Big Ben history and interesting facts. What is Big Ben

Big Ben- a clock, tower and bell that are a symbol of London and one of the world's most famous landmarks. At the same time, to be precise, the name Big Ben is only given to the bell that rings the clock, but people most often call the clock itself or the entire tower by this name.

About Big Ben

The Big Ben bell is located in the Elizabeth Tower, one of the towers of the Palace of Westminster. Previously, this tower was simply called the "clock tower" or, informally, "St. Stephen's Tower", but in 2012 it was officially renamed in honor of the 60th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II.

A bell, a pendulum and the entire clock mechanism are mounted inside the tower. Outside the tower there are 4 dials that look in all directions.

The name Big Ben is also not official; according to one version, the bell received its name in honor of Benjamin Hall, who supervised the construction of the Palace of Westminster and took part in the installation of the bell. Sir Hall was tall; this fact could have been a reason to give this name to the Big Bell, but many consider this version untenable, arguing that Big Ben got his name in honor of the boxer and athlete Benjamin Ben Count.

Facts about Big Ben:

Clock starting date: May 31, 1859, but the bell first struck on July 11 of that year
Bell weight: 13.76 tons
Height of the Elizabeth Tower: 96 meters
Clock mechanism weight: 5 tons
Clock hand dimensions: minute – 4.2 meters, 100 kg, hour – 2.7 meters, 300 kg
Hammer weight: 200 kg
Big Ben dial diameter: 7 meters

History of Big Ben

The Elizabeth Tower, home to Big Ben and the Great Westminster Clock, is part of the Palace of Westminster, or the Houses of Parliament, which was built between 1840 and 1870 on the site of the first building that burned down in 1834.

The decision to build accurate clock was adopted by Parliament in 1844, it was decided to place them in one of the towers of the new palace under construction. Charles Barry, the chief architect, hired Augusto Pugin to build the clock tower.

The clock itself was designed by Benjamin Vallamy, a court watchmaker and consultant to the architect Charles Barry. But this caused discontent among other famous watchmakers of the time, and as a result, a competition was announced in 1846, and court astronomer Sir George Biddel Airy was appointed judge.

Airy approached the matter responsibly, which caused a delay in construction for almost 7 years, but in the end the mechanism of amateur watchmaker and lawyer Edmund Denison was recognized as the best. In February 1952, watches designed by Denison began to be built at the factory of the famous watchmaker John Dent. The first problem arose almost immediately - the finished mechanism did not fit into the tower under construction, but the internal space was slightly expanded. Then, in 1853, John Dent died, but he handled the clock assembly job. Foster-son Frederick Dent.

The clock was assembled and ready for installation in 1854, but the clock tower of the Palace of Westminster was still under construction and this played into everyone's hands - Denison received time to finalize the clock. As a result, he invented a unique gravitational escapement mechanism, which increased the accuracy of the movement and eliminated, for example, the force of wind pressure on the clock hands.

However, after installing the watch, another problem appeared - the minute hand turned out to be too heavy for the mechanism. But the problem was solved quite quickly by simply cutting out new lightweight hands from a copper sheet and the Big Ben clock began its operation on May 31, 1859, and less than two months later the bell striking mechanism was connected to it.

This is the story of the creation of the Great Clock of Westminster, which we know as the Big Ben Clock. But later many interesting events happened in their destinies.

On December 31, 1923, the chimes were broadcast on BBC radio, since then it has become a tradition and on BBC Radio 4 the ringing of Big Ben can be heard twice a day, at 6 pm and at midnight. In this case, you will not hear a recording, but real sound, which is transmitted using a microphone installed inside the tower.

Used during the world wars special regime working hours. From 1916, for two years, the bell did not chime the time, and the lights were turned off at night. From September 1, 1939, the clock worked and even the bell struck, but the backlight was not turned on. And in June 1941, Big Ben was damaged during an air raid, but the damage was minor, the clock continued to run, then it was stopped only for a day to repair the tower.

There were also funny cases, for example, in 1949, a flock of starlings sat on the minute hand and slowed down the clock by more than 4 minutes. And in 1962, the clock became frozen, and caretakers had to disconnect the pendulum from the mechanism to avoid damage.

Big Ben's only major failure occurred on August 5, 1976. The reason was the fatigue of the metal of the torsion bar, which transmitted the load of the pendulum. The clock mechanism suffered significant damage, Big Ben's hands froze for 9 months, and the clock could only be started on May 9, 1977. Since the accident, watches have been subject to more extensive maintenance and may be stopped for up to two hours, which is not recorded as a stop. But minor breakdowns sometimes occurred after 1977. For example, on May 27, 2005, the clock stopped twice in one day, presumably due to the heat.

In addition, lengthy technical work was carried out several times. In 2005, the clock was stopped for 33 hours, which became a kind of record. But already in August 2007, six weeks of work was carried out to replace the bearings and mounting system of the large bell, but the hands were driven by electric motors.

Sometimes Big Ben was stopped intentionally for various reasons. On January 30, 1965, the bells did not chime for Churchill's funeral, and on April 17, 2013, the clock was "silent" for Thatcher's funeral. On April 30, 1997, the clock was stopped exactly one day before the general election.

