London hasn’t been soundtracked by the iconic bongs of Big Ben for quite some time. The old fella last chimed for a sustained period in 2017, before he was silenced for a major renovation. But that’s all about to change, because Big Ben is going to bong again soon.
This week the clocktower chimed for the first time in five years, as they tested out Big Ben for his return to full-time bonging. We don’t know exactly when his services will fully resume, but Parliament is going to announce the date for the return of the ‘Westminster chimes’ soon. When back to normal, there will be a big chime every hour, with smaller bells ringing every 15 minutes.
Behind the scenes people have been prepping Ben for his big day with ‘silent testing’, a process where the hammers are rung over a regular period to make sure all parts of the clock are running smoothly.
The refurb to Big Ben and the Elizabeth Tower, which is the official name of the tower, has cost £80 million, £51 million over budget.
Big Ben was supposed to chime a few weeks ago to mark the end of the national mourning period after the Queen died, but failed due to a ‘technical issue’. You had one job, Ben!
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