“Big Ben” is one of the famous and famous symbols of London in the world. Are you surprised? The subject of the article was about the clock tower of London, but now it is about Big Ben! Big Ben is another name for the London Clock Tower. This tower has received many names during its many years of life. Since 2012, in honor of Queen Elizabeth II, the name of the tower has been changed to Elizabeth Tower, but for tourists it is still the Clock Tower of London and for locals it is Big Ben.
The London Clock Tower was built in the burnt remains of the Palace of Westminster and became one of the tourist attractions of London. The London Clock Tower also has a story inside it that is worth knowing.
Birth of the London Clock Tower
The Palace of Westminster burned down on the night of October 16, 1834. Only parts of it survived the fire. A competition was held to design the new parliament building and the famous architect Charles Barry won the competition. Charles Berry’s original plans did not include a clock until Parliament requested that a clock be added to the complex’s tower. Charles Berry added the London Clock to his design with the help of his assistant Augustus Welby Poyn.
Birth of the big ben
The London Clock Tower was added to Parman’s building complex in 1856 with a length of 96 meters and 11 floors. 850 cubic meters of stone and 2,600 cubic meters of bricks were needed for its construction, which were brought to London from Anston in Yorkshire, Caen in France. Its foundations are placed at a depth of three meters. But with the passing of these years, this tower is bent towards the northwest with an angle of 0.04 degrees.
this tower has seen the reign of 6 kings of England. On May 10, 1941, a German plane dropped a bomb on top of the London Clock Tower, which damaged only parts of the tower and fortunately remained intact.
This tower is so famous that it has become one of the movie stars in English movies and has had a prominent presence in famous movies such as Lost, Doctor Who, Mary Poppins, etc.
Who was the designer of the London Clock Tower?
Charles Barry (designer of the London Clock Tower) asked the Queen’s clockmaker, Benjamin Los Vollemy, to design a clock for the tower. But with the publication of this news, a competitor was found for him. Another clockmaker, Edward Dent, asked Sir George Eyrie to introduce him to Charles Berry instead of Wallymey to make clocks. George Eyrie introduced him as Dent requested, and Dent was appointed to design the tower clock, according to the tower’s construction committee.
One of the requirements for making the clock was that the clock should not fall behind by even a second and it must have four faces so that it can be seen from any point. Despite these requirements, the construction of the clock tower seemed almost impossible.
Edmond Beckett Denison was a lawyer for whom clock making was a hobby. He thought he might be able to design this watch. For this reason, Denison and Dent started to make this watch together. They worked two days and nights to build a clock that was impossible to build in the eyes of others, but they succeeded and the London Clock Tower clock was built.
The clock that was designed and then built by them has plates with a diameter of 7 meters, which gave a small hand with a length of 2.8 meters and a large hand with a length of 3.4 meters. About 312 agate glasses are used in the design of the numbers of each clock face, which are illuminated by 28 lamps.
Who was the designer of the big ben?
When this Tower was built in 1854, it was the largest clock in the world and is still one of the largest mechanical clocks in the world. Its gears and hands are also very big. A clock of this size had to be designed to work accurately despite its heavy weight and, being located 97 meters above the London Clock Tower, work despite very strong winds.
It was even possible for it to be covered with snow and ice or for birds to get stuck in its hands. (In 1962, heavy snowfall and freezing caused the hands of the clock to become heavy and the London Clock Tower clock in Crims was delayed by ten minutes). Therefore, it had to be designed in such a way that it would not lose its time accuracy, and Dennison’s genius solved this problem.
Three separate movement parts were used in the design of this watch. The part that drives the main engine of the hands. A part to move the bells that ring every 15 minutes and the most important part is the motor that makes the main bell ring. This carefully designed watch is still working today.
The biggest change to the London Clock Tower clock over the years was its color change. The clock and the details of the clock were designed in blue, but the smoke and pollution of the London air gradually turned it black. For this reason, in 1980, it was decided to change the components of the watch to black.
How was Big Ben added to the clock tower?
The bells of the clock tower were brought to London during its construction. These bells were so big that they had to use a ship to bring them. At first, this bell was called Victoria, but later Londoners named it Big Ben. Big Ben is believed to be named after Sir Benjamin Hall, whose name is inscribed on the bell. But on the other hand, some believe that the reason for naming Big Ben is Ben Kant, the heavyweight boxer champion.
The 13-ton bell of the London Clock Tower known as Big Ben was first brought to London in 1856. This bell was transferred to the tower during a special ceremony. First it arrived in London by ship and then it was brought to the tower area in a carriage pulled by 16 white horses. When he arrived at the tower, the construction of the London Clock Tower had not yet been completed, so they hung Big Ben in the tower area, and unfortunately, the bell broke before it was installed. The second bell, which was slightly lighter, was brought to London in October 1858 and installed.
Big Ben clock tower
The tower clock started working on May 31, 1859. Two months after the start of the clock, the bell broke and Big Ben fell silent for four years. Due to the size of the bell, it was not possible to separate it from the watch, but this problem was solved by Sargeraj Iri. Instead of changing the bell, they replaced the pandan. The London clock tower bell was struck from the outside and cracked in the part where it hit the bell. They put a lighter pandon in another part of the bell and solved that problem. So this alarm works without any problems until today.
In addition to Big Ben, there are 4 other bells in this tower that ring every quarter of an hour.
On Christmas 1923, the BBC broadcast the sound of the London Clock Tower to the whole of England for the first time. Also, in 1932, the sound of the clock tower of London was broadcast live on world services.
One of the interesting points of the London Clock Tower bell is that in this tower you can easily understand the difference between the speed of light and sound. If you stand at the base of this Tower and look at the bell, you will hear the chime about one-sixth of a second later than the bell’s pendulum. And if someone is listening to the bell live on the radio at the same time, they will hear it before you.
Why is Big Ben silent these days?
Since 2017, the Clock Tower has been out of service for a period of time for repairs and renovations, and only chimes for Christmas and Memorial Day. This blackout will continue until 2021, due to the safety of workers working on the restoration of the London Clock Tower. The sound of Big Ben at close range can cause serious hearing damage.
Repairs and renovations Clock Tower
Why is the London Clock Tower being renovated?
London’s Clock Tower is undergoing renovation as it has been more than 30 years since the last extensive maintenance was carried out on the tower. Problems such as small cracks, erosion and rusting of metals should be fixed as soon as possible so that bigger problems do not arise.
Despite the renovation work, the Clock Tower of London still has many visitors. The view of the tower and its clock are hidden under the scaffolding, but next to the London Clock Tower, there are other attractions such as Parliament Square and of course the Palace of Westminster, which are free to enter.
Why is the London Clock Tower being renovated?
London Clock Tower or Big Ben?
Big Ben is the name of the big bell of the London Clock Tower, which is located at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London. This tower is officially known as the Elizabeth Tower and is the third standing clock tower in the world and has the largest four-faced clock in the world. This building has become one of the most prominent symbols of London and England.
Although the London Clock Tower is one of the most famous tourist attractions in the world; The interior of the tower has never been open to foreign tourists and only the British can see it with the coordination of their local parliaments and with special tours of the interior.
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