Well, the last one important milestone in the history of Big Ben - a change in the official name of the tower from “Sentry” to “Elizabeth Tower”. This decision was made by the 331 Members of Parliament on 2 June 2012, in honor of Queen Elizabeth's 60th birthday. The decision was based on the fact that the main tower of the Palace of Westminster received its name "Victoria Tower" in a similar situation - it was renamed in honor of Queen Victoria's 60th birthday. The official name change ceremony took place on September 12, 2012.

Big Ben Tower

The Clock Tower, now called the Elizabeth Tower, is the north tower of the Palace of Westminster. As already mentioned, Big Ben is an unofficial name, but it is the one used in colloquial speech. Another name widely used among the English is “St. Stephen’s Tower,” but this is not correct either.

The tower was designed by Augusto Pugin, at the request of the chief architect of the palace, Pugin sought to repeat his earlier works, in particular the tower of Scarisbrick Hall. But the architect did not see his creation alive; the tower became his last work, before serious illness and death.

The height of the Big Ben tower is 320 feet (96 meters). The first 200 feet (61 meters) of the tower structure are made of brick and clad in sand-colored Enston limestone siding. The remaining part of the tower is the spire, which is made of cast iron. The tower is based on a concrete foundation 4 meters deep.

The watch dials are located at a height of 54.9 meters. Below them there is a repeating encircling inscription LAUSDEO (Russian: Glory to God).

Under the influence of time, the Big Ben tower tilted. Currently, the tower is tilted by approximately 230 millimeters, which in relation to the height gives a slope of 1/240. This value also includes an additional 22 millimeters of inclination that was added when the metro tunnel was expanded, but, according to the builders, this was planned. And under the influence of the external environment, the tower can deviate several millimeters towards the west or east.

There is no elevator in Big Ben; you can only get to the top using 334 steps. But this opportunity is not available to everyone; this attraction is not in the public domain.

Not related to watches, but interesting feature Big Ben towers - when either House of Parliament sits in evening time There is a light on at the top of the tower. This was invented by Queen Victoria so she could see when parliamentarians were actually busy with work.

Big Ben Clock

Dials

The appearance of the four dials, facing the cardinal directions, was invented by the architect of the tower, Augusto Pugina. It is based on a metal frame with a diameter of seven meters, into which 312 pieces of opal glass are inserted using the mosaic method. Individual elements can be removed for inspection and ease of maintenance of the watch. The watch circumference is gilded. Also on each dial there is a Latin gilded inscription DOMINE SALVAM FAC REGINAM NOSTRAM VICTORIAM PRIMAM (Russian: God save our Queen Victoria I).

The hour hands are 2.7 meters long (hour hands) and 4.2 meters long (minute hands). The sentries are made of cast iron, and the minute ones were originally supposed to be cast iron, but in practice they turned out to be too heavy and had to be replaced with thin copper ones.

Roman numerals are used to indicate hours and minutes, but with some peculiarities. For example, instead of the number X (ten), a special symbol is used, which is associated with the superstitions of the architect.

Mechanism

Despite being over 150 years old, Big Ben's clockwork is extremely accurate and reliable. Of course, it is carefully looked after, every two days all parts of the mechanism are lubricated, sometimes technical work and replacement of parts are carried out, but many parts of the watch are original, and the design itself has not changed.

The total weight of the entire mechanism is 5 tons. A main part any clock, including Big Ben, the pendulum weighs 300 kg and is 4 meters long. His move takes 2 seconds. The way of adjusting the clock is interesting - any mechanism gives an error of several seconds and Big Ben is no exception. But if we simply move ordinary clocks back or forward once a month or even a year, then Big Ben is adjusted using coins. One old English penny placed on top of a pendulum slows it down by exactly 0.4 seconds per day. Thus, with the help of a few coins, the watchkeeper achieves maximum accuracy.

Bells of Big Ben

The main bell of the clock is officially called the Big Bell. The name “Big Ben” remains a nickname, although it is by this name that both the bell itself and the clock tower are known.

Big Ben was cast on August 6, 1856 by John Warner & Sons. It weighed 16.3 tons and was originally located at New Palace Yard as the tower was under construction at the time. But during testing, the bell cracked and repairs were entrusted to the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. The original bell was recast on April 10, 1858, reducing its mass to 13.76 tons and measuring 2.29 meters in height and 2.74 meters in diameter. It was installed in the tower (the rise took 18 hours) and the townspeople first heard the ringing on July 11, 1859. But already in September, not having served even two months, Big Ben cracked. This time the culprit was not the foundry workers, but the creator of the watch mechanism, Denison. He used a hammer weighing twice as much as permitted, although he did not admit his guilt and at numerous trials he tried to prove the guilt of the foundry workers, citing impurities in the bell, but to no avail. And an analysis carried out in 2002 finally put an end to this issue; there are no unnecessary impurities in Big Ben.

The Big Ben bell fell silent for 3 years while it was being repaired. It was decided not to dismantle or melt down the bell; a piece of metal was simply cut out at the crack site, and the bell was turned so that the hammer would hit in a different place. So to this day we hear the ringing of that same cracked Big Ben.

But all those three years the clock was not silent; the time was struck by four small bells, which usually chime the quarter hour. And together with the main bell they beat out a melody.

The first chime of Big Ben corresponds to the first second of the hour. The clock runs according to Greenwich time and we can say that it is Big Ben that keeps track of the main world time.

The meaning of Big Ben

The clock tower of the Palace of Westminster is now of great importance for the whole of Great Britain, because it is the symbol and most recognizable building of London. This makes Big Ben one of the world's most famous landmarks along with Eiffel Tower, the Kremlin or the Statue of Liberty. Therefore, the image of the tower is widely used in various works - in cinema, films, games, comics. Seeing the outline of the tower, we immediately understand that we're talking about about London.

Londoners themselves also love and value their master clocks. The chimes of Big Ben also mark the beginning of the New Year; they listen to it live, on TV and radio, much like we listen to the Kremlin chimes every year in order to drink a glass of champagne on time.

Visit Big Ben

Despite the enormous fame and popularity of the attraction, it is almost impossible to get inside the tower. There are no tours for the general public, as the tower is located in the current parliament building, it is too cramped inside and there is no elevator.

But British citizens can get inside Big Ben, for this they need to organize a tour in advance. Although there is a catch here - only a member of parliament can organize it.

And the rest will have to be content with only the appearance of Big Ben, take photographs against its background and study photographs of the insides of the clock on the Internet or in tourist brochures.

Big Ben on the map

How to get to Big Ben

Attraction address: London, Westminster, Parliament Buildings.

Nearest metro station: Westminster, St James's Park and Embankment stations are also within a ten-minute walk.

Nearest bus stops: Parliament Square, Westminster, Abingdon Street.

Also near the Palace of Westminster there is a pier of the same name, where regular ferries stop.

Tours are only available to UK citizens and must be initiated by a Member of Parliament. Moreover, all tours are usually scheduled six months in advance.

Big Ben - photo

Big Ben is under restoration! Completion of restoration work is scheduled for 2021.

Big Ben is a 96 meter tall clock tower located in the north-eastern part of the British Parliament in Westminster. The attraction is included in the list World Heritage UNESCO. Although the actual name of the tower is the Clock Tower, it is often called Big Ben. Big Tom or Big Ben Tower. The Clock Tower is one of the most recognizable structures in London and is its signature, just like the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Since its creation in 1859, the tower has served as the most reliable clockwork in London, and has also been used to celebrate any national event. The whole city converges on the tower to celebrate the New Year, and all radio and television stations check the time with Big Ben. The clock strike is also broadcast every year on the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the First and Second World Wars at exactly eleven o'clock on the eleventh day of the eleventh month as a sign of the coming peace. The bell can be heard at a distance of up to 12 kilometers.

Big Ben is often mistakenly called the tower itself. In fact, the bell bears this nickname, and the tower itself is officially called the “Elizabeth Tower”. It was renamed in honor Diamond Jubilee Her Majesty Elizabeth II c. 2012 The clock tower is also mistakenly called St. Stephen's Tower. However, the latter is actually a small tower in the courtyard of the Palace complex, which serves as the main entry point for debaters in the House of Lords and House of Commons. Currently, Big Ben does not look very aesthetically pleasing, because due to reconstruction it is covered with scaffolding. The Palace of Westminster is only half closed from the view of tourists; a small reconstruction affected it too. It is worth noting that this does not stop tourists at all.

Facts and figures

Height: 96 meters;

Area: 12 square meters;

Number of steps: 334;

Amount of stone used: 850 cubic meters;

Number of bricks used: 2600 cubic meters;

Number of floors: 11;

The tower tilts northwest 8.66 inches.

Elizabeth Tower

The British have always been famous for their ability to do everything original, unlike other countries, this is confirmed by the left-handed traffic, monarchical traditions preserved through the centuries and much more. This feature did not bypass Big Ben. The Elizabeth Tower was erected in a special way - from the inside out, that is, the scaffolding was installed inside the structure, and not outside, as is customary to do all over the world. Materials were transported by river and delivered to masons using winches. Materials for the construction of the Elizabeth Tower came from all over the United Kingdom: cast iron channels came from the ironworks to the Regent's Canal to erect external parts stone walls were imported from Yorkshire, granite from Cornwall, metal sheets for roofing from foundry in Birmingham.

The foundation was laid on September 28, 1843. The foundation pit was dug to a depth of 3 meters. The whole of the United Kingdom had a hand in creating the famous landmark, but it was never celebrated. The official opening ceremony of Big Ben did not take place, possibly because its commissioning was delayed by 5 years, in 1859. The tower was designed by Charles Berry, the chief architect at the royal court.

Watch

To find a first-class watchmaker, a competition was organized, the main requirement of which was to develop a clock mechanism accurate to one second from the beginning of each hour and telegraph the exact time to the Greenwich Observatory twice a day. The architect Berry was an excellent specialist in his field, but he was not a watchmaker. Such exaggerated requirements for those times led to a seven-year delay in delivery. The honor of developing the main clock of London fell not to the watchmaker, but to the lawyer Edmund Beckett Denison. The next delay arose because the space inside the tower was too small for the planned clock design. It was planned that the reconstruction of the tower would cost 100 pounds sterling, but in fact the amount turned out to be much more - 2,500 pounds, unthinkable money at that time. It's interesting to note that if Big Ben were built today, it would cost around US$200,000. Denison made a huge contribution to the concept of clock precision: he developed a special mechanism that allows the pendulum to withstand influences external factors, such as wind force. Since then, Denison's invention has been used in watches all over the world.

The clock was installed in the tower in April 1859. They didn't work at first because the cast iron minute hands were too heavy. Once these were replaced with lighter copper hands, the mechanism successfully began telling the time on May 31, 1859, shortly before the installation of the Big Ben bell. Each dial is made of cast iron, has a diameter of 7 meters and contains 312 individual pieces of opal glass with an opaque finish. Below each dial there is an inscription carved in stone in Latin: "Domine Salvam fac Reginam nostrum Victoriam primam", which means "God save our Queen Victoria I". Once every 5 years, the Big Ben dials are washed by professional window cleaners, who go down on ropes and extremely carefully wash the stained glass windows of the dials with a special cleaning solution, trying not to press on them with their hands and not damage the historical relic. Every year the clock is adjusted using a coin. If the clock runs fast, a penny is added to the pendulum. If the clock is running slowly, a penny is removed from the pendulum. The clock gains two and a half seconds from every penny added. The clock was four and a half minutes slow in August 1949 when a flock of starlings sat on the minute hand.

Facts about watches

Number of dials: 4;
Diameter of clock disks: 7 meters;
Number size: 60 centimeters;
Dial material: cast iron;
Stained glass: 312 opal glass elements;
Lighting for each dial: 28 energy-efficient lamps with a power of 85 W each;
Lifespan of each energy efficient lamp: 60,000 hours.

Minute hands:

Material: copper;
Weight: 100 kilograms, including counterweights;
Length: 4.2 meters;
Distance traveled by minute hands per year: equivalent to 190 kilometers.

Hour hands:

Great Bell

Officially, the bell of Elizabeth Tower is called the Great Bell, although it is known throughout the world as Big Ben. There are two theories about the origin of this name: it is named after Sir Benjamin Hall, the first member of the Parliamentary Committee (1855-1858), or it is named after Ben Count, the heavyweight boxing champion of the 1850s, also known as "Big Ben" . This nickname was usually given by society to anything that was the heaviest in its class. The first theory is believed to be the most likely. In August 1856 the bell was delivered to railway and the sea to London. Upon arrival at the port of London, he was transferred to a passenger carriage and pulled across Westminster Bridge on 16 white horses. The bell was first installed in the New Palace Yard and tested every day until October 17, 1857, when it developed a 1.2 meter crack.

The second bell was released on April 10, 1858. It was 2.5 tons lighter than the first. It was installed on July 11, 1859, but its success was short-lived. In September 1859, the new bell also cracked, and Big Ben remained silent for four years. In 1863, the solution was found by Sir George Airy, Astronomer Royal. Big Ben was turned a quarter turn so that the hour hammer would strike in a different place and was replaced with a lighter one. Since then, Big Ben has almost always functioned properly. Interestingly, the four small bells that ring every 15 minutes are nameless.

Facts about the Great Bell

Stopping the clock

The 2007 shutdown was the longest suspension since 1990. The clock mechanism was also stopped for two days in October 2005 to allow inspection of the brake shaft. Previous stops of clock mechanisms occurred in 1934 for 2 months and in 1956 for 6 months. Over the years, the clocks stopped completely randomly - by weather, workers, breakdowns or birds. The most serious failure occurred on the night of August 10, 1976, when part of the shimming mechanism fell off due to old age of the metal. It caused big damage, but fortunately no one was hurt.

Reconstruction of Big Ben

A major conservation work program for the Elizabeth Tower, the Great Clock and the Great Bell, also known as Big Ben, began in early 2017. The total cost of the project is estimated at £61 million, not £29 million as announced in the spring of 2016. Big Ben, which is visited by around 12,000 people every year, is carefully looked after by the Heritage Parliament team. Completion of restoration work is scheduled for 2021.

Sightseeing tours of Big Ben

All tours of Big Ben are suspended due to restoration work. During the renovation, a series of free morning talks are being held on Thursdays. An hour-long presentation presented by the custodians of Big Ben covers the history and workings famous watches and the iconic tower, followed by a short question and answer session. UK residents and overseas visitors can book tickets for a range of other Parliamentary tours, running on Saturdays throughout the year and on weekdays during the Parliamentary Recess. Tickets can be purchased online, by phone or on the day of your visit at the ticket office at the entrance.

Hotels

There are a lot of hotels and small hostels near the Elizabeth Tower in a price range to suit every budget. The tower is located in the very heart of the city, side by side with other world-class attractions; in the Westminster area it will not be difficult to find accommodation.

A little further there is the stop “Westminster Station Bridge St.” with routes No. and . By bus No. RT1 you can get to the stop “Westminster Pier”. This bus route is especially interesting, since along the route it goes around the Thames and offers a picturesque view from the window.

Big Ben is located in oldest area London. The concentration of attractions in the historical quarter is so high that sometimes it is impossible to immediately grasp how many cultural sites came into view at once. Along with Big Ben, you can't miss visiting the Palace of Westminster. It is there that debates between the House of Lords and the House of Commons have been held since ancient times. Directly opposite the tower is Westminster Abbey, one of the world's most important religious sites, where services have been held since 1090 to this day. WITH opposite side you can stroll through London's oldest Royal St. James's Park, where one attraction smoothly flows into another.

