Finally, the problem was solved by Sir George Airy, a mathematician and astronomer, who proposed that the enormous bell be rotated for the hammer (which had also been replaced with a less heavy version) to strike the bell at a different spot.
#Big clock tower cracked
It was replaced in July 1859 by a lighter bell which also cracked three months later. The very first bell, which weighed some sixteen tons, developed a crack in 1857. The modern Big Ben is not the tower’s original bell. Unfortunately for Pugin, who was known for his work on English buildings such as Scarisbrick Hall located in the northeastern English county of Lancashire, Big Ben marked the end of his career as he went insane and subsequently died in 1852 at the age of 40. Pugin specialized in designing structures in the Gothic Revival architectural tradition. Barry turned to Augustus Pugin to design the distinctive clock tower. Ten years later a clock and tower were included as part of plans devised by chief architect Charles Barry for the construction of the new Houses of Parliament. Although originally this massive structure’s official name was the Clock Tower, it was renamed the Elizabethan Tower in 2012 in honor of Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee.īig Ben’s origins can be traced back to the disastrous fire of October 16, 1834, which destroyed the original Palace of Westminster. History Of The Big Benīig Ben is the nickname for the iconic tower which is located in the north end of London’s House of Parliament at the Palace of Westminster which sits on the banks of the River Thames. Lights illuminate the clock face during the night time hours as well as when the U.K.’s parliament is in session. It includes four clock faces each featuring 312 pieces of glass, minute hands measuring fourteen feet long, and numbers about 23 inches long. Designed by British architect Augustus Pugin, Big Ben was constructed in a neo-Gothic style to serve as the standard clock of the city.
#Big clock tower plus
Its name refers to the thirteen plus ton bell housed inside the iconic bell tower which measures 315 feet in height and includes 334 steps from the ground level up to the belfry. Big Ben has been a world-famous symbol of British culture ever since it first rang out on May 31, 1859.
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