Tourists often refer to Elizabeth’s clock tower at the Palace of Westminster as Big Ben. However, originally only the largest bell of the six others in the clock was so called, weighing 13 tons. Currently the images of the clock, bell and tower are united and together they form the most popular tourist symbol of London. The tower is 96 meters high. The style of the building is neo-Gothic. His facade is decorated with inscriptions in Latin.

Big Ben. Certainly the main tourist attraction not only in London, but in the whole Great Britain, Big Ben, despite the fact that in 2012 it was renamed into Elizabethan Tower, remains for us the clock tower, which we strive to get to first thing after arriving in the capital of Great Britain!

First of all, we offer to understand the term Big Ben itself. So. On the banks of the Thames stands the Royal Palace called Westminster Palace. Inside this palace, nowadays, the English Parliament sits. The Palace of Westminster for this reason is also called House of Parliament or House of Parliament. The Palace of Westminster in its present form came into being in 1865, after the old version was almost completely destroyed by fire. And in this, in the new version, the Palace has a clock tower in 1859. That is, the tower on top of which is a clock. Why on top? Because when the bells of the clock mechanism chime, this chime could be heard far away from the tower. There are a total of 6 bells inside the tower and here the most important of these bells was named with the first three letters after the foreman or, in another version, a popular boxer of those times. The name is Benjamin. And the big one in English is Ben. So that’s how Big Ben came to be. Subsequently, the name of the big bell began to be called and the clock tower itself. And in 2012, in honor of the 60-year anniversary of Elizabeth II on the throne, the tower was renamed Elizabeth Tower, or Elizabeth Tower in English. But the name of the bell remained the same. So that’s the quest. By the way, there is a feeling that the name Big Ben, no matter how you rename the tower, will forever remain with it.

You can find the most famous facts and parameters of Big Ben on Wikipedia. And below we give, in our opinion, what can be most useful for tourists

• It is almost impossible to get inside the tower.
• However the administration is giving free lectures inside the palace and about Big Ben.
• Photos of Big Ben are best taken before 11:00 from Westminster Bridge from its west sidewalk and right in the middle of the bridge or a perfect shot that few people know about TUT. Another great shot, like the photo above, can be taken from the Ferris wheel. But again before lunch, because in the afternoon the sun goes behind Big Ben and lights up the shot.
• The sound of the main bell, which is called Big Ben, can only be heard once an hour when the bell strikes the number of hours. At 15, 30 and 45 minutes, the other bells play
• There is a microphone inside the tower that is directly connected to the BBC studio and by listening to the hourly chimes on the radio, we hear not a recording, but a live broadcast of the bell
• Formerly the dial was lit from inside by gas burners.
• Now, if the white lamp at the top of the tower is lit, it means that Parliament is in session at that moment and you can go inside for free and listen to debates in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords.

Also, you may know that the human ear only needs to hear the sound of Big Ben once to be able to recognize it without any problems the next time. This is because the sound is unique because of the crack that appeared on the bell and because of the sawed square in the path of that crack to stop it. The crack and the square is what made Big Ben sound unique.

If you are interested in more information about Big Ben, email us, we’ll try to answer your questions.

Oh, and one more thing. About the attitude of locals to Big Ben. For us, after all, there is an opportunity to get inside the tower. But not many of us know this and only a few get on tours of the tower. On New Year’s Eve, London’s famous fireworks display is set up right in front of Big Ben on the Observation Wheel and we almost always welcome the new year at our beloved Big Ben.