute hand and slowed down the clock by more than 4 minutes. And in 1962, the clock became frozen, and caretakers had to disconnect the pendulum from the mechanism to avoid damage.
Big Ben's only major failure occurred on August 5, 1976. The reason was the fatigue of the metal of the torsion bar, which transmitted the load of the pendulum. The clock mechanism suffered significant damage, Big Ben's hands froze for 9 months, and the clock could only be started on May 9, 1977. After the accident, the watches began to be subjected to more careful maintenance, for this purpose they can be stopped for a period of up to two hours, which is not recorded as a stop. But minor breakdowns sometimes occurred after 1977. For example, on May 27, 2005, the clock stopped twice in one day, presumably due to the heat.
In addition, lengthy technical work was carried out several times. In 2005, the clock was stopped for 33 hours, which became a kind of record. But already in August 2007, six weeks of work was carried out to replace the bearings and mounting system of the large bell, but the hands were driven by electric motors.
Sometimes Big Ben was stopped intentionally for various reasons. On January 30, 1965, the bells did not chime for Churchill's funeral, and on April 17, 2013, the clock was "silent" for Thatcher's funeral. On April 30, 1997, the clock was stopped exactly one day before the general election.
Well, the last important milestone in the history of Big Ben is the change of the official name of the tower from “Sentry” to “Elizabeth Tower”. This decision was made by the 331 Members of Parliament on 2 June 2012, in honor of Queen Elizabeth's 60th birthday. The decision was based on the fact that the main tower of the Palace of Westminster received its name "Victoria Tower" in a similar situation - it was renamed in honor of Queen Victoria's 60th birthday. The official name change ceremony took place on September 12, 2012.
Big Ben Tower
The Clock Tower, now called the Elizabeth Tower, is the north tower of the Palace of Westminster. As already mentioned, Big Ben is an unofficial name, but it is the one used colloquially. Another name widely used among the English is “St. Stephen’s Tower,” but this is not correct either.
The tower was designed by Augusto Pugin, at the request of the chief architect of the palace, Pugin sought to repeat his earlier works, in particular the tower of Scarisbrick Hall. But the architect did not see his creation alive; the tower became his last work, before serious illness and death.
The height of the Big Ben tower is 320 feet (96 meters). The first 200 feet (61 meters) of the tower structure are made of brick and clad in sand-colored Enston limestone siding. The remaining part of the tower is the spire, which is made of cast iron. At the base of the tower is concrete foundation 4 meters deep.
The watch dials are located at a height of 54.9 meters. Below them there is a repeating encircling inscription LAUSDEO (Russian: Glory to God).
Under the influence of time, the Big Ben tower tilted. Currently, the tower is tilted by approximately 230 millimeters, which in relation to the height gives a slope of 1/240. This value also includes an additional 22 millimeters of inclination that was added when the metro tunnel was expanded, but, according to the builders, this was planned. And under the influence of the external environment, the tower can deviate several millimeters towards the west or east.
There is no elevator in Big Ben; you can only get to the top using 334 steps. But this opportunity is not available to everyone; this attraction is not in the public domain.
Not related to watches, but interesting feature Big Ben Tower - when either House of Parliament sits in the evening, a light is on at the top of the tower. This was invented by Queen Victoria so she could see when parliamentarians were actually busy with work.
Big Ben Clock
Dials
The appearance of the four dials, facing the cardinal directions, was invented by the architect of the tower, Augusto Pugina. It is based on a metal frame with a diameter of seven meters, into which 312 pieces of opal glass are inserted using the mosaic method. Individual elements can be removed for inspection and ease of maintenance of the watch. The watch circumference is gilded. Also on each dial there is a Latin gilded inscription DOMINE SALVAM FAC REGINAM NOSTRAM VICTORIAM PRIMAM (Russian: God save our Queen Victoria I).
