The four smaller bells around it sound the quarter-hour. The bells themselves stayed in place.īig Ben sounds the hour, and is so large that flooring in the tower beneath would have to be dismantled if it ever had to be removed. The five-year restoration involved cleaning and repainting each of the five bells’ hammers and arms.

“Now you’re lucky on a day like today if you can hear it the other side of Parliament Square.' “You used to be able to hear this (Big Ben) on a quiet night up to 15 miles (24 kilometres) away,' Westworth said, as a chill wind whistled through the belfry. Today, newer and taller buildings lie nearby. When first built in the 1840s, it dominated the Westminster skyline. The Elizabeth Tower, previously called the Clock Tower, was renamed in 2012 to honour the late queen’s Diamond Jubilee. “The bell’s sounded through wars, and you try and imagine what this bell’s actually seen - 160 years of development.'

“It’s the sound of London back again,' Westworth told AFP on a dawn tour of the tower. Ian Westworth, 60, and his colleagues have been busy overseeing the tests to ensure everything is in order after the £80-million ($90-million) restoration. They are two of the few occasions that Big Ben and his partners have rung since 2017, along with New Year’s Eve, when Britain left the European Union in 2021, and the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in September.Ītop the 96-metre (315-foot) Elizabeth Tower is the belfry housing the bells - protected by exterior netting to keep out bats and pigeons.īeyond lie some of London’s most spectacular vistas.īut parliament’s three in-house timekeepers don’t have time to enjoy the view. In Britain, Remembrance Sunday immediately follows Armistice Day every November 11. The time marks the moment on Novemwhen the guns fell silent in World War I. Some shed tears.īut after a week of testing, normal service will resume every 15 minutes from 11:00 am (1100 GMT) on Sunday. When the clock’s five cast-iron bells including Big Ben fell silent in 2017, a mournful crowd of parliamentarians and staff gathered below. The Great Clock towering above Britain’s Houses of Parliament is resuming daily operations following the painstaking renovation of more than 1,000 moving parts. When the 13.7-tonne bell sounds, the vibration hits you in the chest.Īfter a five-year restoration project, the world-famous ringer is back with a bong. Getting up close to Big Ben requires earplugs, and ear defenders over them to be safe.

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