Big Ben: More Than Just a Bell
People often talk about Big Ben as if it's one simple thing. In reality, the name points specifically to the Great Bell, not the entire tower. This famous bell sits inside the Elizabeth Tower, a structure that blends Victorian engineering with ongoing care and constant tweaks.
Standing proudly beside the River Thames, the Elizabeth Tower has become a quick symbol for London, the UK Parliament, and British public life. However, much of what makes it function stays hidden from view. This includes the heavy clock mechanism and the old pennies used to fine-tune its accuracy.
The Tower's Impressive Scale
Looking closely at the tower, the clock, and the bells reveals a monument built on precision, massive scale, and quiet daily routine rather than flashy spectacle. The Elizabeth Tower rises 96 meters above Westminster. That's roughly the height of 21 London buses stacked on top of each other.
Inside, the climb is long and narrow. Visitors must tackle 292 steps to reach the clock faces. Another 42 steps lead up to the Belfry, where the Great Bell hangs, making a total of 334 steps to that level. A further 65 steps go up to the Ayrton Light, a lantern that glows when Parliament is in session. The tower contains 11 floors in total.
Its outer shell uses thousands of cubic meters of stone and brick. Builders sourced materials from across Britain and beyond, including Anston stone from Yorkshire, Clipsham stone from Rutland, and Caen limestone brought from France.
The Great Clock's Design
The Great Clock features four dials, one on each side of the tower. Each dial measures seven meters across. Craftsmen made them from 324 pieces of pot opal glass set into a cast iron frame. The Roman numerals are 60 centimeters long and stand out sharply against the glass background.
The minute hands are crafted from copper sheet. Each one weighs around 100 kilograms. At 4.2 meters long, they travel the equivalent of about 190 kilometers every year. The hour hands are shorter at 2.7 meters but heavier. Made from gun metal, they weigh approximately 300 kilograms each.
How the Clock Mechanism Works
The clock mechanism sits behind the faces. It drives both the timekeeping and the striking of the bells. This mechanism weighs five tonnes and is constructed mainly from cast iron. The structure measures about 4.7 metres in length and 1.4 metres in width.
At its heart swings a pendulum with steady regularity. Each beat lasts two seconds. The pendulum itself is 4.4 metres long and weighs 310 kilograms. Its bob weighs 203 kilograms and consists of steel and zinc tubes arranged concentrically.
Simple Timekeeping with Pennies
Timekeeping at the Elizabeth Tower relies on a surprisingly simple method. Maintainers add or remove pre-decimal pennies from the pendulum to adjust the clock's speed. Adding one penny causes the clock to gain two-fifths of a second over 24 hours.
This fine balance matters because outside forces like wind can interfere. Wind pushing against the massive clock hands can alter their movement. To address this, Edmund Beckett Denison designed the double three-legged gravity escapement. This clever mechanism isolates the pendulum from external pressure, allowing the clock to keep accurate time even during storms and poor weather.
The Bells of the Tower
Big Ben is the largest bell, but it is not alone. Four quarter bells hang in the belfry alongside it. Unlike many church bells, these bells do not swing. They remain fixed in place and are struck by hammers from the outside. Together, they produce the familiar Westminster chimes.
Big Ben sounds the note E, as does the third quarter bell. The first quarter bell sounds G, the second sounds F sharp, and the fourth sounds B. Each bell has a distinct weight and tone.
Weight of the Bells
Big Ben weighs an impressive 13.7 tonnes. Its hammer weighs 200 kilograms. The first quarter bell weighs 1.1 tonnes. The second weighs 1.3 tonnes. The third comes in at 1.7 tonnes, while the fourth weighs four tonnes. Their combined sound has become one of the most recognisable in the world, though the bells themselves remain largely hidden from public view.
When the Clock Stopped
Despite its strong reputation for reliability, the Great Clock has stopped on several notable occasions. The longest recent stoppage of the hour strike lasted six weeks in 2007. Earlier interruptions included a six-month pause in 1956 and a two-month halt in 1934.
In 2005, officials stopped the clock for two days to inspect the brake shaft. These pauses are rare, but they remind everyone that even iconic landmarks depend on careful maintenance, patience, and occasional silence.
The Elizabeth Tower stands as a testament to Victorian engineering and meticulous upkeep. Its story is one of hidden mechanics, precise adjustments, and enduring symbols that define a city's skyline and a nation's identity.
