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We are used to tourists flocking to Italy's Leaning Tower of Pisa, but will the "leaning tower of Big Ben" become the next landmark tourist attraction? New studies show that the tilt on London's iconic Great Clock has increased over the years.
Big Ben, the iconic London landmark attached to the Houses of Parliament, is on the lean.
But before you imagine a catastrophic future scene as the tower tumbles into the British Members of Parliament offices, don't worry - Michael McCann, Keeper of the Great Clock, says it has probably tilted since the day it was built by Victorian engineers back in 1858.
[Michael McCann, Keeper of the Great Clock]:
"Well, we're talking about a 300 foot tower which has a 0.26 degree lean, which is absolutely minute. To give you some idea, the Leaning Tower of Pisa is five degrees, so it's not even a twentieth of that. It's very, very small. But obviously we are monitoring it, and if it increases then we would be concerned."
A survey for London Underground back in 2003 reported the rate of movement had accelerated over the years, and the tilt had increased 0.04in (0.9mm) a year, compared to the long-term average rate of just 0.025in (0.65mm) a year.
This means the tower is now 435mm from vertical.
At this rate, it would take 4,000 years for the London landmark to slant as far as the Pisa tower, which is 12 feet off the vertical.
The present Clock Tower was raised as a part of Charles Barry's design for a new palace, after the old Palace of Westminster was largely destroyed by fire on the night of 16 October 1834.
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We are used to tourists flocking to Italy's Leaning Tower of Pisa, but will the "leaning tower of Big Ben" become the next landmark tourist attraction? New studies show that the tilt on London's iconic Great Clock has increased over the years.
Big Ben, the iconic London landmark attached to the Houses of Parliament, is on the lean.
But before you imagine a catastrophic future scene as the tower tumbles into the British Members of Parliament offices, don't worry - Michael McCann, Keeper of the Great Clock, says it has probably tilted since the day it was built by Victorian engineers back in 1858.
[Michael McCann, Keeper of the Great Clock]:
"Well, we're talking about a 300 foot tower which has a 0.26 degree lean, which is absolutely minute. To give you some idea, the Leaning Tower of Pisa is five degrees, so it's not even a twentieth of that. It's very, very small. But obviously we are monitoring it, and if it increases then we would be concerned."
A survey for London Underground back in 2003 reported the rate of movement had accelerated over the years, and the tilt had increased 0.04in (0.9mm) a year, compared to the long-term average rate of just 0.025in (0.65mm) a year.
This means the tower is now 435mm from vertical.
At this rate, it would take 4,000 years for the London landmark to slant as far as the Pisa tower, which is 12 feet off the vertical.
The present Clock Tower was raised as a part of Charles Barry's design for a new palace, after the old Palace of Westminster was largely destroyed by fire on the night of 16 October 1834.
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