Big Ben
The name Big Ben refers to the large bell within the clock tower. Eventually the clock tower became known as Big Ben since the people had a hard time differentiating the bell from the tower and so they became synonomous. The original name for the tower was The Clock Tower, renamed the Elizabeth Tower in honour of Queen Elizabeth II's diamond jubilee.
Purpose / Function
The purpose of the tower was two-fold. The first was to keep time for parliament and the great city of London. The second was with the edition of the Ayrton light, which was installed to let Queen Victoria know when the house of commons was in session and working late.
Alterations
Here is the list of all the known alterations from 1873 to 2022.
1873: The installation of the Ayrton light
August 1877 – January 1878: The old escape wheel was replaced.
May 1941: Two of the clock's dials were replaced after being damaged by a German bombing run.
January 1955: Small electric heaters were placed just inside the north and east dials, this helped to reduce instances of freezing.
August 2007: For the first time since their installation the bearings in the clock's chime train and the "great bell" striker were replaced. This was during a six week stoppage for maintenance. The clock was driven by an electric motor which was installed as a back-up system.
August 2017 - 2021: A four year restoration of the building including the lights, clockwork mechanisms, and improvements to tthe building itself.
August 1877 – January 1878: The old escape wheel was replaced.
May 1941: Two of the clock's dials were replaced after being damaged by a German bombing run.
January 1955: Small electric heaters were placed just inside the north and east dials, this helped to reduce instances of freezing.
August 2007: For the first time since their installation the bearings in the clock's chime train and the "great bell" striker were replaced. This was during a six week stoppage for maintenance. The clock was driven by an electric motor which was installed as a back-up system.
August 2017 - 2021: A four year restoration of the building including the lights, clockwork mechanisms, and improvements to tthe building itself.
Architecture
The tower is in the Gothic Revival Style, designed by Augustus Pugin.
History
The tower has been a draw and feature of Greater London since it was erected. When ever someone ihn the film industry wanted to ensure you knew the site was London they would utilize its iconic image. The clock tower was a Grade I listed building since 1970. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.
Information for this article was garnered from the Big Ben Wikipedia site.
RUINED STRUCTURE
June 1 2174
June 1 2174
Founding Date
Construction was started September 28, 1843, it was completed and open to the public May 31 1859.
Type
Monument, Large
Parent Location
Owner
Ruling/Owning Rank
Owning Organization
To be honest, I got distracted and had to scroll down for the BEWBZ.