Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Big Ben: Big Ben and The Houses of Parliament, London, England
Big Ben: Big Ben and The Houses of Parliament, London, England
Big Ben, situated at the Palace of Westminster, is one of the best known icons of London, and has been voted the
Most Iconic Film Location in London. The clock, on its own, has been working since May 1859.
Although the name .Big Ben. actually refers to the bell inside the clock tower, which weighs an astounding 13 tons,
it has come to refer to the entire clock and clock tower over time. This name came from the commissioner of the
bell, Sir Benjamin Hall.
The clock tower is not technically open to the public; but, residents of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern
Ireland (collectively known as the United Kingdom) are able to arrange tours through their local Member of
Parliament.
Along the 334-stair climb, these visitors will see some of the prison cells inside the clock tower, which were once
used for imprisoning Members of Parliament that had breached privileges extended to parliamentary personalities.
Each of the faces of the clock have a Latin inscription at their base, which, when translated, means .Which means O
Lord, keep safe our Queen Victoria the First.. The dials are gilded on their surrounds.
The construction of the dial mechanism was assigned to renowned clockmaker Edward John Dent. He died in 1853
and his stepson (Frederick Dent) had to complete the mechanism, which he did the following year.
For this creation, Edmund Beckett Denison (one of the designers, along with George Airy) invented the double
three-legged gravity escapement, which ensured the best separation between the pendulum and the clock
mechanism. The pendulum is just under 4 metres long and weighs 300 kilograms! It has a 2-second beat rhythm. A
pile of old pennies on its top keeps the pendulum exactly on time. In fact, as small as it is, the presence of one penny
can change the speed of the clock by 0.4 seconds per day. The clock mechanism is situated below the pendulum and
weighs 5 tons.
The original Big Ben bell weighed 16 tons. However, when they were trying to install it, it fell and broke. The new
bell was made 3 tons lighter. This bell also has a large crack in it. However, it was simply turned and continues to
work, crack and all, to this day.
Today, Big Ben is an iconic symbol of London, England and the United Kingdom. It appears in films and on
postcards. The clock is also used during New Year Eve broadcasts to indicate the ringing in of the New Year.