Few people know, but until 2012 in the UK there was no structure called the Tower of Elizabeth. At the same time, it was built much earlier - back in 1834. How did it happen? The fact is that until 2012 the tower bore a completely different name - it was the well-known Big Ben. On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the reign of the Queen of Great Britain , it was decided to rename the country's most famous landmark. Since then, it began to be called the Tower of Elizabeth.
A bit about history
The first building of the clock tower was erected in 1288, it stood for more than 5 centuries, but in 1834 it was almost completely destroyed by fire. In its place, it was decided to erect a new tower. The architect was Charles Barry, whose work is also the design of the Palace of Westminster.
The height of the new building was 96.3 meters. The diameter of each of the four dials located on the sides of the square tower plan is 7 meters. The first hands of the watch were made of cast iron, but they were too heavy, and they had to be replaced with lighter ones made of alloy. This contributed to improving the accuracy of the mechanism. The creator of the watch itself was Benjamin Valiami.
The world's largest four-way clockwork with a battle was launched in May 1859, and since then its work has never been interrupted. Even the bomb that hit the tower during the Second World War could only slightly reduce the accuracy of the clock, but did not stop it.
Behind the walls of the tower hangs the famous bell, which was nicknamed Big Ben. Its diameter is about 3 meters and its weight is almost 14 tons. Not a single New Year in Great Britain can do without a measured battle of the world famous bell.
Where is Elizabeth Tower located?
Many have seen photographs of this building, but not everyone knows where it is located. As mentioned above, the Elizabeth Tower was designed by an architect who is also the author of Westminster Palace. A part of this palace is the watch that used to be called Big Ben.
The area in which the palace and the tower crowning its northern part are located is also called Westminster and is located on the left bank of the Thames. This is the central part of London, most of all attracting tourists. Here are attractions such as
Buckingham Palace, the famous St. James Park,
Westminster Abbey , etc.
There are various ways to get to Elizabeth Tower. If a taxi is not suitable for you, take the subway. You will need to exit at Westminster Station. And from there, only a few tens of meters will remain to the place where the Tower of Elizabeth will appear before you in all its greatness. Another option is a bus. The necessary place can be reached on routes leading to Trafalgar Square or Victoria Street.
What is a famous tower?
The straight and square in terms of the Tower of Elizabeth is one of the most recognizable buildings in the world. Even a person who is not familiar with the culture of Great Britain easily recognizes the famous Big Ben in this watch. An excellent example of Western European Gothic architecture, it not only attracts attention, but is also memorable, even though the shape of the Elizabeth Tower is very simple. With a square plan, elongated rectilinear facades create a box familiar to everyone from geometry lessons. Only in this case it is decorated with a gabled roof, spiers, a large number of Gothic decor and 7-meter dials on each side. Their glass is made of Birmingham Opal.
The clockwork, located at an altitude of 55 meters, weighs about 5 tons. Below it is a 300-pound pendulum, 4 meters long. Despite its huge size, the clock on the Elizabeth Tower is the most accurate in the country. Their error arising after the bomb hit is no more than 2 seconds.
Why was it called Big Ben?
There are many myths about the origin of the old name of the Tower of Elizabeth. But they all agree on one thing - the bell gave the name of the structure. But why it was named that way is hard to say now.
The simplest version explains this fact with the characteristic sound of the bell, reminiscent in its sound of the word "Big Ben". The remaining opinions are associated with the names of various British. For example, there is an opinion that the name was given to the bell by Sir Benjamin Hall, who took an active part in its creation. According to another version, the name of the then-famous heavyweight boxer Benjamin County gave the nickname of the London landmark.
Interesting Facts
Even if you know very well where the Tower of Elizabeth is located, you are probably unfamiliar with some interesting facts from its history. It is hard to imagine, but for several years it was used as a prison for parliamentarians. Currently, of course, the tower does not carry such a function.
Under each of the four dials is the inscription “God Save Queen Victoria”. Another phrase, shorter, runs along the perimeter of the tower and reads "Praise the Lord."
The position of the tower changed slightly after a metro line was drawn under it. The deviation was only 22 millimeters to the North-West side.
Of interest is also the fact that the minute hand, which is 4.2 meters long, travels a distance of 190 kilometers per year. By the way, the clockwise length is 2.7 m.
Where else can you see the Tower of Elizabeth?
Mention of the most famous watches in the UK can be found in literature, cinema and even works of animation. Often this landmark of London gets a very unenviable role - fights take place in it, it is plundered and even blown up. For example, in the movie “Mars Attacks!” aliens destroy the upper part of the tower, in "V - means vendetta" also occurs an explosion. Even fantasy characters did not pass over the famous watch. In the movie The Power of Fire, the tower along with the palace is destroyed by dragons.
No matter in which movie Great Britain appears, the Elizabeth Tower will definitely be there. For London, it is as much a mark as the Eiffel Tower for Paris. Even in some games, such as Call of Duty and Mass Effect 3, you can also see Big Ben.