![]() The bell was tested outside the tower for several months. A 16.5-tonne bell was created and delivered to London before the clock tower was ready. The Current Big Ben Isn’t the Originalīig Ben was famously cast at Whitechapel Bell Foundry, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. Though a lighter hammer was fitted, the damage remained, and Big Ben was slightly rotated to prevent further damage from being done. This is because the original hammer was around twice the required weight for a bell of that size. In 1859, Big Ben was cracked, just two months after it went into service. As punishment, he was contained in the prison room overnight. This was when elected MP Charles Bradlaugh refused to swear allegiance to Queen Victoria on the bible because he was an atheist. ![]() The prison room was used for MPs who breached codes of conduct, but it hasn’t been used since 1880. 114 steps up inside the tower is the Prison Room, but you don’t need to worry about being locked up there yourself. However, it is one of the most unusual aspects of the Elizabeth Tower. If you’re looking for reasons to visit Big Ben, a prison probably isn’t the feature that would convince you. There’s a Prison Inside the Elizabeth Tower Therefore, for now, you’ll have to rely on tours of Westminster, such as the Westminster and Changing of the Guard Tour, to visit London’s Big Ben. Despite this, these tours have been paused while the tower undergoes extensive refurbishment work. If you’re wondering how to visit Big Ben, you might be surprised to learn that you can go inside the Elizabeth Tower. Each of the four quarter bells has varying dimensions, so different notes can be achieved. Meanwhile, the diameter of Big Ben is 2.7 metres, and the weight is a colossal 13.7 tonnes. Every clock face has a diameter of 7 metres, the minute hands are 4.2 metres long, and the hour hands are 2.7 metres long. The Elizabeth Tower has 334 steps over 11 floors to the belfry or 399 to the lantern. Meanwhile, it was said that watching Caunt fight was a common pastime among MPS. This is because Hall was said to be responsible for overseeing the latter stages of rebuilding the Houses of Parliament, including the installation of Big Ben. However, the two main contenders are the MP Benjamin Hall and the heavyweight boxer Benjamin Caunt. None of the following hypotheses has been documented well enough to be deemed correct. Well, there’s no one answer to this question, but there are a few hypotheses about which Benjamin could have inspired the name of Big Ben. When visiting Big Ben, tourists are often left wondering who the bell is named after. ![]() ![]() ![]() Read on to see Big Ben in a different light. This way, on your next Big Ben visit, you’ll be familiar with all the jargon and even some fascinating secrets. Despite this, this blog will share secrets of “the whole package†rather than just Big Ben the bell. It’s rather the largest bell of the tower that’s called Big Ben, whilst the clock is known as the Great Clock. In fact, this isn’t the case, and the formerly known Clock Tower has been called the Elizabeth Tower since 2012. When tourists visit the Big Ben clock tower, it’s often assumed that the tower itself is Big Ben. Big Ben is arguably London’s most iconic attraction however, many people are mistaken about what Big Ben actually is. ![]()
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