The hour hands are 2.7 meters long (hour hands) and 4.2 meters long (minute hands). The sentries are made of cast iron, and the minute ones were originally supposed to be cast iron, but in practice they turned out to be too heavy and had to be replaced with thin copper ones.
Roman numerals are used to indicate hours and minutes, but with some peculiarities. For example, instead of the number X (ten), a special symbol is used, which is associated with the superstitions of the architect.
Mechanism
Despite being over 150 years old, Big Ben's clockwork is extremely accurate and reliable. Of course, it is carefully looked after, every two days all parts of the mechanism are lubricated, sometimes technical work and replacement of parts are carried out, but many parts of the watch are original, and the design itself has not changed.
The total weight of the entire mechanism is 5 tons. And the main part of any clock, including Big Ben, the pendulum, weighs 300 kg and is 4 meters long. His move takes 2 seconds. The way of adjusting the clock is interesting - any mechanism gives an error of several seconds and Big Ben is no exception. But if we simply move ordinary clocks back or forward once a month or even a year, then Big Ben is adjusted using coins. One old English penny placed on top of a pendulum slows it down by exactly 0.4 seconds per day. Thus, with the help of a few coins, the watchkeeper achieves maximum accuracy.
Bells of Big Ben
The main bell of the clock is officially called the Big Bell. The name “Big Ben” remains a nickname, although it is by this name that both the bell itself and the clock tower are known.
Big Ben was cast on August 6, 1856 by John Warner & Sons. It weighed 16.3 tons and was originally located at New Palace Yard as the tower was under construction at the time. But during testing, the bell cracked and repairs were entrusted to the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. The original bell was recast on April 10, 1858, reducing its mass to 13.76 tons and measuring 2.29 meters in height and 2.74 meters in diameter. It was installed in the tower (the rise took 18 hours) and the townspeople first heard the ringing on July 11, 1859. But already in September, not having served even two months, Big Ben cracked. This time the culprit was not the foundry workers, but the creator of the watch mechanism, Denison. He used a hammer weighing twice as much as permitted, although he did not admit his guilt and at numerous trials he tried to prove the guilt of the foundry workers, citing impurities in the bell, but to no avail. And an analysis carried out in 2002 finally put an end to this issue; there are no unnecessary impurities in Big Ben.
The Big Ben bell fell silent for 3 years while it was being repaired. It was decided not to dismantle or melt down the bell; a piece of metal was simply cut out at the crack site, and the bell was turned so that the hammer would hit in a different place. So to this day we hear the ringing of that same cracked Big Ben.
But all those three years the clock was not silent; the time was struck by four small bells, which usually chime the quarter hour. And together with the main bell they beat out a melody.
The first chime of Big Ben corresponds to the first second of the hour. The clock runs according to Greenwich time and we can say that it is Big Ben that keeps track of the main world time.
The meaning of Big Ben
The clock tower of the Palace of Westminster is now of great importance for the whole of Great Britain, because it is the symbol and most recognizable building of London. This makes Big Ben one of the world's most famous landmarks, along with the Eiffel Tower, the Kremlin or the Statue of Liberty. Therefore, the image of the tower is widely used in various works - in cinema, films, games, comics. Seeing the outline of the tower, we immediately understand that we are talking about London.
Londoners themselves also love and value their master clocks. The chimes of Big Ben also mark the beginning of the New Year; they listen to it live, on TV and radio, much like we listen to the Kremlin chimes every year in order to drink a glass of champagne on time.
Visit Big Ben
Despite the enormous fame and popularity of the attraction, it is almost impossible to get inside the tower. There are no tours for the general public, as the tower is located in the current parliament building, it is too cramped inside and there is no elevator.
But British citizens can get inside Big Ben, for this they need to organize a tour in advance. Although there is a catch here - only a member of parliament can organize it.
And the rest will have to be content with only the appearance of Big Ben, take photographs against its background and study photographs of the insides of the clock on the Internet or in tourist brochures.
