![]() ![]() The clock, famous for its accuracy, has 4 faces measuring 7 meters diameter each one. Others think that it comes from the name of Ben Caunt, the famous boxer of the time. Some people suggest that it is down to Benjamin Hall, a corpulent man who was prefect of Public Works when the bell was installed in 1858. The origin of the name is not clear, however. Moreover, the official name of the bell is the Great Bell, Big Ben being a type of nickname. The name Big Ben in reality refers to the massive bell weighing 13.5 tons that strikes the hours. Well, although when we speak of Big Ben everyone understands that we are referring to this neo-Gothic tower designed by the architect Sir Charles Barry, we should really use its correct name: Clock Tower. The Westminster Quarters is now the most popular tune for church bells and can be heard all over the country.Before talking about Big Ben we should clear up a few things beforehand: you are probably used to referring to this 96-metre high tower that stands out above the structure of the Houses of Parliament and whose clock shows the really famous carillon. Where else can you hear the Westminster chimes? With the clock face recently emerging from the tower’s scaffolding which has encased the famous landmark for the last few years, Londoners were excited to hear Big Ben’s bell chime again as a new year began in 2022.Īt midnight on New Year's Day, the bell was struck 12 times using a temporary drive mechanism, which replicates the chime created by the original Victorian mechanism which drops a hammer on the bell ever 4.5 seconds.īig Ben and the four quarter bells are set to resume sounding the famous daily ‘Westminster Quarters’ melody and resonant bongs using the original mechanism in Spring 2022. Why did Big Ben ‘bong’ on New Year’s Day?
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