Where is Big Ben?

            Whenever you think of London, which is the first landmark that strikes you? It is the big Ben. Big Ben is the name of the biggest bell in a clock tower, the clock of which is famous for its accuracy of time keeping. Big Ben is a thirteen-tonne bell. Edmund Beckett, the first baron of Grimthorpe, designed it. It is housed in the clock tower of the House of Commons at the eastern end of the British parliament, Westminster, London.

Big Ben

            Big Ben is named after Sir Benjamin hall, the chief commissioner of works, for he was the minister responsible for its installation. Originally the name applied only to the bell, but eventually it came to indicate the clock, and even the tower itself. It first ticked on May 31, 1859. It had the longest stoppage for 13 days from the noon of April 4, 1977 till the noon of April 17, 1977.

            The hour bell in the clock tower was cast in 1858 and is the most broadcast bell in the world. The BBC regularly broadcasts the deep and resonant boom of the bell all over the world. The path leading to the big Ben is a spiral staircase of 374 steps. The height of the roman numerals on the clock face is 2 feet and the pendulum is 13 feet long. Initially, two men used to wind the clock every week but now it is driven electrically.

            One of the most significant features of this clock has been its accuracy ever since it was installed.