London, Big Ben, flagship of the "mother of all Parliaments, is part of one of the most recognizable symbols in the world. But contrary to popular belief, 'Big Ben' is actually the name of the 13-ton bell tower of St. Stephen within, rather than the name or even the clock tower. It was named after the first commissioner of works, Sir Benjamin Hall.
The famous clock, which is even more spectacular at night when its faces are lit, is the largest four-faced chiming clockin the world and sits more than 300 meters above the Thames.
The four clock faces are 23 square meters, the minute hand is 14 feet long and the figures are 2 feet high. Minutely regulated with a stack of coins placed on the huge pendulum, Big Ben is an excellent timekeeper, and rarely stopped.
Big Ben was launched Saturday, April 10, 1858, in Whitechapel Bell Foundry, London, with the gong first step in situ, May 31, 1859.
The chimes were first transmitted byBBC New Year's Eve 1923, through a microphone in the turret connected to Broadcasting House which is a few miles away.
In 1941, during the Second World War, an incendiary bomb destroyed the Commons chamber of the Houses of Parliament. However, the clock tower remained intact continued to keep time and strike away the hours. Its sound reassuring offered hope to all those who listened.
The position of Westminster Big Ben is also the home of the British Houses of Parliament, which are theHouse of Commons and the House of Lords, and was the target of Guy Fawkes as he plotted to blow up James I and the Protestant aristocracy in 1605.
No visit to London would be complete without seeing the Colosseum in all its glory.