Big Ben on the map
How to get to Big Ben
Attraction address: London, Westminster, Parliament Buildings.
Nearest metro station: Westminster, St James's Park and Embankment stations are also within a ten-minute walk.
Nearest bus stops: Parliament Square, Westminster, Abingdon Street.
Also near the Palace of Westminster there is a pier of the same name, where regular ferries stop.
Tours are only available to UK citizens and must be initiated by a Member of Parliament. Moreover, all tours are usually scheduled six months in advance.
Big Ben - photo
When people think of Paris, they usually think of the Eiffel Tower; when remembering Rome, one cannot help but mention the Colosseum, and the symbol of Pisa will always be the “crooked” Leaning Tower of Pisa. Any European city that begins its history several centuries ago has in its reserve a historical landmark that is its “ business card" When talking about London, the first thing that comes to mind is, of course, Buckingham Palace and Big Ben.
Geographical location
On one of the banks of the English River Thames is the Palace of Westminster - the white house in Great Britain. Almost all meetings of the British Parliament take place in this palace. The architectural uniqueness of the building lies in the presence of a large clock tower called Big Ben. Thus, the answer to the question of where Big Ben is located is essentially the location of the British Parliament building.
Big Ben on the map of London
The height of the tower is 98 meters above the Thames, which allows it to be seen from almost anywhere in central London. It is noteworthy that the inscription on the dial of the watch is carved: Latin“God save our Queen Victoria,” and another Latin inscription is carved around the perimeter of the tower: “God save.” Such inscriptions testified to the strong influence of the church on political processes and on the life of the state as a whole.
The clock located on the Big Ben tower has gained fame as the most accurate clock in the world. At the time of their construction, they were the most ingenious solution of engineers in the field of watch movement production. Despite the total weight of the mechanism (and it exceeded 5 tons), the watch received the most accurate time keeping system. Unfortunately, today Big Ben can no longer boast of such an honorary title. During World War II, a Nazi bomb hit the tower and the settings were lost. With the development of electronics, precise time has moved into another area, and today the enormous power of computer processors is working to calculate precise time. But among mechanical time recorders, the clock containing Big Ben is still considered one of the most accurate ideals of timekeeping.
A little history
The Big Ben Tower was built in 1858 according to the design of the English architect Pugin Augustus, but its history dates back to 1837. In this terrible year for England, part of the Palace of Westminster was destroyed in fire and it was necessary to restore its former grandeur to as soon as possible. The tower was erected as one of six bell towers, but immediately differed from the others in its originality. The project included the largest bell and the largest clock in the world at that time. The diameter of the dial is 7 meters, and the length of the large and small hands is 2.7 and 4.2 meters, respectively. Despite all the preparations, the clock was launched only in 1859.
There are several theories about the origin of the name Big Ben. According to one, considered the most truthful, the tower received its slang name in honor of Sir Benjamin Hall, who was its builder. This version is popular because it is similar to the history of its origin. Eiffel Tower. Another theory of origin tells about the great and revered English boxer Benjamin Count at that time. At the end of his career, he fought a fight that lasted 60 rounds.
Big Ben today
Answering the question “Where is Big Ben” may not be so easy. Until October 2012, it was officially called the "Westminster Palace Clock Tower". In October 2012, a meeting of the House of Lords decided to rename the Tower Elizabeth in honor of the successful sixty-year reign of Queen Elizabeth the First.
Along with cabs, red telephone booths and double-decker buses, Big Ben became a symbol of England and London as a whole. You can search for London and it's easy to guess which images will be shown first. The widespread popularity of this particular historical landmark of the city is associated with the time of its construction. The Palace of Westminster in London played a decisive role in the country in the 19th century. England had by that time reached the “apogee” of global influence and the House of Lords, which was located in this palace, determined the course of development of the state and the strategy of foreign policy.
