

The metal was melted down and the bell recast in Whitechapel in 1858.īig Ben first rang across Westminster on.
#Big clock in london cracked
In 1844, it was decided the new buildings for the Houses of Parliament should include a tower and a clock.Ī massive bell was required and the first attempt (made by John Warner & Sons at Stockton-on-Tees) cracked irreparably. The Palace of Westminster was destroyed by fire in 1834.

The latin words under the clock face read DOMINE SALVAM FAC REGINAM NOSTRAM VICTORIAM PRIMAM, which means "O Lord, keep safe our Queen Victoria the First".The chimes of Big Ben were first broadcast by the BBC on 31 December 1923, a tradition that continues to this day.Even after a bomb destroyed the Commons chamber during the Second World War, the clock tower survived and Big Ben continued to strike the hours. Big Ben's timekeeping is strictly regulated by a stack of coins placed on the huge pendulum.A special light above the clock faces is illuminated when parliament is in session.There are 312 pieces of glass in each clock dial.The numbers are approximately 60cm (23in) long.The minute hands are 4.2 metres long (14ft) and weigh about 100kg (220lbs, including counterweights).The clock tower looks spectacular at night when the four clock faces are illuminated. Technically, Big Ben is the name given to the massive bell inside the clock tower, which weighs more than 13 tons (13,760 kg). It’s very rare to be able to say that you have attended an American football game in London, England.The Houses of Parliament and Elizabeth Tower, commonly called Big Ben, are among London's most iconic landmarks and must-see London attractions. Not only that, but also be a devoted fan as well.

I am personally not a fan of either of these teams, but that day I became a true Jacksonville Jaguar fan due to the spirit that many of the people had, both from the UK and US, it was amazing to see so many people come together from all over to watch something that is not necessarily of their culture. Not only was this a very fun and exhilarating day, but it was also pretty cool to see people from all over the world wearing different football jerseys, representing teams in the US. We watched the Jacksonville Jaguars defeat the Buffalo Bills 34-31 at the famous Wembley stadium on the outskirts of the city.
#Big clock in london full
On our last full day there in London, we attended the most American thing I have experienced in my past 2 months of living abroad… an American Football game. Not only that, but the bus also had an amazing tour guide that was quite the comedian during the length of the tour and told us all different facts about England and its history. Buckingham Palace, where J.K Rowling lives, and the famous gardens of the royalty who are around today, are just some of the locations that we saw whilst on the bus. As a group, decided to live up our inner London pride and take a double decker tour bus around the city to knock off all the sites on our list. The following day was pretty much the same as the first, with walking around, site seeing, and eating. Getting to know our stomping grounds for the weekend a little better. Once our meals were finished we ended up taking the tube, the subway in London, and wandering through more of the streets and shops in the city for the rest of the day. After arriving, we walked around the town and ate at some delicious restaurants. The seats sat 4 people in a little square facing one another, it was nothing like i’ve ever seen in the states. We started off the trip getting picked up by this very European, very British black cab that drove us to the flat we were staying at. I visited London the weekend of October 23 and it was quite an experience, from the royalty and culture, to the palace and Big Ben, it was almost as if I was living my own version of What A Girl Wants myself. London, a place that thrives with having the most intriguing accents, coolest money, and the greatest atmosphere and yet still gets almost all the awesome things that America gets to enjoy with its Chipotle, Anthropologie and great English language.
