BIG BEN

Abed Jaklin
Big Ben is the nickname for
the Great Bell of the striking clock at
the north end of the Palace of
Westminster; 

The tower was designed by the

English architect Augustus Pugin
and completed in 1859. The tower
stands 316 feet (96 m) tall, and the
climb from ground level to the
belfry is 334 steps.
Big Ben is the largest of the tower's five
bells and weighs 13.5 long tons.
It was the largest bell in the United
Kingdom for 23 years. The origin of the
bell's nickname is open to question.
The base of each clock dial features the
Latin inscription: ‘‘Domine Salvam fav
Reginam Nostram Victoriam Primam’’. This
translates to O Lord, keep safe our Queen
Victoria the First.
 Fascinating Facts

• 23 lightbulbs illuminate each of the clock faces.

• While Big Ben famously draws tourists from all around the world,
the tower’s interior is only accessible to United Kingdom residents.
• Big Ben serves as the focal point of New Year celebrations in the
United Kingdom.
• At 8:12 a.m., Big Ben chimed 30 times on
27 July 2012 to welcome in the Olympic
Games.
• The window panes that form each of the
four clock faces are so fragile, that even
an incoming bird could crash into the
panes and break them.
• The last time Big Bell fell silent was in
2007 for maintenance repairs.
• To transport the bell, Big Ben went on a
journey down the River Thames on a
barge.
• It took 6 years to complete
construction of the tower after its
foundation was dug in 1843
• Big Ben chimes every fifteen
minutes and can be heard from as
far away as five miles
• Big Ben’s face was dark and its
chimes were silent for two years
during World War I. During World
War II, the clock was dark, but the
bell kept ringing.
 A third of the way (or 114
steps) up inside the tower is
the Prison Room, where MPs
Prison Room
in breach of codes of conduct
were imprisoned.

It was last used in 1880 when

newly elected MP Charles
Bradlaugh, an atheist, refused
to swear allegiance to Queen
Victoria. He was kept in the
prison room overnight.
It has its own Twitter account
@big_ben_clock tweets the relevant number
of bongs on the hour, every hour. That's it. No
replies. No retweets. Yet the account still has
an impressive 485,000 followers, despite
following no-one.
Thanks for attention!