Today he is working on servicing the clock mechanism a large number of of people. Every two days, specialists check the serviceability of all parts and lubricate its parts. Adjustments and corrections are constantly made for atmospheric pressure and ambient temperature. In 1962, Big Ben's clockwork stopped working. According to the official statement, this was due to heavy snowfall that day. In 2005, at the end of May, the small clock hand froze twice - then official version The weather became hot, more than 30 degrees Celsius.
Big Ben is today London's most recognizable landmark and any self-respecting tourist should make it a point to visit this bell tower. It is constantly used in art: when filming a film in London, it is impossible not to include the Elizabeth Tower in the frame, and when singing songs about the capital, it is impossible not to mention Big Ben in a couple of lines.
Big Ben owes some of its popularity to the famous English television channel BBC, which, expanding its broadcasting network, brought the chimes of its bells to residents of the most distant places and regions. It is thanks to the BBC that London and the Palace of Westminster are now associated with both “Big Ben” and the constant and precise ringing of the bells that mark the hours. A similar feeling appears when you see the famous Kremlin tower counting the chimes.
London's Big Ben has long become one of the most recognizable symbols of England. This name historically does not belong to huge watches, as is commonly believed. Big Ben is a huge bell, weighing about 13 tons, the diameter of its base is 3 meters. The bell is located in the tower, which is part of the architectural ensemble of the Palace of Westminster. Gradually, both the huge clock and the 96-meter-high tower began to be called this way. Big Ben's clock is also impressive in size (the diameter of the dial is 7 meters); they are still among the largest in the world.
The history of Big Ben
The clock tower was built in 1858. It was designed by Augustus Pugin, an English architect. A year later, at an altitude of 55 meters, a clock was launched on the tower. The original bell was cast in advance - in 1856, its weight was 16 tons, and it was then that it was given the name Big Ben. But during testing it cracked, after which it was remade and lost weight, and soon cracked again. For several years the clock worked without it, until finally, after minor repairs the bell was not raised to the tower. It is he who now rings on the tower along with the quarter bells, reproducing the Cambridge chimes.
Origin of the name Big Ben
There is still no consensus about why the bell was given such an uncharacteristic name - Big Ben. According to one version, the main attraction of London owes its name to a boxer, who was so nicknamed because of his weight. His real name is Benjamin Count. According to another, Benjamin Hall, who supervised the production of the bell, became the founder of this name, since due to his build he was called Big Ben.
Features of the Big Ben clock
The clock mechanism was made according to the design of the royal astronomer and amateur watchmaker (George Airey and Edmund Beckett Denison). It owes its accuracy and reliability to the double three-stage action invented by Denison. The clock can be adjusted using 1 penny coins - they change the speed by 0.4 seconds.
The huge dials are in iron frames and consist of individual pieces of opal glass, the circumference of the discs is covered with gold. However, there is no way to see all this splendor - now the entrance to the tower is closed to visitors. In addition, there is no lift in the tower, and those who wish could only climb up the stairs.
How to get to Big Ben
The bus can take you to Trafalgar Square, Whathall or Parliament Square, stopping close to the Palace of Westminster. By metro travel to Victoria or Westminster stations.
The Clock Tower is central to English New Year celebrations and is probably the most best time for a tourist trip to London. On December 31, you will not only be able to admire the most iconic place for the British, but also hear the chimes.
Big Ben is one of the most popular places of interest in London and symbols of England. Every year many people visit the capital of Great Britain to see it and take some photos with it in the background. It is thought that Big Ben is a high tower with a very big clock, but that’s not really true.
In fact, this tower is called Saint Stephens Tower, but people, even those who live in the UK, are used to calling it "Big Ben." Actually, Big Ben is the huge bell inside the building. Its weight is about thirteen tons and it rings every hour daily: once at one o"clock, twice at two o"clock and so on. However, people who live near the tower can hear at New Year’s Night how the bell strikes thirteen. It’s considered to be the biggest bell ever made in the country. The bell was firstly used in 1859 and was cracked soon because of the heavy hammer, which struck too strong. After this situation the hammer was changed, but that crack is still there.
