Big Ben’s bongs to fall silent next Monday for four years
Written by News on 15/08/2017
Big Ben has sounded its familiar bongs for most of the last 157 years. But come next Monday, the famous tower clock will fall silent due to a major restoration project.
The bongs of the iconic bell will be stopped to protect workers during a four-year, £29m-conservation project that includes repair of Elizabeth Tower, which houses the Great Clock and its bell.
The familiar bongs will fall silent after sounding at noon 21 August, and are set to begin again regularly in 2021.
The hammers will be locked and disconnected from the clock, although the bongs will still sound for important events such as New Year’s Eve and Remembrance Sunday.
Big Ben has been stopped several times since it first sounded in 1859, but the current project will mark the longest period of silence for the bell.
The 13.7 tonne bell was last stopped for maintenance in 2007 and before that was halted for two years in 1983 for refurbishment.
It has also been stopped on a number of other occasions since it first sounded in 1859.
The 96-metre-tall Elizabeth Tower, believed to be the country’s most photographed building, is already half enveloped in scaffolding as part of the renovation.
Steve Jaggs, keeper of the Great Clock, said: "This essential programme of works will safeguard the clock on a long term basis, as well as protecting and preserving its home – the Elizabeth Tower.
"Members of the public are welcome to mark this important moment by gathering in Parliament Square to hear Big Ben’s final bongs until they return in 2021."
One working clock face will remain visible at all times, telling the time silently, and it will be powered by a modern electric motor until the original clockwork mechanism is reinstated.
All the other bells which chime every 15 minutes will be silent as well during the works.
The repairs are aimed at fixing the clock mechanism, which is at risk of failing, as well as installing a lift for safety reasons.
Tourists will still need to climb the 334 steps of the spiral staircase as the lift – to be installed within one of the existing ventilation shafts – will not be used to access the tower.
The Palace of Westminster on the bank of the River Thames is a world heritage site and major tourist attraction.
Big Ben is believed to have been named in honour of Sir Benjamin Hall, a Welsh civil engineer and politician who oversaw the rebuilding of the Houses of Parliament, including the installation of the bell.
However, according to another theory, the bell was named after Ben Caunt, a champion heavyweight boxer of the 1850s.
(c) Sky News 2017: Big Ben’s bongs to fall silent next Monday for four years
