Big Ben

Official name: Parliament Clock Tower
Also known as: Saint Stephen's Tower
Built: 1858
Designed by: Charles Barry and Augustus Pugin
Type: Tower
Maximum Height: 320 feet / 98 meters
Location: Bridge Street, London, United Kingdom


For tourists, photographers, and residents, and even terrorists, and this is a symbol of London. And officially called the Clock Tower, and millions of people around the world known as "Big Ben". In fact, Big Ben is the name of the bell inside the clock, not the tower. But in an attempt to convince the people that are closer to an attempt to stop a train with your car: it is possible, but not worth the effort. Not a building of its own, and the clock tower 320 feet and is one of the two towers surrounding the houses of the Parliament of England. Was built after a fire in 1834 destroyed most of the existing structures. The reason that the abacus from the burning hell that was used for bookkeeping. I got the fire out of control, and took most of the building with them. Charles Barry was the winner in a competition to design a new center of government. Gone with the Renaissance style, and married with neo-Gothic details Bojun by Augustus, including the towers. Inside the tower is Big Ben - the bell, which weighs 13 tons of hours seems to be over time. There is no documentation on how to bell the company got its name. Some think was named after boxer Ben Caunt. Others believe was named after Sir Benjamin Hall, a gentleman who was rather large Commissioner in Westminster. In both cases, the experience of London is the ideal to get out from under the ground, and walk along the River Thames in a foggy morning and hear Big Ben toll. If you're not in London, it is still heard often on the radio through the World Service the BBC on the morning in Europe, and satellite and shortwave elsewhere. The frequency where you live, see the Home BBC World Service page.