Big Ben, One Of The Iconic Symbol Of London, UK

Big Ben is actually the nickname used for the Great Bell of the clock located on a tower and this clock tower is located at the north end of the building (Palace of Westminster) in London on the bank of River Thomas.   

The original name of the Big Ben Clock Tower is Saint Stephen’s Tower, while often used name Big Ben Clock is a wrong one. Although the entire structure of tower is known by people as Bing Ben in London, or Big Ben of London. In tribute to Queen Elizabeth II on her Diamond Jubilee the Tower name was changed to Elizabeth Tower in 2012. Since then, it is the official name of the tower.  This Elizabeth Tower is the third tallest free standing clock tower in the world while it has the largest four-sided chiming clock.

The Big Ben Tower is 315 feet (96.0 m) tall. The Big Ben is located on the banks of River Thames. It has four clocks and the outer faces of the clocks are 23 square feet in size. When it was completed the clock was biggest of its kind. The structure of the tower was completed between 1843 and 1858. It was built for the building named Palace of Westminster recently known as the Houses of Parliament.

Huge Clock in Big Ben, London

The Houses of Parliament and Elizabeth Tower are among London’s most iconic landmarks of UK. This big clock has big hands too; the hour hands are 09 feet long, while the minute hands are 14 feet long. Pieces of the clock face can be removed easily due to its special design, to allow the cleaning and maintenance.  There are 312 pieces of glass used in each dial. Big Ben Tower’s clock is remarkably durable and rarely stopped, as the clock continued to chime and was running accurately even in WWII when the Parliament was nearly destroyed with bombing.  

The Great Bell in the bell house within the Big Ben Tower in London is the largest bell in the tower and a part of the Great Clock of Westminster. This massive bell weighs almost 14 tons. The hour bell was probably takes its name from the man who the first commissioner of works, Benjamin Hall. The Big Ben first time rang across Palace of Westminster on 31 May 1859. The overseas tourists are not allowed to visit the tower. However the UK residences can tour the Tower, there is no lift facility so people can only climb via stairs to reach top.

A Night view of Big Ben and the House of Parliament