The Famous Big Ben

Posted by admin on Nov 25, 2011 in Big Ben | 0 comments

In as long as I can remember, the great bell of the clock at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London called Big Ben imports many tourists around the world. Why has this 316 ft. high clock tower attracted attention from people around the world and is most probably the pride of people living in England? If you look from afar you could see the top of the clock tower and because of that it is considered the largest four faced chiming clock and the third tallest free standing clock tower in the world. The Big Ben has become a prominent symbol of both London and England and on the thirty-first of this coming May 2011 the clock tower will be celebrating its hundred and second anniversary since it was completed and erected on the tenth on May of 1858.

“I never worked so hard in my life for Mr Barry for tomorrow I render all the designs for finishing his bell tower and it is beautiful” Those were the last written words of one of the designers of the great clock tower, Augustus Pugin before his decent into madness and death. He has written it to himself at the time of Charles Barry’s last visit to him to collect the drawings. Those designs on the clock tower later became of Barry’s design for the new Palace of Westminster since the last Palace if Westminster was burned down on the night of the sixteenth of October 1834. It was built in a Neo-Gothic style and the clock tower resembles Pugin’s designs earlier, including one for Scariscrick Hall. The tower is truly magnificent since Big Ben imports then and still so many tourists around the world. Not only is it very huge but its design is also very complex and looks sophisticated and elaborate. Like any other great architectural products, it also makes you wonder how the well-known clock tower was made or what makes it as it is. The design of the tower was celebrated in Pugin’s Gothic Revival style and the bottom 61 meters of the clock tower structure is made of brickwork with sand color Anston limestone cladding. The rest if the towers height is made with a framed spire of cast iron.

Due to the changes in ground conditions since construction, the tower leans slightly to the north-west, by roughly 8.66 inches at the clock dials, giving an inclination at approximately 1/250. Because of thermal effects it oscillates annually by a few millimetres east and west. The clock dials were also designed by Augustus Pugin and are set in an iron frame 23 ft., supporting of opal glass, rather like a stained-glass window and what surround the dials is gilded. Also at the base of each clock dial is an inscription in Latin: “DOMINE SALVAM FAC REGINAM NOSTRAM VICTORIAM PRIMAM” which translated in English would be “Oh Lord, keep safe our Queen Victoria the First” On the fifth of August 1976 was the first and only major breakdown. It was shut down for a total of 26 days over nine months and was reactivated on the ninth of May 1977. In spite of the hurdles that came to the clock tower Big Ben imports still so many people from around the world and is continually used as many of filmmakers shooting place.

The Great Ben

Posted by admin on Nov 23, 2011 in Big Ben | 0 comments

Big Ben in Westminster, it is located in the northern bank of the River Thames. The biggest clock that was made, there are many speculations that happen before this big chiming clock was built. In 1844, Parliament determined that the new buildings for the Houses of Parliament, by then underneath building, should incorporate a tower and clock. The fee for this work was awarded to the architect Charles Barry, who initially invited just one clockmaker to provide a design and quotation. The rest of the trade objected to this, demanding the job be put out to competitive tender. The Astronomer Royal, George Airy was appointed to draft a specification for the clock. Certainly, one of his necessities was that: “the primary stroke of the hour bell should register the time, right to inside one second per day. Furthermore, that it should send its performance twice a day to Greenwich Observatory, the place a file would be kept.”

At 9′ 0″ diameter, 7′ 6″ high, and weighing in at 13 tons 10 cwts 3 qtrs 15lbs (thirteen, 760 Kg), the hour bell of the Nice Clock of Westminster identified worldwide as “Big Ben.” Large Ben was cast on Saturday of 10th April 1858, but its story begins more than 20 years earlier. Those few bits of the Old Palace that survived the hearth – most notably Westminster Hall, which was built between 1097 and 1099 by William Rufus – were integrated into the new buildings we know at present, together with many new features. However, this clock was still closed for those visitors from the overseas. You can see and take some photo the chiming clock, but you are not able to climb up to the tower. Only the folks of UK have the permission to visit inside the tower because of their security matters. Others were banned from taking the tour due to mounting fears over terrorism. House of Commoners answered the question about the notice, but their spokesperson said that the house needs not to involve about the security of the tower. Nevertheless, the security personnel of the tower said, “We don’t do public tours, but you can write to your MP with a reason for wanting to see it, and they can arrange a tour for you.”

There is news that says; the giant clock was leaning already and to the reports; one-and-a-half foot of the top-level position of the tower was tilting. Naked eyes won’t see it. It is said to be because of the deep underground excavation in the banks of Thames. The famous clock will be the second leaning tower just like the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy. The structure of the clock tower was over the subterranean that have some establishments like sewers, Jubilee line station and underground car parks. What was happened to be another piece of attraction that makes the Big Ben more popular these days, even though they still ban the visitors of the great Ben this time? Hope that soon they will open it again to public visitations.

London’s Big Ben Tower

Posted by admin on Nov 12, 2011 in Clock Tower | 0 comments

Massive Ben, one in all London’s most well-known icons, is located within

the tower of the Palace of Westminster which contains The Houses of Parliament, The House of Lords, The House of Commons and Westminster Hall.

Big Ben in London is actually the nickname of the thirteen tonne bell located at the top of the tower although it  is usually extended to include the clock and the clock tower. The tower was inbuilt 1288 and the bell rang  out its first chime on 31 Might 1859. It’s the World’s biggest 4-faced chiming clock in addition to the  third-tallest free-standing clock tower.

Interestingly, the clock tower isn’t open to overseas visitors, nevertheless UK residents can arrange a tour  though it does entail walking up 334 steps to get to the top as there is not any such factor as a lift.

Augustus Pugin designed the clock and dials which incorporate 312 portions of opal glass and all sides of  the clock has a Latin inscription which denotes ‘O Lord, preserve protected our Queen Victoria the First.’

Famend for its reliability, London’s iconic clock ran accurately on time during heavy bombing through the  Blitz even with two damaged clock faces. The clock faces were darkened at night time in the course of the World Wars I and  II to prevent attack. The one time Big Ben has had a serious breakdown was on 5 August 1976 when it was taken  out of service for 26 days over 9 months. In August 2007, London’s this clock had six lengthy weeks of  upkeep to switch the bearings in its drive practice and ‘great bell’ striker.

Big Ben is a effectively-liked icon for London and the UK. The picture and the chimes are used by ITN’s News at Ten, ITV  Information bulletins, BBC Radio 4 and the BBC World Service. London’s historic clock after all, also performs a very  essential role in the course of the New Yr’s Eve countdown and celebrations when all eyes turn to the clock.

On Could 2009, Big Ben London celebrated its a hundred and fiftieth anniversary and we look ahead to one other a hundred and fifty years of  correct time and chimes.

London’s Massive Ben

Posted by admin on Nov 2, 2011 in Clock Tower | 0 comments

Massive Big Ben, one in all London’s most well-known icons, is located within

Big Benthe tower of the Palace of Westminster which contains The Houses of Parliament, The House of Lords, The House of Commons and Westminster Hall.

Big Ben in London is actually the nickname of the thirteen tonne bell located at the top of the tower although it is usually extended to include the clock and the clock tower. The tower was inbuilt 1288 and the bell rang out its first chime on 31 Might 1859. It’s the World’s biggest 4-faced chiming clock in addition to the third-tallest free-standing clock tower.