Big Ben Restored: The Grand Unveiling – The extraordinary story of the six-year renovation of the iconic clock tower. Anna Keay, Director of The Landmark Trust, meets the dedicated team of architects, engineers, historians, scientists and master craftspeople who are tasked with stripping the tower down to its frame, then repairing or replacing every exquisite detail of this neo-Gothic masterpiece. As Big Ben rings out once more, cameras provide a close-up view of all the vibrant new details.
An £80m makeover of Big Ben is nearly complete, restoring the world’s most famous clock face to its original Victorian glory. The clock’s iconic dials have been restored to their original colour – Prussian blue – after experts discovered the shade under layers of black paint. The lights behind the clock-face were once powered by gas but have now been switched with energy efficient LEDs.
Seven hundred pieces of stone have been replaced – all of them carved on site. Cracks in the masonry have been mended, leaks stopped, and the effects of erosion and rusting repaired. The inside of the building has also been redecorated, and a lift and toilet installed.
Big Ben Restored: The Grand Unveiling
Big Ben is the nickname for the Great Bell of the clock at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The tower in which the clock is located is now officially called the Elizabeth Tower, named in 2012 to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II. The tower was completed in 1859 and was designed by Augustus Pugin. The Great Clock began ticking on May 31, 1859, and the Great Bell, or Big Ben, rang out for the first time on July 11, 1859.
Big Ben is one of the most famous and iconic symbols of London, and it is a popular tourist attraction. The clock tower is over 316 feet (96 meters) tall and is a Grade I listed building, which means it is a building of exceptional architectural or historical interest. The clock face is over 23 feet (7 meters) in diameter, and the hour hands are over 14 feet (4 meters) long. The Great Bell weighs over 13 tons and is the largest four-faced chiming clock in the world.
Throughout its history, Big Ben has undergone various renovations and repairs to maintain its structure and keep it in good working order. In 2017, the clock underwent a major refurbishment that included the installation of a new mechanism to control the clock’s movement, as well as the cleaning and repainting of the tower’s exterior. The clock was stopped for the duration of the work, which was completed in 2021.
Journalists during Queen Victoria’s reign called it St Stephen’s Tower. As members of Parliament originally sat at St Stephen’s Hall, these journalists referred to anything related to the House of Commons as “news from St Stephens” (the Palace does contain a feature called St Stephen’s Tower, located above the public entrance). On 2 June 2012, the House of Commons voted in support of a proposal to change the name from the Clock Tower to Elizabeth Tower in commemoration of Elizabeth II in her Diamond Jubilee year, since the large west tower now known as Victoria Tower had been renamed in tribute to Queen Victoria on the occasion of her Diamond Jubilee.
On 26 June 2012, the House of Commons confirmed that the name change could go ahead. David Cameron, then Prime Minister, officially announced the change of name on 12 September 2012. The change was marked by a naming ceremony in which John Bercow, then Speaker of the House of Commons, unveiled a plaque attached to the tower on the adjoining Speaker’s Green.
