![]() ![]() The clock tower has been a part of a Grade I listed building since 1970 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987. It is among the most prominent symbols of the uk and parliamentary democracy, and it is often used in the establishing shot of films set in London. The tower is a British cultural icon recognised all over the world. The clock uses its first Victorian mechanics, but an electric motor can be applied as a backup. Four quarter bells chime at 15, 30 and 45 minutes past the hour and just before Big Ben tolls on the hour. The origin of this bell's nickname is open to question it might be named after Sir Benjamin Hall, who oversaw its own installation, or heavyweight boxing champion Benjamin Caunt. It was the biggest bell in the United Kingdom for 23 years. On, celebrations were held to mark the tower's 150th anniversary.Big Ben is the biggest of the tower's five bells and weighs 13.5 long tons (13.7 tonnes 15.1 short tons). Dials of the clock are 23 feet (7.0 m) in diameter. Its foundation is square, measuring 39 ft (12 m) on each side. The tower stands 315 ft (96 m) tall, and the climb from ground level to the belfry is 334 steps. When completed in 1859, its clock was the largest and most accurate four-faced striking and chiming clock on the planet. The tower was designed by Augustus Pugin at a neo-Gothic style. The official name of this tower in which Big Ben is located was originally the Clock Tower it was renamed Elizabeth Tower in 2012 to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II, Queen of the uk. Big Ben is the nickname for the Great Bell of the striking clock in the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London the name is often extended to refer to both the clock and the clock tower. ![]()
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