Big Ben on Google Panorama:

Big Ben on video:

To be precise, Big Ben is the largest bell located in the clock tower of the Palace of Westminster. Over time, Big Ben began to be called not only the bell, but also the tower itself, as well as the four-sided clock installed on it.

There are always a lot of tourists in the square near the Palace of Westminster, because not coming here is like coming to Paris and not seeing the Eiffel Tower or visiting Moscow and not visiting Red Square.

Currently, the Palace of Westminster includes: the Clock Tower and the Victoria Tower, Westminster Hall and the Lobby, as well as the House of Lords and the House of Commons, where the British Parliament operates.

Address of Big Ben and Westminster

The address of the Parliamentary complex is The Houses 01 Parliament St. Margaret Street London SW1A2AT.

How to get to Big Ben and Westminster

Big Ben is located in the historic district of Westminster and you can get to it:

Metro

Nearest station - Westminster

By bus

Take any bus to Parliament Square (Parliament Square in Victoria Street, opposite the Palace of Westminster) or to Trafalgar Square(Trafalgar Square in Whitehall).

Excursions to Big Ben in 2019

Tours to Big Ben are suspended due to renovations. Visits are planned to resume in 2020.

Excursions to Westminster (UK Parliament) in 2019

The British Parliament building (Westminster) can be visited with an audio guide (available in Russian). Excursions are only available on days when parliament is closed:

Weekly on Saturdays until June 29, 2019
Check available dates on the official website (see below)

It is highly recommended to purchase tickets in advance on the official website. In addition, they are cheaper than when purchased at the box office on the day of the visit. It is better to arrive at the parliament building 15-20 minutes before the time indicated on the ticket. Be sure to have a passport or ID card with you (security may require it). Upon entry, there is a security screening similar to that at an airport, so it is recommended to take as few items as possible. Photography is only possible in some rooms.

Cost of an excursion with an audio guide to the British Parliament (Westminster) in 2019.

Until March 31, 2019, the price indicated when purchasing on the website / at the box office on the day of the visit
- Full ticket £18.5 / £20.5
- Students and over 60s 16 / 18 pounds
- Children under 5 years old - free
- Children from 5 to 15 years old - one child with one adult free; additional child ticket £7.50 / £8.50
From April 1, 2019:
- Full ticket £19.5
- Students and over 60s £17
- Children under 5 years old - free
- Children from 5 to 15 years old - one child with one adult free; additional child ticket £8

Origin of the name Big Ben

There is still controversy over the name of the most majestic bell in the Palace of Westminster. According to one version, it came from the name of Benjamin Hall, the master who supervised the installation of the bell on the tower. Sir Benjamin was a large man and was often called Big Ben, and later the name Big Ben passed on to the bell, clock and tower.

It should be noted that the tower of the Palace of Westminster was previously called St. Stephen's Tower, and in honor of the Queen's 60th birthday in 2012, it received official name Elizabeth II, although most often she is still called Big Ben.

History of the construction of the Palace of Westminster

The question of building a new Parliament complex arose after the fire in October 1834, when almost all the buildings of the Palace of Westminster were destroyed. Then a competition was announced for the development of the project, and only works in the style of Elizabethan times and pseudo-Gothic were considered. According to the organizers of the competition, these were the styles that were national and reminiscent of the medieval origins of the British parliamentary system.

The competition was won by Charles Barry, who became the chief architect of the Palace of Westminster, according to whose design the clock tower was built. He commissioned the architect and draftsman Augustus Pagin to develop its design, for whom this work, as he admitted, was the most difficult in his life. Unfortunately, the tower project was Pugin's last: he soon went crazy and died.

Big Ben Tower

The tower was erected in the neo-Gothic style in 1858. Its height together with the cast iron spire is 96.3 meters, and without the spire - 61 meters.

The massive foundation has an area of 15 square meters. meters, its thickness is three meters, it goes 7 meters into the ground.

There is no elevator in the tower, and caretakers, as well as tourists, have to walk to the top.

Foreign tourists are not allowed to enter the tower, however, residents of the United Kingdom can climb a small observation deck, having climbed 334 steps along a narrow spiral staircase. During the tour, they will learn about the workings of the clock mechanism and see London from a height of 62 meters.

Due to changes in ground conditions, including the construction of the Jubilee Line subway tunnel, the tower has tilted to the northwest by approximately 220 millimeters, giving a tilt of approximately 1/250. Depending on the weather conditions this slope changes to the north or west by a few millimeters.

At a height of 55 meters, the tower houses a clock mechanism.

Big Ben Clock

The giant clock was created by amateur watchmaker Edmund Beckett Denison. The four dials are located at an altitude of 55 meters. The clock was launched on May 31, 1859 and in 2009 a grand celebration of its 150th anniversary took place.

The Big Ben clock is the largest striking clock in the world:

The weight of the mechanism is 5 tons
The diameter of the dials is 7 meters,
The length of the large hands, made of copper sheet, is 4.2 meters
The length of small hands made of cast iron is 2.7 meters
The pendulums are 4 meters long and weigh 300 kilograms.

Under the dial there is an inscription in Latin “God save our Queen Victoria I”, along the perimeter of the tower - “Praise the Lord”.

Interestingly, the accuracy of the clock is adjusted using 1p coins - if you add one coin, the pendulum slows down by 0.4 seconds. In a year, the minute hands travel 190 kilometers.

