Many people are familiar with the sound of Big Ben tolling; inhabitants of the capital city pass it frequently, and millions of people gather and tune in on New Year’s Eve in order to hear the bells announce the new year. However, one of the UK’s famous landmarks will be silenced as part of a four year scheme of renovation and conservation work.
The conservation work will begin with Elizabeth Tower and when the work is taking place the striking of the clock will pause until 2021. The famous landmark will strike at noon on Monday the 21st of August for the final time before going on a four-year vocal rest. During this period of silence, conservationists will be able to explore a number of problems that have been noted with Big Ben’s home and carry out the necessary works to make sure that when the bells do toll again, they continue to for a long time. The Elizabeth Tower the proper name for the home of the structure, and the Great Clock will undergo a series of highly important repairs. For this work to be completed it was vital that the clock is not in operation.
The Great Clock functions with the use of a Victorian clockwork mechanism that uses gravity to trigger the Big Ben bell. The striking hammers will be locked and then disconnected in order to make sure that the clock operates in silence until 2021. The specialist clockmakers of Parliament have made sure however that Big Ben will sound for significant events such as New Year’s Eve and Remembrance Sunday during this period of absence.
First developed by architects Charles Barry and Welby Pugin, Elizabeth Tower is a well-recognised part of the Palace of Westminster, needing maintenance in order to conserve the original structure and make sure it stays standing for generations to come.
