It is not only the calling card and main attraction of the capital of Great Britain, but also an opportunity to admire the beautiful city from a height of 62 meters. True, it is not granted to everyone.
“Big Ben” is the name of three historical landmarks at once. Originally, this name referred to the largest bell, weighing about 14 tons, installed inside the tower of Westminster Palace. Over time, “Big Ben” came to mean the tower clock, and later the tower itself, whose height together with the spire is about 96 meters, placing it third in the unofficial ranking of the world's towers. Inside, it is equipped with neither lifts nor other hoisting devices, so all its visitors make the difficult climb of 334 steps.
Despite the fact that Big Ben is London's main attraction, access for tourists is closed. Only high-ranking persons and journalists get to admire the capital of "Foggy Albion" from a bird's-eye view. Fortunately, the latter take unique photographs, which they then post online or publish in print.
The current clock tower was erected after the fire of 1834, which destroyed the entire Westminster Palace. Its previous architectural version had stood for almost 550 years. Interestingly, it was not Charles Barry, who worked on recreating the palace, who designed the tower. He handed this work over to Augustus Pugin, who described it as the most difficult in his life, but coped brilliantly, and after its completion went mad and died.
“Big Ben” was conceived as the most punctual clock in the world. This “English punctiliousness” was dictated by the demand of the royal astronomer, who proposed synchronizing the clock with the Greenwich Observatory to the exact second.
Today, the flawless running of the 5-ton mechanism is adjusted with coins weighing 1,5 grams. If the clock falls behind or runs fast, an old English penny is placed on the pendulum, which changes the time by 2,5 seconds per day. This even gave rise to the idiomatic expression “put a penny on,” which means “to slow down.”
A Latin inscription is placed around the perimeter of the tower: “Praise be to the Lord,” and at the base of all four clock faces, also in Latin, it says “God save our Queen Victoria I.” It was during her accession to the throne that the construction of Big Ben began.
By the way, the great bell was originally named after this ruler — “Royal Victoria.” Later it became “Ben,” and then “Big Ben.” According to one version, the bell, the clock, and then the tower were named after the Welshman Sir Benjamin Hall, who oversaw the construction of Westminster. Supposedly, he was of solid build. According to another version, the bell was named by a boxer of equally impressive size — Ben Caunt. There is also a legend that the name of the laborer-heavyweight Benjamin Caunt was thus immortalized. From the very beginning, the tower was officially named after Saint Stephen.
Two months after installation, the bell cracked, and the hammer that struck it was made twice as light. A new bell was cast, which cracked again. The striking resumed after repairs, but it is precisely the old crack that gives us the resonant ringing of the clock. By the way, we can hear it anywhere in the world thanks to the BBC's hourly broadcast.
