Big Ben

The history of Big Ben began following the catastrophic fire that destroyed much of the original Palace of Westminster in 1834. The current structure was designed by architect Charles Barry and clock specialist Augustus Pugin in a striking Neo-Gothic style. Construction of the tower, which was then simply known as the Clock Tower, was completed in 1859, and its famous Great Bell first rang out across London on July 11th of that year. While most people refer to the entire tower as Big Ben, the name technically belongs only to the massive 13.7-ton bell housed inside. The clock mechanism itself was a marvel of Victorian engineering, designed by Edmund Beckett Denison and George Airy to be the most accurate public clock in the world. Despite its age and the vibrations from nearby underground trains, the clock has maintained its precision for over 160 years, even continuing to chime through the Blitz during World War II. In 2012, the tower was officially renamed the Elizabeth Tower to honor the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. Between 2017 and 2022, the landmark underwent its most extensive restoration project in history, which involved repairing the masonry, regilding the clock faces to their original Prussian blue color, and modernizing the internal facilities while preserving the historic integrity of the mechanism.