Who Is Big Ben Named After?

Big Ben, the bell that strikes the hours in the clock tower above the Houses of Parliament in London, was named after Sir Benjamin Hall, Commissioner of Works at the time of the tower's completion in 1858. The bell weights 13.5 tons and the foundry that cast it, the Whitechapel Bell Foundry, is still operating in the same place today. There are four smaller bells with the main big bell and these are called the 'Little Bens'. These smaller bells strike on the quarter of the hour.

The clock tower that holds Big Ben is famous as a landmark all over the world, even though it is less than 200 years old. It is used as the chime for midnight on New Year's Eve. When the Houses of Parliament are in session, the clock is illuminated at night by a light that only goes off when the house rises after a debate is over.

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