Big Ben 1999 - a photo on Flickriver

Big Ben 1999

If you like this image please check out my store at www.redbubble.com/people/Bobbex - most of my images on flickr can be made into a product of your choice - just let me know which you are interested in

Big Ben is the nickname for the Great Bell of the clock at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London[1] and is usually extended to refer to both the clock and the clock tower.[2][3] The tower is officially Elizabeth Tower, renamed to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II in 2012; until then, it was known simply as the Clock Tower.

The tower was designed by Augustus Pugin in a neo-gothic style. When completed in 1859, it was, says horologist Ian Westworth, "the prince of timekeepers: the biggest, most accurate four-faced striking and chiming clock in the world".[4] It stands 315 feet (96 m) tall, and the climb from ground level to the belfry is 334 steps. Its base is square, measuring 39 feet (12 m) on each side. Dials of the clock are 23 feet (7.0 m) in diameter. On 31 May 2009, celebrations were held to mark the tower's 150th anniversary.[5]

Big Ben is the largest of five bells and weighs 13½ tons (13.76 tonnes). It was the largest bell in the United Kingdom for 23 years. The origin of the bell's nickname is open to question; it may be named after Sir Benjamin Hall, who oversaw its installation, or after boxing heavyweight champion Benjamin Caunt. Four quarter bells chime at 15, 30 and 45 minutes past the hour, and also just before Big Ben tolls on the hour. The clock still uses the original Victorian mechanism, but an electric motor is sometimes used as a backup.

A British cultural icon, recognised all over the world, the tower is one of the most prominent symbols of the United Kingdom and parliamentary democracy,[6] and it is often used in the establishing shot of films set in London.[7] The clock tower has been part of a Grade I listed building since 1970 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987.

On 21 August 2017, a four-year schedule of renovation works began on the tower, which are to include the addition of a lift. There are also plans to re-glaze and repaint its dials. With a few exceptions, such as New Year's Eve and Remembrance Sunday, the bells are to be silent until the work has been completed in the 2020s.

Taken in: United Kingdom / England / London / Whitehall (show map)

Taken on: May 1, 1999

Tags:

westminster

big ben

uk more »

parliament

government

establishment

britain

united kingdom

clock

victorian architecture

gothic

pugin

unesco

LONDON « less

Sets appears in: • 50+ Faves • In Explore more » • London, May 1999 « less

Groups appears in: • UNESCO World Heritage Sites • !FlickrSoup for Soul more » • Amateurs • Analog Photography • Flickritis: over 87,000 waiting for a vaccine. • any towers • analog • 1000 Views • Architecture and Buildings • 1 to 100 • 2500 Views • Amateur Shutterbugs • Views: 2000 • Clocks and Buildings • Analogue Photography • Great Britain • 5000+ Views (3 per day) • Architecture / 建築 • Architecture UK • Views: 7000 or Favorites: 100 • Views 100 • Views 500 • Views 1000 • Views 1500 • Views 2000 • Views 2500 • Views 3000 • Views 4000 • Views 5000 • Views 6000 • Views 7000 • 50 faves (No SL/computer generated images please). • 3000+ Views • Analog only • The tower group • 5501-6000 Views • Clocks of the World • 6001-6500 Views (Comments required) • minimum 2000 views • minimum 3000 views • minimum 4000 views • minimum 5000 views • 5000 VIEWS(must have 5,000 views) • minimum 1500 views • 'Views: 2000 - 2500 • 'Views: 2500 - 3000 • A Picture of Britain • 1 day we'll have the most photos on Flickr • "They don't make them like they used to" • Towers of the World • Architecture Directory • **Explore Unexplored!** (10 Favs & No Explored) • The World Clock Project • 4000 +Views • architecture and buildings / arquitectura y edificios • Toward the sky... 1 Post / 3 Awards • "Unlimited Photos: No Rules" • Architectural Beauty ! • UNESCO World Heritage Site • ! Flickr Cafe ! • ! F l i c k r | S t y l e ! • ! Flickr Lover ! • Clocks from the Street • ! The Flickr ! • ***Flickr Global • "U.K. Photo Gallery" ( All Welcome ) • A Photographer [No AI or SL] • ` FLICKR ´ • A Photographers View • A to Z photography • * Everybodys Photo Group *(All Welcome) • 5,000 Views Unlimited 5000 • in explore • 500 Views Unlimited • 2,000 Views Unlimited 2000 • 4,000 Views Unlimited 4000 • 3,000 Views Unlimited 3000 • 7,000 Views Unlimited 7000 • 6,000 Views Unlimited 6000 • 1,500 Views Unlimited 1500 • !*ALL ARE WELCOME*! • Architecture Unlimited • !*Flickr All Stars*! • 500 views at least (NO LIMITS, NO 30/60) • 100 views at least (NO LIMITS, NO 30/60) • * just photos * no rules please use comment code appreciated • Brexit Britain • Architecture/Signs/Vehicles/Street Photos/Landscapes « less

Stats: 9,254 views / 5 comments

Link to this photo view:
Link to this photo large view: