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No more bongs! Big Ben to fall silent for four years of repairs

August 15, 2017
One of the four faces of the Great Clock of the Elizabeth Tower, commonly referred to as Big Ben, is reflected as it is pictured at the Houses of Parliamnet in central London on Monday. — AFP
One of the four faces of the Great Clock of the Elizabeth Tower, commonly referred to as Big Ben, is reflected as it is pictured at the Houses of Parliamnet in central London on Monday. — AFP

LONDON — The bongs will soon be gone.

Big Ben — the huge clock bell of Britain’s Parliament — will fall silent next week as a four-year restoration project gets underway.

The bongs of the iconic bell will be stopped after chiming noon on Aug. 21 to protect workers during a 29-million-pound ($38 million) repair project on the Queen Elizabeth Tower, which houses Big Ben and its clock. It isn’t due to resume regular service until 2021.

Steve Jaggs, keeper of the Great Clock, said on Monday that the clock mechanism will be dismantled piece by piece and its four dials will be cleaned and repaired. The 13.5 British ton (15.1 US ton, 13.7 metric tons) bell will be cleaned and checked for cracks.

“Big Ben falling silent is a significant milestone in this crucial conservation project,” Jaggs said in a parliament statement on Monday.

“This essential program of works will safeguard the clock on a long term basis, as well as protecting and preserving its home — the Elizabeth Tower,” he said.

Big Ben has been stopped several times since it first sounded in 1859, but the current restoration project will mark its longest period of silence.

The Elizabeth Tower, which is 96 meters (315 feet) high, is the most photographed building in Britain.

The tower itself is commonly referred to as Big Ben even though the name applies only to the bell.

The clock’s cogs and hands as well as the four dials will be removed, cleaned up and repaired as part of the work.

The project’s cost was estimated last year at £29 million (31.9 million euros, $37.7 million).

Because the clock mechanism will be temporarily out of action, a modern electric motor will drive the clock hands until the clock is reinstated.

Parliament also said that the clock’s faces would have to be covered up while they are being repaired.

“However, to ensure that the public are still able to set their watches by this most important of time pieces, one working clock face will remain visible at all times throughout the works,” it said. — Agencies


August 15, 2017
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