Visit Big Ben In London

-- Big Ben In London --

No trip to London would be complete without a visit to Big Ben, possibly one of London’s most famous attractions!

It’s so famous in fact that the building in which it’s housed, Westminster, has been eclipsed – a view of the clock tower automatically brings to mind that famous bell.

One Big Bell

A visit to Westminster to see Big Ben will give you insight into why it’s called that – it weighs in at over thirteen tons, and its nine feet in diameter, and over seven and a half feet high!

It was actually the second bell made for the tower though – the original was even bigger, weighing in at over sixteen tons!Looking at it, it makes you wonder how they managed, in 1858, to cast and transport it, without trucks, or any of the other modern equipment we’d use today!

-- Big Ben In London --

The History of the Bell

The story of Big Ben is as interesting as visiting the clock tower is. It was late 1834, when the houses of Parliament at Westminster burned down that it all started.

When deciding to rebuild Westminster, the powers that be decided on a clock tower, and a clock, and that’s where the story of Big Ben started, but the actual making of the iconic bell took a lot longer. In fact, it was only in 1854 that the design was even finalized!

Put a Penny On

You might have heard the phrase “put a penny on” referring to slowing down. This phrase actually came into being thanks to none other than Big Ben! On top of the mechanism that controls the speed of the clock’s ticking, there are a stack of pennies. They’re used to regulate the speed of the clock.

Amazingly enough, by adding or removing just one or two pennies, the entire clock’s working can be slowed down, or sped up! Not what you’d call high tech, but it does work!

-- Big Ben In London --

Interesting History, Iconic Tower

Of course, while the history of the bell is fascinating, and these are just a few snippets of the story of Big Ben, you may not be all that interested in the story itself.

Westminster and Big Ben’s tower are still worth a visit though – in fact, the building’s image has become a symbol of all things British, like the changing of the guard, Buckingham Palace, and fish and chips. No visit to London would be complete without a visit to its most famous symbol. Not visiting Big Ben, and having a picture taken while standing in front of the tower, would be like going to New York without going to see the statue of Liberty, or Paris without paying the Eiffel Tower a visit. Then again, if you’re in London for New Years Eve, listening to the bell chime, counting down to the New Year is traditional and even elsewhere in England, people tune their TV’s and radios in to hear Big Ben ring in the New Year.

Of course, with such a big bell, if you are near Westminster, you’ll certainly always know exactly what time it is!

-- Big Ben In London --

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