The Elizabeth Tower was formerly known as the Clock Tower and Victorian journalists referred to it as St Stephen’s Tower, as MPs originally sat in St Stephen’s Hall.
Here are some more details about the famous tower:
:: It stands at 96 metres (315ft) tall.
#BigBen will chime for the last time until 2021 at noon on 21 August to allow for essential conservation work https://t.co/RTWzeF9cAM pic.twitter.com/XizuYoNwet
— UK Parliament (@UKParliament) August 14, 2017
:: There are 334 steps to the belfry and a total of 399 to the lantern, known as the Ayrton Light.
:: The first clock tower in Parliament’s grounds was built in 1288 to 1290, which had a bell known first as Great Edward and then as Great Tom.
:: The second clock tower was demolished in 1707 after replacing the original tower in 1367.
(Hannah McKay)
:: A sundial followed before a fire at the Palace of Westminster in 1834 led to architects submitting designs for the new palace.
:: The winning design did not originally feature a clock tower, which was added to the plan in 1836.
:: Construction work of what is the existing tower began in September 1843 and was completed in 1859.
:: The tower was constructed using 2,600 cubic metres of brick and 850 cubic metres of stone. This was all transported to Westminster by river.
(Yui Mok/PA)
:: The Great Clock started ticking on May 31 1859, with its operation initially delayed by problems with the weight of the cast-iron minute hands. They were replaced with lighter copper hands.
:: The Great Bell’s strikes were first heard on July 11 of the same year and the quarter bells chimed for the first time on September 7.
:: It was renamed the Elizabeth Tower in 2012 to honour the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.
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