Famous Monument

BIG BEN

Big Ben is a great bell of 13.5 tons which is in the British Parliament in London. It is located in the clock tower at the Westminster Palace.
The first bell was made in 1856. To be able to carry it up to the clock tower, it was installed on a chariot pulled by 16 horses . It splitted up a few months after its installation. On April 10^th , 1858, a second bell was then molded in the Whitechapel foundry. In October of the same year, the bell was moved up 61 meters to the top of the tower in 18 hours . On May 31^st , 1859, the famous clock started . Each year, it is set by placing a piece of a penny on the mechanism if it gets ahead, or removing it for a delay.
The sound of the bell Big Ben (because it was cracked in 1859, just two months after its official inauguration) has a very distinctive tone. For technical reasons, the bell is oriented so that the hammer does not strike the crack.
The clock tower has become the Elizabeth Tower, in honor of the queen.

Origin of the name
Initially, the actual name of this bell is The Great Bell. The origin of the name Big Ben is uncertain. One of the most popular theories about it refers to one who ordered the casting of the bell, Benjamin Hall, a civil engineer and politicians, whose nickname was Ben and was very large (Big). That's why the bell (that was large too) was then called " Big Ben ". Another theory rather refers to the nickname of a boxing champion Ben Caunt who has acquired fame through sixty rounds of a fight with bare fists against Nat Langham, he was a champion on the year the name of the bell was at the heart of debates .

Details on Big Ben

The tower is 96 meters high.
To reach the top of the tower, visitors must pass through 335 steps.
The clock consists of four dials, 7 meters in diameter and a bell weighing 13.5 tons and has a diameter of 2.7 meters and a height of 2.2 meters.
The clock mechanism weighs 5 tons and the hammer weighs 200 kg .
When parliament sits, a British flag waves above the clock.
When parliament meets, the lights are turned on .
The bell rang for the first time on May 31^st, 1859.
The sound of the bell can be heard six kilometers around.
It sounds the hours, quarter hours being sounded by other bells

BIG BEN today
If Big Ben refers strictly to the bell, the English often use the term to talk about the London tower. Since 1859, these are the bells of Big Ben that at midnight on December 31^st advertise in all English homes the beginning of the new year. The sound is broadcast on all televisions and radio stations.
Little Ben

There is also a small clock tower in London, close to Victoria Station, a design similar to Big Ben, it's called “ Little Ben”. Made in 1894, located near a popular meeting place for French visitors arriving at Victoria Station when it was used by the “train + boat” links. Moved in 1961, Little Ben returned after rehabilitation to Victoria in 1981 in partnership with the French oil company Elf Aquitaine, but in 2012 it was moved again in the context of improving the work station and is due to return in 2016 .

Amaury & Adrien