Big Ben is the nickname for the Great Bell of the striking clock at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London, England, and the name is frequently extended to refer to the clock and the clock tower.
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15 Facts About Big Ben
2.
The official name of the tower in which Big Ben is located was originally the Clock Tower, but it was renamed Elizabeth Tower in 2012 to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II.
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3.
Big Ben is the largest of the tower's five bells and weighs 13.
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4.
Elizabeth Tower, originally referred to as the Clock Tower, but more popularly known as Big Ben, was raised as a part of Charles Barry's design for a new Palace of Westminster, after the old palace was largely destroyed by fire on 16 October 1834.
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5.
Main bell, officially known as the Great Bell but better known as Big Ben, is the largest bell in the tower and part of the Great Clock of Westminster.
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6.
For three years Big Ben was taken out of commission and the hours were struck on the lowest of the quarter bells until it was repaired.
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7.
Big Ben has chimed with a slightly different tone ever since, and is still in use today with the crack unrepaired.
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8.
Big Ben was the largest bell in the British Isles until "Great Paul", a 16.
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9.
Now Big Ben is often used, by extension, to refer to the clock, the tower and the bell collectively, although the nickname is not universally accepted as referring to the clock and tower.
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10.
Big Ben is a focal point of New Year celebrations in the United Kingdom, with radio and television stations airing its chimes to welcome the start of the New Year.
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11.
Similarly, on Remembrance Day, the chimes of Big Ben are broadcast to mark the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month and the start of the two minutes' silence.
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12.
Chimes of Big Ben have been used at the state funerals of monarchs on four occasions, chiming one stroke for each year of the monarch's life: firstly, at the funeral of King Edward VII in 1910, when Big Ben chimed 68 times; secondly, at the funeral of King George V in 1936 ; thirdly, at the funeral of King George VI in 1952 ; and finally, at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022 .
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13.
The Big Ben chimes continue to be used during the headlines and all ITV News bulletins use a graphic based on the Westminster clock dial.
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14.
On 27 July 2012, starting at 8:12 a m, Big Ben chimed 30 times, to welcome the Games of the 30th Olympiad, which officially began that day, to London.
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15.
On 21 August 2017, Big Ben's chimes were silenced for four years to allow essential restoration work to be carried out on the tower.
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