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Camden Market

Camden Market

Camden Market

Montcau in London Guia General

Montcau in London

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Big Ben

The Houses of Parliament and Elizabeth Tower, commonly called Big Ben, are among London's most iconic landmarks. Technically, Big Ben is the name given to the massive bell inside the clock tower, which weighs more than 13 tons (13,760 kg).  The clock tower looks spectacular at night when the four clock faces are illuminated.

Big Ben Facts

• Each dial is seven metres in diameter
• The minute hands are 4.2 metres long and weigh about 100kg (including counterweights)
• The numbers are approximately 60cm long
• There are 312 pieces of glass in each clock dial
• A special light above the clock faces is illuminated when parliament is in session
• Big Ben's timekeeping is strictly regulated by a stack of coins placed on the huge pendulum. 
• Big Ben has rarely stopped. Even after a bomb destroyed the Commons chamber during the Second World War, the clock tower survived and Big Ben continued to strike the hours.
• The chimes of Big Ben were first broadcast by the BBC on 31 December 1923, a tradition that continues to this day.
• In June 2012 the House of Commons announced that the clock tower was to be renamed the Elizabeth Tower in honour of Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee.  

The History of Big Ben
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 a clock. 

A massive bell was required and the first attempt (made by John Warner & Sons at Stockton-on-Tees) cracked irreparably. The metal was melted down and the bell recast in Whitechapel in 1858. Big Ben first rang across Westminster on 31 May 1859. A short time later, in September 1859, Big Ben cracked. A lighter hammer was fitted and the bell rotated to present an undamaged section to the hammer. This is the bell as we hear it today.

You can visit the Whitechapel Bell Foundry and discover more about Big Ben's origins.

London's Favourite Landmark: Why Ben?
The origin of the name Big Ben is not known, although two different theories exist.

• The first is that is was named after Sir Benjamin Hall, the first commissioner of works, a large man who was known affectionately in the house as "Big Ben".
• The second theory is that it was named after a heavyweight boxing champion at that time, Benjamin Caunt. Also known as "Big Ben", this nickname was commonly bestowed in society to anything that was the heaviest in its class.

The Thames Path

            The Thames Path (Tower Bridge to St. Paul's)

Tower Bridge

Tower of London

New City Hall

The Central London section is one of the most interesting when you'll see many of London's famous buildings. The first, being Tower bridge, which you'll pass under to views of The Tower of London on the north bank of the river and the new City Hall on the left.

The Golden Hinde

The Globe Theatre

Millennium Bridge St Paul's

Soon you pass a replica of the Golden Hinde, then under the Cannon Street rail bridge and back onto the river-side. Soon you reach Southwark Bridge, which you walk under and then come to the Globe Theatre and the Millennium Bridge, which links St Paul's Cathedral on the North side of the river to the Tate Modern on the south bank.

British Museum

The British Museum

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British Museum Website

Ralph McTell - Streets Of London

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