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Since 1970, the clock tower has been a Grade I listed structure and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987.

It is one of the most well-known symbols of the United Kingdom and parliamentary democracy, and it frequently appears in the opening scenes of films set in London. The tower is a globally recognized British cultural symbol. The clock’s original Victorian mechanism is still in operation, although an electric motor may be utilized in the event of a power outage. At 15, 30, and 45 minutes past the hour, four quarter bells ring, immediately before Big Ben tolls on the hour. The bell’s moniker is unknown it might be called for Sir Benjamin Hall, the man who oversaw its installation, or heavyweight boxing champion Benjamin Caunt.

For 23 years, it was the biggest bell in the United Kingdom. On the 150th anniversary of the tower’s construction, celebrations were conducted on May 31, 2009.īig Ben is the tallest and heaviest of the five bells in the tower, weighing 13.5 tons (13.7 tonnes 15.1 short tons). The rose for England, thistle for Scotland, shamrock for Northern Ireland, and leek for Wales are all represented on the tower by shields with a rose for England, thistle for Scotland, shamrock for Northern Ireland, and leek for Wales.

The clock’s dials are 22.5 feet (6.9 meters) in diameter. It has a square foundation that measures 40 feet (12 meters) on each side. The tower is 316 feet (96 meters) tall, with 334 steps from ground level to the belfry. When it was finished in 1859, the clock was the world’s biggest and most accurate four-faced striking and chiming clock. The official name of the tower in which Big Ben is housed was originally Clock Tower, but in 2012, it was renamed Elizabeth Tower to commemorate Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee as Queen of the United Kingdom.Īugustus Pugin designed the tower in a neo– Gothic style. Big Ben is a nickname for the Great Bell of the striking clock at the north end of the Palace of Westminster, however the term is also used to apply to the clock and the clock tower as well.