Big Ben, I think you must be familiar with it! According to a recent survey, Big Ben is the most popular travel destination for tourists in the UK and the most iconic landmark in London. However, how much do you know about it? Are you familiar with its historical story and related data? There are some very interesting things I think you should know, let me be your Big Ben tour guide today!
Let's start with the name. Most people are used to using Big Ben to refer to the clock and the tower. In fact, Big Ben refers to the largest clock (there are four other small, unnamed clocks inside the tower). I made a mistake like this at the beginning! It is no longer known how the name ‘Big Ben’ came from in the first place. Some people think it was named after a British engineer and politician Benjamin Hall (very tall), while others think it was named after a heavyweight boxer Benjamin Conte, who was named after the British engineer and politician. Big Ben won a tournament when it caused widespread controversy in London. The real name of Big Ben is actually called ‘Elizabeth Tower’, which was renamed after the ‘Clock Tower’ in 2012. However, the nickname ‘Big Ben Bell’ is now clearly better remembered and spread more widely (just like ‘Little Man Waist’ for the Canton Tower and ‘Big Pants’ for the new CCTV building...)
This big clock is 2.28 meters high (over 7 feet) and 2.75 meters wide (9 feet). Yes, you read that right, the width of the clock is greater than the height! It weighs about 13.5 tons, which is almost the weight of an elephant! The tower on which this big clock is located is called the ‘bell tower’ and it is about 97 meters high. It took 34 years to complete the construction. If you want to climb to the top, it has a total of 334 steps. However, this summit mission can only be achieved by a very lucky few, because it is too difficult to make an appointment for an internal visit. You can choose to watch the introduction video of Big Ben on the Internet, or take a virtual tour on the official website of the British Parliament to see the other side of Big Ben behind this clock.
It is conceivable that the maintenance of Big Ben and the clock tower is a huge project that requires the concerted efforts of many people. Some watch engineers and big clock owners (big bosses) need to continuously ensure that Big Ben clocks accurately and reset the time when daylight saving time comes. They wind up the Big Ben three times a week and carry out internal maintenance, because the light bulbs in Big Ben that maintain night lighting are also reset every once in a while. Every five years, there is a special team that needs to complete a special task: bathe Big Ben. Only use water and soap to clean the faces of Big Ben. They need to be extremely careful not to damage the glass, but also to master the postural balance how to handle this 155-year-old world-famous clock.
Now you know why Big Ben is so precious and why we are so proud of it! If you have the opportunity to go to London, you must visit Big Ben. I am sure you will love it and this city! !
