Big Ben is one of the most famous and recognizable buildings in the world. It is located in the capital of Great Britain. It is not just a tourist attraction, Big Ben is considered a symbol of London.
The whole truth about Big Ben
People who are far from the history of England believe that Big Ben is a clock on a tower in central London. In fact, Big Ben is the largest bell in the clock tower located at the north end of Westminster Palace. Following him, the entire architectural ensemble, consisting of a tower, a bell group and dials, was also called.
The tower was erected in 1858, and a year later the famous clock was installed on it. The height of the building together with the spire is 96 meters. Thanks to this, the attraction can be seen from almost anywhere on the embankment of the Thames River. The watch dials are located on all four sides of the tower. They also have an impressive size - 7 meters in diameter, the length of the large hand is 4, 2 m, and the small - 2, 7 m. For a long time this watch was considered the largest in the world, until the United States installed a dial with large dimensions.
The watch is also renowned for its reliability. They are considered the international time standard. The accuracy of the hourly movement is regulated with the help of a coin - an old English penny, weighing 1.5 grams. The caretaker, depending on the weather conditions affecting the movement of the clockwork, puts a coin on the pendulum or removes it. This speeds up or slows down the movement of the pendulum by 2.5 seconds per day.
There are 4 bells inside the tower. They call every hour, beat out the rhythm of the words with their chimes: "At this hour the Lord protects me, and his strength will not allow anyone to stumble." The largest bell, the same Big Ben, weighs 13.76 tons. There are several versions why the bell was given such a name. According to one of them, Big Ben was named after the deputy Benjamin Hall. When the bells first rang in the clock tower, the parliamentarians devoted an entire session to the question of choosing the name of the bells. Benjamin Hall, nicknamed Big Ben (Big Ben) because of his excess weight, made a fiery speech, but did not advise anything sensible. And someone jokingly suggested to name the largest bell in honor of an eloquent overweight parliamentarian. So the name was assigned to the structure. According to another version, the name of the bell was invented by the workers who erected it. At the time, heavyweight boxing champion Benjamin Comte was very popular and the workers were crazy about him.
Big Ben today
In 2012, the clock tower was renamed in honor of the current Queen of Great Britain, Elizabeth II. State and secular holidays are held near the famous building. The New Year is celebrated with the chimes on the night of December 31 to January 1. They also pay tribute to the memory of the British who died during the military battles with bells.
Tourists visiting London consider it their duty to visit Big Ben. But not everyone is allowed inside the tower today. Over time, Elizabeth's Tower tilted. Therefore, for the safety of tourists and the preservation of the object of historical and cultural heritage, excursions to Big Ben are prohibited. However, nothing prevents you from admiring one of the main attractions of the British capital from the outside.
