Big Ben

About Big Ben

The great bell and clock tower of the Palace of Westminster. The tower rises 316 feet above the river. Each clock face is 23 feet in diameter. The great bell weighs 13.5 tons and first rang in 1859. It cracked within months, giving the famous off-pitch tone. The tower leans slightly to the northwest. Renamed the Elizabeth Tower in 2012. The clock is still wound by hand each week.