This
is kind of a confusing subject, because
the name “Big Ben” is often
misused. The name “Big Ben”
refers not to a building, nor a tower,
nor even a clock, but a really big cast
iron bell. In the country of England,
in the city of London, there is a building
called the Palace of Westminster. This
building houses the Parliament of the
United Kingdom, and is therefore the county’s
center of government. The Palace of Westminster
has a big clock tower, which is called
the “Tower of Palace Westminster”
or simply “Westminster Tower”.
The tower’s clock is famous for
being on time, and at special times (such
as tea time) the clock triggers a huge
mechanism, which rings a 14-ton bell!
This bell is named “Big Ben”.
The confusion comes when people think
either the tower, the building, or even
the clock is called “Big Ben”.
Native Londoners have a field day with
people who think their parliament is called
Big Ben, and all sorts of funny jokes
have come out of the mistaken identity.
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Click
on BUY to purchase the posters, or ENLARGE it to help you make
up your mind.
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Big
Ben and the clock tower it inhabits has
become a national landmark. Along with
the Tower Bridge, Big Ben is a symbol
of London, of England, and even of all
of Europe. Big Ben and Westminster Tower
joins a fraternity of famous landmarks
such as the Eiffel Tower in Paris and
the Colosseum in Rome.
Big Ben was built or “cast”.
It is made out of cast iron, which means
liquid iron was poured into a mold. It
was finished in the year 1856 and has
been ringing away ever since. The clock
and the bell are known for their reliability,
with the clock only breaking down once
in its whole history (in 1975). People
would always synchronize their pocket
watches with Big Ben’s clock, and
if you visit you can too.
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