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  Big Ben's Bell

Please read and enjoy our article and watch your FREE LONDON MUSIC VIDEO at the end

Big Ben - The Big Bong Theory

OK so you want to know everything there is to know about Big Ben's bells and Big Ben's 'bongs', you asked for it!

Take an extra shot of espresso in your latte and make yourself comfortable.

Big Ben's main bell and the largest bell in the tower is officially known as the Great Bell.

The original main bell weighed in at 16 tons and was cast in 1856 in Stockton-on-Tees in the north of England!

Bigben Clock
The bell was never officially named but apparently the person responsible for commissioning the bell was one Sir Benjamin Hall. This may be the origin of Big Ben's name.

Another theory for the origin of Big Ben's name is that the bell may have been named after a heavyweight boxer of the day, one Benjamin Caunt. On balance, we prefer to think Big Ben was synonimous with a heavyweight boxer than a wimpish public servant!

Since the tower that was itself to become known as Big Ben was not yet finished, the bell was mounted in New Palace Yard, Westminster. The bell was then transported to the tower on a trolley drawn by sixteen horses, with crowds cheering its progress

As fate would have it, the Big Ben bell cracked beyond repair while being tested and a replacement had to be made. The new bell was recast at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry weighing in at 13½ tons.

Bigben Bell
The Great Bell

At the time of its casting, Big Ben was the largest bell in the United Kingdom. It remained so until 1881 until "Great Paul", a 16¾ ton bell currently hung in St. Paul's Cathedral, was cast.

The new Big Ben bell was hauled 200ft up to the Clock Tower's belfry, a feat that took 18 hours. The bell is 2.2 metres tall and 2.9 metres wide. Big Ben's new bell first chimed, or 'bonged', in July 1859.

As fate would again have it, the new Big Ben bell also cracked under the hammer, a mere two months after it officially went into service.

Accusations flew from the foundry that a hammer had been used on the Great Bell that was more than twice the maximum weight specified.

For three years the Big Ben bell was taken out of commission and the hours were struck on the lowest of the quarter bells until the Great Bell was reinstalled.

To make good the repair, a square piece of metal was chipped out from the rim around the crack, and the Big Ben bell given an eighth of a turn so the new hammer struck in a different place.

Big Ben has chimed with an odd twang (or barmy bong?) ever since and is still in use today complete with the ancient crack.

We're sure that Big Ben's imperfections go unnoticed today by the tens of millions of ears that tune in to Big Ben's glorious chimes, literally around the clock!

That's the end of our talking a lot of 'bells'.

Let's hope the double espresso shot got you to the end!


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