Big Ben тАУ An Iconic Land Mark of London

The legendary Big Ben is an iconic land mark in London. Big Ben refers technically to the 13 ton hour bell inside the clock tower at Westminster Palace complex though many refer to the whole clock tower as Big Ben. It is said that Big Ben was named after Sir Benjamin Hall, who was the first commissioner of works. The bell was cast at Whitechapel bell foundry in 1858.

The birth of the clock tower dates back to a disastrous fire that destroyed the old palace of Westminster in 1834. The contract of rebuilding the palace was given to Charles Barry, who included a clock tower in his designs for the complex. The tower was 316 feet high and was designed with Victorian Gothic architectural attributes.

The Clocks of the tower were designed by AW Pugin, who was also a prominent architect at that time. The dials of the four clocks inside the towers are 23 feet in diameter and were built with small pieces of opal glass, placed like a stained glass window. The numbers on the clock faces are each two feet high and carry a Latin inscription under each clock which translates into тАЬGod Save Our Queen Victoria 1тАЭ.

Construction of the bell tower took nearly 13 years and it was completed in 1856. It added a new look to the Houses of Parliaments and quickly became a prominent landmark in London.

The clock is famous for its reliability as well. Only a few incidents have been recorded about malfunctioning during its long years of service. BBC radio started its radio broadcasts of Big Bens chimes on New YearтАЩs Eve of 1923. Permanent microphones were placed inside the clock tower later and the sound of the Big Ben became an integral part of BBCтАЩs radio broadcasting. During the World War 2 period its significance grew as it resembled hope and freedom to daily listeners around the world.

Many London hotels, restaurants, eateries, and shops are located near this iconic landmark. Although the inside of the clock tower is not open to general public it has become a must see London landmark on any touristтАЩs list.

Source: http://www.ArticlePros.com/author.php?Naveen Marasinghe

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