During the two years of World War I, the dials were darkened and the bells did not ring. Throughout World War II, although the bells rang, the dials were also darkened
In May 1941, as a result of a German air raid, two dials and the roof of the tower were damaged, but the clock continued to work
IN New Year's Eve 1962, due to icing of the hands, in order to prevent damage, the pendulum, as was intended in such cases, was disconnected from the clock mechanism and swung idle. As a result, the Big Ben clock announced the arrival of the New Year 1962 10 minutes later.

Bell Big Ben

It was decided that the clock should strike, for which a huge bell was cast. During the first test, it cracked, and therefore a smaller bell was cast.

The weight of the Big Ben bell is 13.7 tons
Height – more than two meters
Diameter is about three meters.

Alas, two months later, to the great regret of foundry master George Mears, a crack appeared on the bell. The hammer turned out to be twice as heavy as the maximum possible, determined by Mears, and therefore difficult language damaged the bell.

For three years, only four small bells were rung, weighing between 1 and 4 tons. These junior “colleagues” announced the time every quarter of an hour.

Big Ben was then turned a quarter turn to keep the hammer out of the crack, and later a larger one was made for it. easy language. The hammer currently weighs 200 kilograms.

Since 1859, the bell of Big Ben has struck every hour and in 150 years it has struck more than 8 million times.

At the beginning of each hour, small bells sound, one of which plays the melody of the Bells of Westminster, and then you will hear the sounds of the famous Big Ben.

Until 1912, the dial was illuminated by gas jets, which were later replaced by electric bulbs, and the sounds of the bell were first heard on the radio on December 31, 1923.

Big Ben's bell is the second largest in the UK after Great Paul's, the bell of St Paul's Cathedral in London.

Big Ben is a symbol of London and business card capital of Great Britain, and the famous clock tower is the screensaver for the news program. In addition, we often see Big Ben in films whose authors want to show that the action takes place in the capital of Great Britain.

January 18th, 2013

What do you see in the photo? Big Ben - bell tower in London, part architectural complex Palace of Westminster. So they say numerous sites in the Internet. But it's not quite like that. Let's still find out what London's Big Ben is and what is shown in the photo above.

Big Ben is not at all the tall tower of the Palace of Westminster (popularly known as the Parliament), which is usually depicted on every second postcard with views of London. And not even the clock that decorates this tower. Big Ben is a bell that is located behind the clock face. It weighs almost 14 tons, is more than two meters high, and has a diameter of about three meters.

Residents of London no longer wince when they hear “Big Ben Tower” from tourists. Although in fact Big Ben is the largest of the six bells of the Westminster Abbey clock tower. It is he who beats the time, hence the confusion. It was christened that way on May 31, 1859, the day the clock was launched. The name was chosen by parliament. Loudest at the meeting dedicated to watches, shouted forest curator Benjamin Hall, a straightforward and vocal man.

There were more jokes about him than about Putin, and behind his back Hall was called “Big Ben.” After another particularly stupid remark from Hall, a voice was heard from the audience: “Let’s call the bell Big Ben and go home!” The audience burst into laughter, but the nickname stuck. According to another, Big Ben was named after Benjamin Count, an extremely popular heavyweight boxer at the time. That's it. And the tower in which the bell hangs, by the way, is called Saint Stephen (St. Stephen's Tower)

In 1844 By decision of the English Parliament, a commission was created to build a tower with an accurate clock. The clock was designed by Edmund Beckett Denison in 1851. He also took up the task of casting the bell of the tower clock. However, wanting to “outdo” the heaviest bell in York at that time, weighing 10 tons (“ Great Peter"), he changed traditional shape bells and metal alloy composition.

While the tower was not completed, the bell was installed in New Palace Yard. Cast in 1856, the first bell was transported to the tower on a cart drawn by 16 horses, which was constantly surrounded by crowds as it moved. Unfortunately, during the trial test the bell cracked and required repairs.

Then Denison, who by this time was already called Sir Edmund Beckett, the first Baron of Glimthorpe, turned to the Whitechapel company, which at that time was owned by the foundry master George Mears.

It was rebuilt at a foundry and weighed 13.76 tons. The new bell was cast on April 10, 1858, and after cleaning and the first tests it was transported on sixteen decorated horses to the Parliament building. It took 18 hours to get it up the tower. The bell is 2.2 m high and 2.9 m wide. This new bell, cast by John Warner & Sons to Denison's design, first rang in July 1859.

To the great chagrin of Denison (who considered himself a leading expert not only in the field of bell casting, but also in many other areas), just two months later the bell cracked again. According to foundry manager George Merce, Denison used a hammer that was more than twice the maximum allowable weight.

For three years Big Ben was not used, and the clock rang at its lowest quarter bells until the main bell was reinstalled. To repair, part of the metal on the frame around the crack was cut, and the bell itself was rotated so that the hammer was in a different place. Big Ben rang with a broken, drawn-out ringing and continues to be used today with a crack. At the time of its casting, Big Ben was the largest bell in the British Isles until "Big Paul" was cast in 1881, a 17-ton bell currently housed in St. Paul's Cathedral.

