Houses of Parliament and Big Ben- London, United Kingdom

No doubt, Big Ben is the most famous clock, erm.. bell, in the whole world. I already listened to its sound from my very early days on the planet, because my grandmother had a sideboard clock which rang quarters and hour with this characteristing ding-dong (these clocks were very famous in mid last century’s Germany and later). Maybe that’s why I always liked the sound. And I simply fell in love with the whole, clock and bell tower when I first stood in front of it 1977. No wonder that anytime I am in London, I am automatically drawn there, just to listen and make sure that it is still there.
The story of Big Ben is interesting to read. George Mears, bellfounder at Whitechapel Bell Foundry, cast it in 1858 and a year later it was ringing for the first time. But, as a too heavy hammer was used to ring it, it cracked. Instead of replacing it, they just rotated it, drilled a hole above the crack and Big Ben continued its work for the kingdom. Whitechapel Bell Foundry is still exisiting, by the way, produces many bells of every size and can be visited (Saturdays at 10 am and 2 pm, entrance fee £10, only on pre-booking). Big Ben, by the way, has 4 little "sisters", the ones that chime the quarters.

I discovered to my utmost delight that UK Parliament has registered and uploaded many photos on Flickr, which are transformed into excellent slide shows on
Big Ben virtual tour, with explanatory virtual visits to the ground floor and additional 7 floors within the tower. Make sure to view in fullscreen!! And make also sure to visit their site on Flickr: UK Parliament on Flickr page. The videos include Big Ben chiming 12 o’clock (01:21 min), the pendulum bob (00:11 min) and the fly fans (00.26 min) to regulate the descent of the weights. Fantastic to watch!! The 51 photos include the crack I mentioned above. Thank you, UK Parliament!! What an excellent work, as it really enables us to virtually visit the bell and the tower in every aspect. Make sure you take your time and watch all.

Oh yes, visits to the tower are possible. UK Parliament’s website describes the details. Tours are free but you must be in perfect health condition, as there is no lift, only 334 stairs to the top. It seems that only Britons can visit it, arranged through their local MP. However, I’ve read that overseas visitors might be able to arrange a visit through their embassies in London. It is definitely worth a try.
The tours, by the way, lead up as high as to Aryton light, which is the famous light visible in the dark when Parliament is still at work, in place since 1885 and named after A.S. Aryton MP, the first Commissioner of works. Another fascinating story is the one of the old pennies: to regulate the clock old pennies are used. One old penny lets the clock gain 2/5 th of a second per day. Fascinating!!
The tower also has a prison room, well, more of an incarceration room, where MPs could be sent when they misbehaved. Charles Bradlaugh was sent here in 1880, because as atheist he didn’t want to take the Official Oath on the bible and Emily Pankhurst, Britain’s famous feminist, as well in early 20th century.

But even if the bell is fascinating, the façade is even more so. I cannot get enough of this delicate work, Pugin and Barry realised when they designed the belltower. Don’t just look at it from far away, but take your time to discover the many details ot the top. Look at photo 4: there is a frieze of many black/green/gold coats of arms, among them the chained porticullis (symbol of the Palace of Westminster), Scotland’s thistle and Wales’ daffodil . At the four edges is the unified white-red rose of Lancaster and York and Northern Ireland’s shamrock on the top of the little spires . And the clock face itself is magnificent as well, 312 panes of opaque glass form each of the four clock faces. From UK Parliament’s photos I learned that one of these panes is movable for maintenance. And if you look closely at photo 2, indeed the pane between 6 and 7 is different in shade.

Coordinates on GoogleEarth:
51°30’02,36’’N; 00°07’28,63’’W

Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, London

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Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, London

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