From the Thames, if you see the Big Ben clock, you’ve actually come to London. As the sun sets, four reddish-brown dials are illuminated so that it can be seen even from miles away.
If you have the opportunity to travel to the UK in the near future, Big Ben Clock Tower (now renamed Elizabeth Tower) is a great destination you should not miss. In this article, let’s go over some interesting things that you might have found somewhere in a book or on the internet about a clock that is considered the pride of people in the Land of Fog.
1. The Big Ben clock tower is considered a symbol of England. This is the common name for the Palace of Westminster clock tower, in which Big Ben is the largest bell (weighing around 13.5 tons) of the 5 bells in the tower.
2. In June 2012, Big Ben was officially renamed Elizabeth Tower to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. However, people still used to call it Big Ben.
3. Big Ben was started in 1843 and completed in 1859. In the face of a fierce Nazi assault during WWII, Big Ben remained, despite the damage on the one hand. For this reason, the watch is considered a symbol of victory for the British.
4. So far Big Ben is 157 years old, rings every 15 minutes and makes “bang” noises when the score is on time.
5. In 2015, Big Ben’s watch was found to run 6 seconds slower. To solve this problem, engineers adjusted it by adding or removing parts to make the pendulum work properly.
6. Big Ben slopes northwest at an angle of 0.26 degrees. According to calculations, it will take around 10,000 years for Big Ben to have a tilt like the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy.
7. Big Ben stopped ringing for 2 years during the first world war.
8. There is no elevator inside the Big Ben tower. Therefore, those who are allowed to enter Big Ben must walk a 334-step staircase.
9. It is estimated that if Big Ben is built now, the cost will be around 222,000 USD (or nearly 5 billion VND).
10. 4 faces of Big Ben watches are cleaned by experts every 5 years.
11. The Big Ben clock bell was used as the official BBC musical signal on February 17, 1924.
12. La tour Big Ben est conçue avec une hauteur de 96,3 m dans un style gothique. La tour pèse 9553 tonnes. La structure de la tour de l’horloge a une hauteur de 61 m et est construite en brique recouverte de pierre. Au-dessus de la tour se trouve une forme de coupe en fonte. En raison des conditions du sol, la tour est légèrement inclinée d’environ 220 mm vers le nord-ouest. Big Ben est toujours considéré comme la plus grande cloche à quatre côtés du monde. Chaque face de la montre est logée en pierre carrée avec 576 pièces de verre transparent. Autour de la montre est gravée une bordure pour former un cadre.
