Big Ben of London, UK !!!

Posted in Europe, France

I am taking you across the Manche and into jolly England and its capital city London. I have some posts on the city which I have visited on business trips several times and once with the family. It has souvenirs for all of us.  One of the symbols we look for it was Big Ben and I like to update this older post with new text and links for you and me, Therefore, here is my take on Big Ben of London, UK !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.

Big Ben is the nickname for the 13.5-ton large bell on top of the Elizabeth Tower, the clock tower of the Palace of Westminster, which is the seat of the Houses of Parliament in London. It is a symbol of the city of London. Only people who live in the UK can visit the clock tower after obtaining permission (so was told never tried to go up). The building faces the Thames, between Westminster Bridge and Westminster Abbey . Initially, the name of this bell was the Great Bell. The origin of the name Big Ben is uncertain.

london big ben tower jul10

The first bell was manufactured in 1856. To be able to transport it to the clock tower, it was installed on a carriage drawn by 16 horses. It split a few months after its installation, a second bell was then molded in 1858. In October of the same year, the bell was moved 61 meters to the belfry of the bell tower in 18 hours. On May 31, 1859, the famous clock entered service. The frequency of the pendulum is adjusted to 2 fifths of a second per day, by adding (to accelerate) or removing (to slow) old 1 penny coins dating from the time when the British monetary system was not decimal. The sound of the Big Ben bell is due to the fact that it also cracked in 1859, barely two months after its official installation, which gives it a very distinctive tone. For technical reasons, the bell is oriented so that the hammer does not strike at the location of the crack. The famous chime air that marks the hour is called Westminster Quarters.

london big ben tower clock closeup Elizabeth jul10

On three occasions, the Big Ben bell was rung for national mourning, at the national funeral; 68 times for the funeral of Edward VII in 1910, 70 times for that of George V in 1936, and 56 times for that of George VI in 1952. Each sound of the bell represents a year of their lives. Technically, Big Ben strictly refers to the largest bell on the clock, while the clock itself is the Great Westminster Clock and the tower was renamed in 2012 Elizabeth Tower on occasion of the diamond jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.   Since August 21, 2017, the tower is under renovation until 2021.

The official palace of Westminster, House of Parliament on Big Ben: https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/building/palace/big-ben/

The London Tourist office on Big Ben: https://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/sightseeing/london-attraction/big-ben

There you go folks, as many knows, this is one of the main attractions of London and a must to see at least once. Afterward it loses its magic a bit me think. Again, hope you enjoy the post on Big Ben of London, UK as I.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!

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Published by pedmar10

I am a lover of travels to Europe , Americas , Africa and Asia as well ,who like to share my experiences of the last 53 years with the world, visiting so far 81 countries; living in 6, working in 5, and Citizen of 4, speaking fluently 4 languages. I can deal with sports especially football/soccer and love music, arts, wine collector/drinker, and go out to restaurants, and just visit the world. My background comes all the way from Candelaria and Pajara in Tenerife, Spain where my grandparents came from ;not knowing each other then, to Punta Brava, west of Havana, Cuba. There , my parents born in Cuba met and later on I was born there too. 100% guanche (annexed Tenerife to Spain on April 10 ,1496). I left Cuba as many have to Madrid, Spain where I lived for 4 years. Then, move to Perth Amboy ,New Jersey USA (living there 13 yrs) ; where I completed high school, became a US Citizen, learned to drive a car, and learned English. Afterward, went to the university in Florida, ERAU, and upon graduation decided to moved there to Ormond by the Sea, near Daytona Beach, finally moving North Miami, then Hialeah, then another moved to Silver Lakes division in Miramar, Broward county, Florida; in Florida I lived a total of 18 years. Finally , moved to France in 2003 ,Versailles call me for its royalty, and working in Paris was great. It was time to seek frontiers again and moved to Brech near Auray, Morbihan in Brittany , and later move to not too far Pluvigner. Total so far in France has been 20 years, and counting. Moving average a home every 5.5 years hopefully this will be my last. Cheers All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in a retrieval system of any nature, without the written permission of the copyright holder, me. No part of this work may be modified, without the written permission of the holder, me.No part of this work may be exposed to public view in any form or by any means, without identifying the holder as the author, and with the before mentioned permission.

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