Many people think that Big Ben is the name of the famous clock tower in central London. This isn’t true! Big Ben is actually the nickname of the huge bell in the tower. The tower is called Elizabeth Tower.
Elizabeth Tower and Big Ben are part of the Palace of Westminster, which is opposite Westminster Abbey, next to the River Thames, and close to the London Eye in central London. The Palace of Westminster is the meeting place of the British government. It is more commonly called the Houses of Parliament.
(The Palace of Westminster on the River Thames)
Facts
Elizabeth Tower holds the largest four-faced chiming clock in the world and is also the third tallest clock tower.
It was built in 1858 after the previous Palace of Westminster was destroyed by fire in 1834.
The tower is 96 metres high.
The four clock faces are each 7 meters in diameter.
Each clock face is made of 312 pieces of glass, like a stained-glass window.
Cleaning
Every five or six years the four clock faces are cleaned. The cleaners have to abseil from the top of Elizabeth Tower and be very careful not to move the hands of the clock. The clock doesn’t stop whilst they are cleaning.
Here is a picture of the clock face being cleaned. You can see the many pieces of glass too.
The Great Bell
The main bell inside Elizabeth Tower is officially called The Great Bell. Its more popular name is Big Ben.
Big Ben is 2.29m tall and 2.74m in diameter. It weighs 13.76 tonnes. When it was first made, it was the largest bell in the UK, however in 1881 a new bell was made for St. Paul’s Cathedral which weighed 17 tonnes.
The bells can be heard every 15 minutes. They ring at quarter past (:15), half past (:30), quarter to (:45), and on the hour (:00). The four quarter bells sound G#, F#, E, and B.
Tourists
Big Ben is one of the most popular sights in London. There are many places to take some great photos.
- If you stand on Westminster Bridge you’ll have many chances to get a photograph of Big Ben with a red double-decker bus in the background.
- In the evening, the Palace of Westminster is lit up so it looks golden.
- If you go on the London Eye, there are some great views of Big Ben as you look down.
Key *Click for a bigger picture
- purple: Westminster Abbey
- yellow: Big Ben
- blue: Westminster Bridge
- red: The London Eye
