What Is Big Ben?

Big Ben is the name of the main bell of the Clock Tower of the Palace of Westminster. The tower itself is often referred to as Big Ben popularly with the monument considered one of the important landmarks of the UK recognized worldwide.

The bell which weighs 13.8 metric tons was first cast on April 10, 1859 but broke during testing following which it had to be recast. The origin of the name Big Ben is not known with several versions; it is presumed that the name originated from Sir Benjamin Hall then Parliamentary Commissioner of Works.

The clock was designed by Edmund Beckett Denison and built by clockmaker Edward John Dent and is noted for its reliability. The tower which is referred to as Big Ben is also known as St. Stephen's Tower; it stands 96 meters high (316 ft). The tower is designed in the Victorian Gothic Style.

Big Ben is the name of the clock which was designed by Sir Edmund Beckett (1816 – 1905). Big Ben is located in the tower at the eastern end of Britain's House of Parliament. This is the clock which is famous all over the world because of its accurateness in providing the time and of course of its 13 ton bell. In 1859, Sir Benjamin Hall was the commissioner of works during the time of the installation of the clock. The name of the clock went after him. However, there is a different theory as well which emphasizes that the origination of the name was after the popular heavyweight boxer Benjamin Caunt. Initially the name was applied only to the bell – the largest bell in the tower, officially known as the Great Bell of Westminster, but eventually it became applicable to the whole clock itself.

Big ben was the name of a barrr in a movie about grizzly bears or a settler called grizzly adams..famous line in the movie is -"can you skin a bear"...

A clock built by charles barry.