There are many hypotheses for the origin of the name “Big Ben”. The most popular one suggests that the bell was named after Sir Benjamin Hall, who was responsible for the installation. Some of the people say he was really tall and that’s why this bell is called big, but the majority believe it is called Big because of its size.
Big Ben is one of the best-known landmarks in Europe. Nowadays the word Big Ben connects the bell, the clock and the tower at the same time. The tower is closed to the general public, but people with a "special interest" might offer an excursion for additional payment.
Big Ben is one of the most popular attractions in London and symbols of England. Many people come to the British capital every year to see it and take some photographs in front of it. It is believed that Big Ben is high tower with very large watches, however, this is not entirely true.
In fact, this tower is called St. Stephen's Tower, but people, even those who live in the United Kingdom, are used to calling it Big Ben. In reality, Big Ben is a huge bell that is located inside the building. It weighs approximately 13 tons and rings every hour every day: once at one o'clock in the afternoon, twice at two o'clock in the afternoon and so on. However, people living near the tower can hear it ring 13 times on New Year's Eve. This bell is considered the largest among those made in this country. The bell first rang in 1859 and soon cracked due to a heavy hammer hitting it too hard. The hammer was replaced after the incident, but the crack is still there.
There are many speculations about the origin of the name Big Ben. According to one of the most popular versions, the bell was named after Sir Benjamin Hall, who was responsible for its installation. Some say that it was very tall, which is why the bell was called Big, but most believe that it was so named because of its size.
Big Ben is one of the most famous landmarks in Europe. Today, the word Big Ben combines bell, clock and tower at the same time. The tower is not open to the general public, however, tours are offered for a fee for those with a "special interest".
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An abundance of interesting sights - almost main reason of those that force thousands of tourists to different ends light streams into London every year. Big Ben is a historical building of which it is rightly proud. What is known about the huge clock that indicates the time with amazing accuracy, what is its history?
Big Ben in London: name
Why did the symbol of the capital of England receive such an unusual name? Initially, this name was given to a huge bell located in the tower of the Palace of Westminster. The diameter of the base of the product is three meters, the weight goes beyond 13 tons. Gradually, both the Clock Tower, in which the bell is located, and the clock, which is of impressive size, began to be called the same. Several decades later, the whole world knew that Big Ben was the clock tower in London.
Who came up with the uncharacteristic name that was originally awarded to the bell? There are two legends explaining the origin of the name. The most popular of them says that the watch owes its original name to the architect Benjamin Hall, who was responsible for carrying out construction work. It is believed that this man was so called because of his impressive build.
The second theory is slightly less popular. If you rely on it, it got its name in honor of the famous English heavyweight boxer Benjamin Count.
Construction
When was the landmark that London is deservedly proud of created? Big Ben has a long history. It began back in 1288, when the Clock Tower was built, which became part of the Palace of Westminster. Unfortunately, a fire that occurred in 1834 led to the destruction of this architectural element. Of course, a few years later the decision was made to reconstruct it.
Who developed the design of the famous tower, which even today every person visiting London strives to see? Big Ben is the brainchild of the architect Augustus Pugin, famous for his designs in the Gothic Revival style. Unfortunately, this man died before his project was realized. Construction of the tower was completed in 1858, and the ceremonial launch of the clock mechanism took place in 1859.
At first, electricity was used to illuminate the building; it was only used in 1912.
Technical specifications
The brick tower, which is crowned by a spire cast from cast iron, is installed on a concrete foundation, the height of which is 15 meters. Colored limestone was used to clad the architectural element. Even without the spire, the height of the tower is more than 60 meters, with it - 96.3 meters. How do you understand how majestic a landmark London is proud of? Big Ben has a height comparable to the parameters of a 16-story building.
