Top of the World
Big Ben is one of London's most iconic symbols and of the United Kingdom, but few know that this name does not refer to the tower or the clock, but exclusively to the great bell weighing 13.7 tons (approximately 13,700 kg) installed in the belfry of the Palace of Westminster, seat of the British Parliament (Houses of Parliament).
The tower, located between the River Thames, Westminster Bridge, and the majestic Westminster Abbey, overlooks the river and dominates the London skyline with its pure Gothic Revival style. Today it is officially called Elizabeth Tower, renamed in 2012 on the occasion of Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee (a parallel tribute to the nearby Victoria Tower dedicated to Queen Victoria). Before that, it was simply known as the Clock Tower.
The dramatic history: from the great fire to rebirth
The modern Big Ben story dates back to a tragic event: on 16 October 1834, a massive fire destroyed much of the old Palace of Westminster (legend has it caused by overheating stoves used to burn centuries-old tally sticks, the accounting rods). The disaster prompted Parliament to launch a competition for reconstruction. The winning project was by architect Sir Charles Barry, who envisioned a Gothic palace including an imposing clock tower to house a public clock.
Barry collaborated with Augustus Welby Pugin, the genius of Gothic Revival, who designed many decorative details. The clock mechanism was designed by Edmund Beckett Denison (later Baron Grimthorpe) and the Astronomer Royal George Biddell Airy. Denison invented the double three-legged gravity escapement, an innovative mechanism that made the clock extremely accurate despite wind, rain, and snow on the exposed faces.
The bell and its "hidden scars"
The first bell, cast in 1856 in Stockton-on-Tees by John Warner & Sons, weighed over 16 tons and was initially intended to be called “Royal Victoria”. During testing, however, it cracked due to an excessively heavy hammer insisted upon by Denison (some blame a faulty casting). It was destroyed with a cast-iron weight of over a ton dropped for two days!
The second version (the current one), cast on 10 April 1858 and lighter by about 2.5 tons, was transported to London on a cart pulled by 16 horses in a sort of popular parade with cheering crowds lining the streets. Installed in 1859, it cracked again just months later (September 1859) for the same reason: oversized hammer. Instead of recasting it, they rotated it by 1/8 turn and fitted a lighter hammer (about 200 kg). The crack was never repaired: it's still there and contributes to the unique, slightly “off-key” sound of the famous bong (in the key of E natural), now iconic worldwide.
For pinpoint accuracy, a pre-decimal old penny is still added or removed from the pendulum: each penny slows or speeds the clock by about 0.4–0.5 seconds per day — a clever Victorian trick still in use today!
Curiosities, anecdotes, and little-known hidden gems
- The clock face consists of 324 pieces of opal glass (pot opal glass) set in a cast-iron frame: an astonishing piece of craftsmanship.
- Inside the tower, besides Big Ben, there are four smaller quarter bells that play the Westminster Chimes every 15 minutes (inspired by a phrase from Handel and possibly from a Cambridge clock).
- During World War II, the bells continued to ring (except for brief silences for security), becoming a symbol of British resilience. Once they stopped by mistake: a worker repairing bomb damage dropped a hammer into the mechanism!
- There is a “Little Ben”, a 2.7-metre cast-iron miniature near Victoria Station, built in 1892: a true hidden gem often overlooked by tourists.
- Only British residents can climb the 334 steps to visit the interior (with special parliamentary permission): a very exclusive experience.
Big Ben (or more precisely, the Elizabeth Tower and its Great Bell) is not just a clock: it is a masterpiece of Victorian engineering, a resilient symbol, and an imperfect bell whose “scar” from 1859 produces one of the planet's most recognizable sounds. If you visit London, listen carefully: that slight tone flaw is living history!
