Big Ben
By:Secoya Phillips
How Big Ben came to be
The Palace of Westminster was destroyed by fire in 1834. In 1844 it was decided the new buildings for the Houses of Parliament should include a tower and clock. A massive bell was required and the first attempt cracked irreparably.
Before Big Ben
On October 16,1834 a fire broke out in the palace after an overheated stove used to destroy the exchequer's stockpile of tally sticks set fire to the House of Lords chamber. In the resulting conflagration both Houses of Parliament were destroyed along with most of the other buildings in palace complex. .Westminster Hall was saved thanks to firefighting efforts and a change in the direction of the wind.
Building Process
Moreover, Augustus Pugin was the architect and it was completed in 1858. Airy's demanding standards led to delays which lasted seven years. The next delay occurred when it was discovered space inside was too small for the planned clock design. The bottom 200 feet of towers structure consists of brickwork with sand colored anston limestone cladding.
Cultural Importance
However, The clock has become a symbol of the United Kingdom particularly in the visual media. The chiming of Big Ben at midnight on New Year's Eve is the British equivalent to U.S. ball dropping in New York City's time square and the BBC broadcast every year on TV. Younger audiences have been exposed to Big Ben through its appearance in Walt Disney film Peter Pan when the main characters circle the tower during their flight to neverland.
In conclusion, Big Ben is an iconic monument and still a tourists attraction many people go today just to get the chance of seeing the tower.
Works Cited
"Palace of Westminster." - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2015.
"Big Ben." - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2015.
"Discover One of Best Known London Icons." Visitlondon.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2015.
"Big Ben, London." A View On Cities. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2015.