Unfortunately, the tower is not intended for mass visits; guests of the capital of Great Britain can only see it from afar, as well as the inhabitants of the metropolis. It is not surprising that the project did not include lifts or elevators. Those who want to climb to the top must climb a total of 334 steps.
What is a watch
It is impossible not to dwell separately on such an element as the Big Ben clock. there are no analogues that could compete with them in terms of size. Just a few decades ago there were no such things in the whole world. Pugin also took over the development of watch dials. In their production, 312 pieces of glass opal were used, seven-meter steel frames and gilded discs were created.
The hands are also of outstanding size. The minute clocks are 4.2 meters long and are made of copper. Cast iron was used to make the hour hands; their length is 2.7 meters. The clock dials are installed at a height of 55 meters. The total weight tends to 5 tons. The pendulum, weighing about 300 kg, is located inside the tower, located under the clock room.
About accuracy
As you know, Big Ben is located in London. The inhabitants of this city value punctuality above all else. It is not surprising that the watch, which has established itself as a standard of reliability, has long become a symbol of the capital of Great Britain. Assembling the clock movement was a task that was entrusted to watchmaker Edward Dent. The master completed this task by 1854. A unique double three-stage movement has been developed, guaranteeing high precision of the watch.
It is known that the error of the clock mechanism does not exceed 2 seconds per day. Amazingly, the accuracy of the mechanism is adjusted using a one-penny coin, which is either placed on the pendulum or removed.
There is an opinion that the majestic clock never stopped counting time. This statement is refuted by the story of Big Ben. In London, they first encountered their damage in 1976; the auto-regulator of the movement of the mechanism broke down. Repairing the watch took approximately 9 months, during which time it did not work. The relaunch was celebrated in May 1977. There were malfunctions in their operation later, but the problems were fixed much faster than what happened during the first breakdown. Interestingly, Big Ben was damaged during the Second World War as a result of bombing, but damage to the roof of the tower did not cause the reliable clock mechanism to fail.
What is a bell
It is not only its size that gives the Clock Tower a popularity that other London attractions cannot compete with. Big Ben is equipped with a huge bell that chimes. This product is located inside the tower. It is known that the casting of the bell was entrusted to the master Edmund Beckett Denison. This man decided to create something grander than even “ Great Peter", located in York and weighing ten tons. He created a bell whose total weight was 16 tons.
To transport the product, a cart was used, which was harnessed by 16 horses. The bell lasted no more than two months, then cracked. As a result, it was created new option, whose weight did not go beyond 13 tons. It is curious that the weight of the hammer responsible for the blows was halved.
Unfortunately, the second bell was also cracked, but it was repaired. It was decided to create a square cut that prevents cracks from spreading. A small reversal of Big Ben was also performed, as a result of which the hammer no longer affected the damage.
For the first time, the resonating ringing was heard by the inhabitants of the capital at the end of May 1859. Big Ben in London has existed for over 150 years. The first contact of the hammer with the bell is made in the first second of the beginning of a new hour. The clock cannot be late because its progress is controlled by an English penny by a person acting as a keeper. It is curious that they wanted to fire the caretaker when one day the famous clock was delayed by one second. Of course, the serviceability of the mechanism is regularly checked.
Interestingly, Big Ben, located in London, was chosen to herald the beginning of the 21st century on the night of December 31, 2000. This clock represents the international time standard. A few decades ago, they had the world's largest dial, but this record was broken by the clock installed on the building of the Allen Bradley company, which is located in the US state of Wisconsin.
Symbol of London
Nowadays it is difficult to meet a person who does not know in which city Big Ben is located - London. Famous watches make a ringing sound, with which the inhabitants of Great Britain greet New Year. It is used when it is necessary to declare a minute of silence associated with sad events that have occurred in the world. Almost all fiction and documentary films dedicated to England contain an image of the magnificent Big Ben in their screensaver. Local news programs also begin with a photograph of the famous tower.