Today there is hardly a person who does not know where Big Ben, the London Eye ferris wheel or Trafalgar Square are located. But few people realize that the name of the world-famous tower was given by the bell located inside it. Its size is two meters in height and almost three meters in diameter, and its weight is 13.5 tons.
Another interesting fact is that it is England that announces the official arrival of the New Year to the whole world. Big Ben, whose beats are broadcast every hour on the air by the BBC radio station, begins the countdown with the chime of the bells. And the first blow of the hammer will coincide with the first second of the new hour.
Like all the sights of England, Big Ben is under the close protection of the authorities. To get to the upper platform of the tower, you need to go through 334 narrow steps on a spiral staircase. However, tourists are not allowed inside the tower. Several times a week, the entire mechanism is carefully inspected and lubricated.
To prevent the clock hands from being in a hurry or being late, their movement is controlled by old English coins. How? Very simple. One penny placed on top of the pendulum speeds it up by two and a halfseconds in 24 hours. So, a different number of coins allows you to achieve their accuracy even after a century and a half.
The Palace of Westminster, where Big Ben is located, was built on the banks of the River Thames. The tower rises above London at a height of 98 meters. The dials, made of Birmingham opal, are located on the four cardinal points. The large arrows are cast from copper, and the small ones from cast iron. In a year, the minute hand covers a distance of 190 kilometers.
The history of this architectural monument began more than 160 years ago. In 1844, the architect Charles Barry sent a request to Parliament for additional subsidies for the construction of clocks. According to his idea, on the tower of St. Stephen, where Big Ben is located, the largest clock with the heaviest bell and the most accurate mechanism should have appeared.
The further disputes over the technical implementation of the project could not subside for five years. New troubles appeared at the time when the bell had to be cast. Officially, he got his name from the name of the foreman, who was Benjamin Hall, who bore the nickname Big Ben because of his obese figure. Other sources say the bell is named after Victorian boxer and strongman Benjamin Count.
The finished architectural structure has become a symbol of the dawn of the British Empire. In memory of this, inscriptions in Latin were made at the base of each dial and around the perimeter of the tower, praising the queen and the Lord God. This is currentlyprobably England's most recognizable landmark.
By the way, today it would be more correct to ask "where is the Elizabeth Tower" instead of "where is Big Ben". The thing is that in the fall of 2012, an official decision was made to rename. The occasion was the celebration of the sixtieth anniversary of the reign of Elizabeth II. The new nameplate was unveiled at the opening on 12 September. Although tourists and locals will probably call this bell tower Big Ben for a long time to come.
