We take a look at possibly the world’s most famous clock tower and bell.
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00:00Big Ben, the name often mistakenly used to refer to the entire Clock Tower, is actually
00:05the name of the great bell housed inside the Elizabeth Tower.
00:08The tower, located at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London, was completed
00:12in 1859. The bell itself weighs 13.5 tonnes and chimes every hour, creating a distinctive
00:18sound heard across the city. Originally named just The Clock Tower, the structure was renamed
00:24Elizabeth Tower in 2012 in honour of Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee. The clock
00:28faces, 22.5 feet in diameter, are among the largest in the world, and the tower stands
00:33at 316 feet tall, making it a beloved symbol of London. For a period in 2017, Big Ben's
00:39iconic chimes were silenced due to major restoration work, which lasted until 2022. The nearest
00:45tube station is Westminster, which is served by the District, Circle and Jubilee lines.