There are also four smaller bells, they ring every quarter. The big ben - the bell not the building - rings only at the whole ours for example at one o’clock. The clock became the symbol of the United Kingdom. Later, permanent microphones were placed in the tower, and the sound of Big Ben became a familiar one to listeners, assuming great significance during WWII, when the chimes became a symbol of hope and home to BBC listeners around the world. The first BBC radio broadcast of the Big Ben chimes was on New Year's Eve, 1923. In England you can hear Big Ben chiming daily the nation over, either on television news or radio. After that the Big Ben was out of order for 3 years.īig Ben is the largest clock in Britain and has kept the exact time for the nation since May 1859.

The first bell cracked during a test ringing, according to experts the bell was too heavy. It charms every hour of every day in London.The huge bell is named after Sir Benjamin Hall because his nickname was Big Ben. A lot of people think that the tower is the Big Ben, but it is not the tower but the bell inside which is called the Big Ben. It is a famous clock tower, built in 1959. The big ben is 320 feet high which is about 98 meter. The Big Ben is one of the most famous buildings in London. In 1844, they decided that there had to be a new building for the houses of Parliament. The Palace of Westminster was destroyed by fire in 1834. We are going to tell you something about the Big Ben and the houses of Parliament.įirst you see the Big Ben.

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