Architect |
Overview |
The architect of Big Ben was Charles Barry and his assistant was Augustus Welby Pugin. When Charles Barry was returning to London from after designing a church in Brighton. He saw a huge glow by the House of Parliament and realized it was on fire. Following the destruction of the House they launched a competition for the new Palace, which Charles Barry entered and won. His design incorporated a clock which was then known as the biggest clock in the world, the dials measuring at thirty feet in diameter. View Here. (White Chapel, Apr.6)
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The name Big Ben is often used to describe the tower, the clock and the bell but the name was first given to the Great Bell.
When the bell arrived it was brought in on
a carriage pulled by 16 white horses and hung in New Palace Yard. It
cracked in October 17, 1857 after being tested every day and no one would take
the blame for the crack. The second bell was cast on April 10 1858 by
George Mears after the Warners asked too high price to break up and recast the
bell. A solution was found in 1863 by Sir George Airy by turning Big
Ben a quarter so the hammer would strike in a different place, replaced the
hammer with a lighter one, and cut a small square in the bell to prevent the
crack from spreading. View here. (White Chapel, Apr. 6)
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Structure Details
The first 200 feet of the structure is the Clock Tower which has a brickwork with stone cladding and the rest of the tower is a framed spire of cast iron. Four clock faces are 180 feet above the ground. The interior volume of the tower is 4,650 cubic meters. The clock faces are set in an iron framework 23 feet in diameter, supporting 312 pieces of opal glass. View here.
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HistoryOn October 16, 1834 the old Palace of Westminster was destroyed by a fire. Charles Barry's design for the new Palace won and it incorporated a clock tower. When the new Palace was built the architect failed to make the necessary provisions for the clock in the tower. When the bells were cast, they discovered the hands of the clock were too heavy and need to be remade. The bell cracked twice and was recast each time. The shaft broke from the metal fatigue in the shaft connecting the chiming train to its fly fan. For the name of Big Ben has two theories: it was named after
Sir Benjamin Hall, First Commissioner for Works 1855-1858 and it was
named after Ben Caunt, a champion heavyweight boxer of the 1850's. The total
cost of the entire thing was up to 22,000 euros. View more here.
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Fun facts
Big Ben first chimed on May 31, 1859.
Big Ben chimes every 15 minutes and is heard from a radius of up to 5 miles.
The clocks time is adjusted every year with an old British Penny.
Big Ben weighs about 13 and a half tons, about the same as a small elephant. View Here.
Big Ben chimes every 15 minutes and is heard from a radius of up to 5 miles.
The clocks time is adjusted every year with an old British Penny.
Big Ben weighs about 13 and a half tons, about the same as a small elephant. View Here.
Sources
"History of Big Ben." History of Big Ben. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2015.
" Localnomad Blog." Localnomad Blog. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2015.
"THE STORY OF BIG BEN." THE STORY OF BIG BEN. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2015.
"THE BIG BEN." Big Ben. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2015.
"The History of Big Ben." The History of Big Ben. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2015.