Big Ben is the nickname for the great bell of the clock at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London, and is often extended to refer to the clock or the clock tower as well. Big Ben is the largest four-faced chiming clock and the third-tallest free-standing clock tower in the world.
The clock tower was built at Westminster in 1288, with the fine-money of Ralph Hengham, Chief Justice of the King's Bench.
The present tower was raised as a part of Charles Barry's design for a new palace, after the old Palace of Westminster was destroyed by fire on the night of 16 October 1834.
The present tower was raised as a part of Charles Barry's design for a new palace, after the old Palace of Westminster was destroyed by fire on the night of 16 October 1834.
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Sans Serif]The Clocktower
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Total height of the tower is 316 feet
The height of the belfry is about 200 feet
There are 290 steps to the clockroom and 340 to the belfry [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Sans Serif]
The Bells
[/FONT]The quarter chiming bells are in the key of F
The hour bell (Big Ben) is note E and weighs 13.5 tons and has a maximum diameter of 9 feet
The hammer of the hour bell weighs 4 cwt.
The four quarter bells weigh (in order of size) 1 ton, 1.25 tons, 1.6 tons and 3.5 tons [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Sans Serif]
The Dials and Hands
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The diameter of each of the four dials is 23 feet
Each dial contains 312 panes of glass (and we are happy to dispel the myth that there are 365, one for each day of the year, yes, we've counted them!)
28 bulbs are used to light each dial from behind
The hour hands are 9 feet long and weigh 0.8 cwt.
The minute hands are 14 feet long and weigh 2.5 cwt.
The Roman numerals are 2 feet high [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Sans Serif]
The Clock Movement
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Three train flatbed movement with Grimthorpe's double three-legged gravity escapement and two-second pendulum
The frame of the movement is about 16 feet long and the entire machine weighs 5 tons
The driving weights weigh 2 cwt. (going), 1 ton (striking) and 1.25 tons (chiming)
The chiming and striking trains have been wound by motor since 1912 but the previous hand winding took two men 5 hours per train
The going train is still wound by hand which takes less than 30 minutes
The overall length of the pendulum is about 14 feet and it weighs 2.5 cwt.
~Construction~
~Cleaning~
~Pics (from outside)~
~Pics (Inside)~
[/FONT]
Total height of the tower is 316 feet
The height of the belfry is about 200 feet
There are 290 steps to the clockroom and 340 to the belfry [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Sans Serif]
The Bells
[/FONT]The quarter chiming bells are in the key of F
The hour bell (Big Ben) is note E and weighs 13.5 tons and has a maximum diameter of 9 feet
The hammer of the hour bell weighs 4 cwt.
The four quarter bells weigh (in order of size) 1 ton, 1.25 tons, 1.6 tons and 3.5 tons [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Sans Serif]
The Dials and Hands
[/FONT]
The diameter of each of the four dials is 23 feet
Each dial contains 312 panes of glass (and we are happy to dispel the myth that there are 365, one for each day of the year, yes, we've counted them!)
28 bulbs are used to light each dial from behind
The hour hands are 9 feet long and weigh 0.8 cwt.
The minute hands are 14 feet long and weigh 2.5 cwt.
The Roman numerals are 2 feet high [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Sans Serif]
The Clock Movement
[/FONT]
Three train flatbed movement with Grimthorpe's double three-legged gravity escapement and two-second pendulum
The frame of the movement is about 16 feet long and the entire machine weighs 5 tons
The driving weights weigh 2 cwt. (going), 1 ton (striking) and 1.25 tons (chiming)
The chiming and striking trains have been wound by motor since 1912 but the previous hand winding took two men 5 hours per train
The going train is still wound by hand which takes less than 30 minutes
The overall length of the pendulum is about 14 feet and it weighs 2.5 cwt.
~Construction~
~Cleaning~
~Pics (from outside)~
~Pics (Inside)~
thanks for sharing!!...
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