Big Ben and the other small bells surrounding it chime the following words: “Through this hour the Lord protects me and his strength will not allow anyone to stumble.” Every 2 days the mechanism is thoroughly checked and lubricated, taking into account daily temperature and pressure.

But, like any clock mechanism, the clock on the tower of the English Parliament is sometimes late or in a hurry, but even such a small error (1.5 - 2 seconds) forced a solution to be found in due time. To correct the situation, you only need a coin, an old English penny, which, when placed on a 4-meter-long pendulum, accelerates its movement by 2.5 seconds per day. By adding or subtracting pennies, the caretaker achieves accuracy.

1916: For two years during the First World War, the bells were not rung and the dials were darkened at night to prevent attacks by German Zeppelins.

September 1, 1939: Although the bells continued to ring, the dials were darkened at night throughout World War II to prevent attacks by Nazi German pilots.

New Year's Eve 1962: The clock slowed down due to heavy snow and ice on the hands, causing the pendulum to be separated from the movement, as is the design in such circumstances, to avoid serious damage to another part of the mechanism. So the clock rang New Year 10 minutes later.

August 5, 1976: the first and only truly serious damage. The speed regulator of the ringing mechanism broke down after 100 years of service, and the 4-ton loads unleashed all their energy on the mechanism at once. This caused great damage - the main clock did not run for a total of 26 days over 9 months, it was started again on May 9, 1977. This was the biggest interruption in their work since construction.

27 May 2005: The clock stopped at 10:07 pm local time, possibly due to the heat (temperatures in London reached an unseasonal 31.8°C). They were restarted but stopped again at 10:20 pm local time and remained idle for about 90 minutes before being restarted.

October 29, 2005: The mechanism was stopped for approximately 33 hours for repair and maintenance work on the clock and bells. It was the longest maintenance closure in 22 years.

At 7:00 a.m. June 5, 2006: The clock tower's "quarter bells" were removed for four weeks because the mount holding one of the bells had become severely worn over time and was in need of repair. During the renovation, BBC Radio 4 broadcast recordings of bird calls and replaced the usual chimes with peeps.

11 August 2007: Beginning of a six-week Maintenance. The chassis and “tongue” of the large bell were replaced for the first time since installation. During the repair, the clock was powered not by the original mechanism, but by an electric motor. Once again BBC Radio 4 had to make do with pips during this time.

The official name of the tower is the "Clock Tower of the Palace of Westminster", and it is also called "St Stephen's Tower".

Construction of the 320 pound clock tower began in 1837 with the accession of Queen Victoria to the throne. At this time, the reconstruction of the parliament buildings, damaged by fire in 1834, was underway.

Tower height 96.3 meters (with spire); The clock is located at a height of 55 m from the ground. With a dial diameter of 7 meters and hands measuring 2.7 and 4.2 meters long, the watch has long been considered the largest in the world.

Big Ben's dials face all 4 cardinal directions. They are made from Birmingham opal, the hour hands are cast from cast iron, and the minute hands are made from copper sheet. It is estimated that the minute hands move in a year total distance 190 km.

At the base of each of the watch's four dials is the Latin inscription "Domine Salvam fac Reginam nostram Victoriam primam" ("God save our Queen Victoria I").

Along the perimeter of the tower, to the right and left of the clock, is another phrase in Latin - “Laus Deo” (“Glory to God” or “Praise the Lord”).

Until 1912, the clocks were illuminated by gas jets, which were later replaced by electric lamps. The chimes sounded on the radio for the first time on December 31, 1923. In Big Ben, tourists are not allowed to get to the top of the tower, only via a narrow spiral staircase.

334 steps will lead to a small open area, in the center of which is the legendary bell. Its height is more than 2 meters, and its diameter is almost 3 meters.

Big Ben and other small bells seem to contain the following words in their chime: “Through this hour the Lord protects me, and his strength will not allow anyone to stumble.”

After the chimes strike, the first blow of the hammer on Big Ben absolutely coincides with the first second of the beginning of the hour. Every two days the mechanism is carefully checked and lubricated, and it is necessary to take into account Atmosphere pressure and air temperature.

There was a prison in the Tower in which only one person was imprisoned in its entire history, it was Emmeline Pankhurst, a fighter for women's rights. Now there is a monument to her near the parliament.

The clock has become a symbol of the United Kingdom and London, especially in visual media. When TV or film producers want to indicate that the scene is set in Great Britain, they show an image of the Clock Tower, often with a red double-decker bus or black taxi in the foreground. The sound of clocks ringing has also been used in audio media, but Westminster Quarters can also be heard from other clocks or devices.

The Clock Tower is the center of New Year's celebrations in the United Kingdom, with radio and television stations broadcasting its chime to welcome the new year. Similarly, on Remembrance Day for those killed in the First and Second World Wars, the chimes of Big Ben mark the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month and the beginning of two minutes of silence.

ITN's ten o'clock news features an image of the Clock Tower with the chimes of Big Ben marking the start of the news feed. Big Ben's chimes continue to be used during the news feed and all news reports use a graphical base based on the face of the Westminster clock. Big Ben can also be heard before some news headlines on BBC Radio 4 (6pm and midnight, and 10pm on Sundays), a practice dating back to 1923. The sound of the chimes is transmitted in real time through a microphone permanently installed in the tower and connected to the radio and television center.

Londoners who live near Big Ben can hear the thirteen tolls of the bell on New Year's Eve if they listen both live and on radio or TV. This effect is achieved because the speed of sound is slower than the speed of radio waves.

The clock tower has appeared in many films: 1978's The 39 Steps, in which Richard Hannay's character tried to stop a clock (to prevent a bomb from exploding) by hanging on the minute hand of a Western clock; the film "Shanghai Knights" with Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson; episode of the Doctor Who story Aliens in London. An animated version of the clock and tower interior were used in the climax of Walt Disney's Big Mouse Detective. In the movie "Mars Attacks!" the tower is destroyed by a UFO, and in the movie "The Avengers" it is destroyed by lightning. The appearance of the "thirteen chimes" mentioned above became the main intrigue in Captain Scarlett and the Mysteron episode "Big Ben Strike Again". In addition, a survey of more than 2,000 people showed that the tower is the most popular attraction in the United Kingdom.

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This clock on the tower of the United Kingdom Parliament can be heard all over the world. BBC radio microphones broadcast their fight every hour. It is with the first blow of Big Ben on the night of 31/1 that the planet officially, according to the international time standard, enters the New Year

Big Ben- bell tower in London, part of the architectural complex of the Palace of Westminster. The official name of Big Ben is “Clock Tower of the Palace of Westminster”, it is also called “St. Stephen’s Tower”

The clock tower rises 98 meters above the Thames embankment. The tower is equipped with a clock mechanism that is highly accurate. We can say that this is the “main clock” of the state. A huge bell, Big Ben, specially cast for the tower, weighing 13.5 tons, chimes the hours. Big Ben's fight is constantly broadcast on English radio stations. During the parliamentary session, at nightfall, a spotlight is lit on the tower

Tourists are not allowed into Big Ben. You can get to the top of the 96-meter tower only through a narrow spiral staircase. 334 steps will lead to a small open area, in the center of which is the legendary bell, which gave the name to the Clock Tower. Its height is more than 2 meters and its diameter is almost 3 meters.

Big Ben and the other small bells surrounding it chime the following words: “Through this hour the Lord protects me and his strength will not allow anyone to stumble.” After the chiming clock, the first blow of the hammer on Big Ben coincides exactly with the first second of the hour. Every 2 days the mechanism is thoroughly checked and lubricated, taking into account daily temperature and pressure. But, like any clockwork, the clock on the tower of the English Parliament is sometimes late or in a hurry. I must say that the error is not large, only 1.5 - 2 seconds. To correct the situation, all you need is a coin, an old English penny. No one knows for sure who first came up with the idea of using coins, but the idea worked. An old English penny placed on a 4 meter long pendulum accelerates its movement by 2.5 seconds per day. By adding or subtracting pennies, the caretaker thus achieves accuracy. The mechanism, despite its almost 1.5 century history and weight of 5 tons, works perfectly

Big Ben is a symbol of its time, the period of greatest dawn of the country. And the inscription in Latin at the base of each of the four dials: “Domine Salvam fac Reginam nostram Victoriam primam” (“God save Queen Victoria!”) is a tribute to personal respect to the monarch, under whom such a concept as British Empire. Along the perimeter of the tower to the right and left of the clock is another phrase in Latin: “Laus Deo” (“Praise the Lord” or “Glory to God”)

Charles Bury, the architect who built the Palace of Westminster, asked Parliament for a grant in 1844 to build a clock on St. Stephen's Tower. The mechanic Benjamin Valliami took on the task of constructing the clock. It was decided that the new clock would be the largest and most accurate in the world, and its bell would be the heaviest, so that its ringing could be heard, if not throughout the empire, then at least throughout its capital.

When the clock project was completed, disputes began between its author and the authorities regarding the required accuracy of the clock. The Astronomer Royal, Professor George Airy, insisted that the first chime of the bell every hour should be accurate to one second. The accuracy had to be checked hourly by telegraph linking Big Ben with the Greenwich Observatory.

Valyami said that such precision is not possible for watches exposed to winds and bad weather, and that no one needs it at all. This dispute lasted for five years, and Airy won. Valyamy's project was rejected. The watch with the required accuracy was designed by a certain Dent. They weighed five tons.

Then considerable efforts began to cast the bell and debates in parliament on this matter. It is to this time that versions of the origin of the name Big Ben are attributed. Official version: The bell is named after the construction superintendent, Sir Benjamin Hall. Because of his impressive size, the foreman was given the nickname Big Ben. According to another, unofficial version, the bell was named after the strongman and famous boxer of the times of Queen Victoria, Benjamin Count.

When the clock and bell were already raised and mounted, it turned out that the cast iron hands were too heavy, and they were cast from a lighter alloy. The tower clock was put into operation on May 21, 1859. Until 1912, the clocks were illuminated by gas jets, which were later replaced by electric lamps. And the chimes sounded on the radio for the first time on December 31, 1923.

After in Big Ben During the Second World War, a bomb hit, the clock began to run less accurately.

These watches gained incredible popularity both in England and abroad. In London, many “Little Bens” appeared, small copies of St. Stephen’s Tower with a clock on top. Such towers - something between an architectural structure and a living room grandfather clock - began to be erected at almost all intersections. The most famous “Little Ben” stands at railway station Victoria, but in fact in almost every area of London you can find little Ben)