BIG BEN - A LONDON TOURIST ATTRACTION.

The first chimes of Big Ben to be heard eminating from the Clock Tower you see today, occured on 11 July 1859. It was not however, the first tower or bell to be situated within the grounds of The Palace of Westminster.

The first one, goes much further back in our history than that. In fact, we need to go back to the reign of King Edward I,( commonly known as EDWARD LONGSHANKS, as a result of being a tall man) who reigned from 1272 until 1307, to discover the original tower, which contained a bell and a clock.

The location of this bell tower, which was constructed between the years of 1288-1290 was on the North side of what was the Palace yard, and the bell it housed struck on the hour. The first name given to this bell, was "Great Edward" later known as "Great Tom".

In 1367, the original tower was replaced by a second, which contained the first public chiming clock in England.

In the course of time, 3 centuries in fact, this tower fell into disrepair, and as hour bells became more and more redundant, due to the advent of mechanised clocks, it was demolished in 1707. A sundial replaced it.

In 1834, a huge conflagration engulfed The Palace of Westminster, when a stove being used to destroy Ecxhequers stockpile of Tally sticks (sticks with notches in them recording transactions of money) overheated, igniting panelling in The House of Lords.

Both Houses of Parliament, together with the majority of the buildings in the Palace Complex, were consumed by the blaze. It was only by the selfless bravery of the Firefighters, by which Westminster Hall, The Jewel Tower, The Cloisters and The Crypt of St.Stephen's Chapel were saved for posterity.

They are all there now, contained within the present buildings we see today. So much is owed to the heroic actions of those firefighters, that were displayed on that terrible day.

HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT AND BIG BEN TODAY

A Royal Commission was subsequently appointed, and after several heated Public Debates, Charles Barry's Gothic Design was chosen. The foundation stone for the New Parliament Building was laid in 1840 and the foundation stone for the clock tower followed in 1843.

The construction of the tower fell behind schedule, and was not completed until 1859. On top of this, disputes broke out between clockmakers, all of whom wanted a part of this prestigious work.

The decision was made to appoint Sir George Airey, The Astronomer Royal as Referee, and it was he who drew up the specification for the clock. These specifications were of such a high standard, that further delays were inevitable.

Two of his requirements were:-The first stroke of the hour, was to be accurate to within one second per day, and the performance of the clock, was to be telegraphed to Greenwich Observatory, twice a day, where records would be kept.

Most clockmakers of the day considered Airey's Specifications to be unobtainable for such a large Tower clock, the likes of which had never been attempted before.

Edmund Beckett Denison, a Barrister,M.P., and an amateur clockmaker, was appointed to assist Airey. He immediately decided to apply himself to the design of the clock, which upon completion in 1851 was assigned to Messrs.E.J.Dent & Co. to build and was duly completed in 1854.

The clock was then kept at Dent's works for over five years until the tower was completed.

During this time Denison made many refinements including a new gravity escapement, ensuring it was unaffected by external factors. His invention, called the "Grimethorpe Escapement" has since been used in clocks around the world.

Now everyone's attention was turned to the Bells.

The contract was awarded to John Warner & Sons of Stockton on Tees. On arrival in London, it was put under daily test at the Palace Yard at Westminster, until one day a crack appeared, which was unrepairable.

No-one of course was willing to accept the blame. Warners who were blaming Denison, were asking far too high a price to recast the Bell. It was then that Denison approached George Mears, who undertook to break up the bell and recast it.

The clock started 31st May 1859 and Big Ben, eventually rang out on 11 July 1859. However, in September the bell cracked again.The Quarter Bells first chimed on 7 September 1859. It would be over four years before the sound of Big Ben would be heard again over London.

The Astronomer Sir George Airey, broke Big Ben's silence in 1863 by:-Replacing the hammer with a lighter version.

Apart from the odd stoppage, it has struck ever since. For not even the wartime blitz, could silence the sound of Big Ben, as the peels of the Giant Bell played its part in the war effort, by ringing out its own message of defiance and encouragement, to the tired and war weary citizens of London, giving them heart, whilst at the same time, transmitting its message of freedom and hope to the four corners of the Earth, via the B.B.C.

FOR SIGHTSEEING TOURS OF LONDON AND THINGS TO DO IN LONDON CLICK HERE

How to Link to This Page

To link to this page from your website, simply copy and paste the following code onto your web page.

It will appear on your page as:

FOR MORE INFO. ON BIG BEN FOLLOW THIS LINK

RETURN TO LONDON TOURIST ATTRACTIONS

RETURN FROM BIG BEN TO A-LONDON TOURIST GUIDE HOME PAGE.

Disclaimer | Privacy Policy