Big Ben and Elizabeth Tower, the great clock above Westminster
Published on 09/03/2026 at 06:43 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Big Ben is the nickname of the Great Bell and the clock that crowns Elizabeth Tower at the northern end of the Palace of Westminster in London, a vertical landmark where Gothic Revival stonework meets precise timekeeping above the River Thames. The tower rises beside the parliamentary chambers and has become a fixed point in the city’s silhouette since the nineteenth century.
The Great Bell and the clock that gave Big Ben its name
Strictly speaking, Big Ben is the massive hour bell of the Great Clock of Westminster, housed high within the tower above the debating halls of the Houses of Parliament.Big Ben is a tower clock known for its accuracy and for its massive hour bell Over time the nickname has extended to the whole ensemble: bell, clock and tower together form one of London’s most recognisable pieces of architecture.Big Ben is the nickname for the Great Bell of the Great Clock of Westminster
The hour bell weighs well over 13 tonnes (13,700 kg), and four smaller bells around it mark the quarter hours with a separate pattern of chimes.Big Ben is the name given to the massive bell inside the clock tower, which weighs more than 13 tons Cast in the 1850s and brought into service in 1859, the Great Bell has rung out over Westminster through political upheavals and wars, its sound woven into radio broadcasts and state occasions.Big Ben first rang across Westminster on 31 May 1859 and BBC Radio broadcast its chimes from 1923
Elizabeth Tower: Victorian height, Gothic detail and a riverfront setting
The stone and iron structure now known as Elizabeth Tower rises approximately 96 m (316 ft) above the pavement on the north side of the Palace of Westminster, setting a near-rectangular profile against the sky.It stands 316 feet (96 m) tall Completed in 1859 as part of the rebuilding of parliament after the 1834 fire, the tower belongs to the Gothic Revival tradition, with carved pinnacles, traceried stonework and iron-framed clock dials set into each face.Big Ben was constructed between 1843 and 1859 and was designed in the Gothic Revival style
The clock faces themselves are large circular panels of opal glass held in cast iron frames, each several metres across and marked by bold Roman numerals and a long minute hand that sweeps above Westminster Bridge and the Thames embankment.Each dial is seven metres in diameter and the minute hands are 4.2 metres long Set at the northern end of the palace complex in the City of Westminster, the tower stands close to the river and faces important civic spaces such as Parliament Square, making its stonework, clock faces and gilded details visible from bridges, embankments and nearby streets.The tower of Big Ben is an important London landmark at the Houses of Parliament
From Clock Tower to Elizabeth Tower: Victorian origins and a modern name
The present Palace of Westminster took shape after the 1834 fire that destroyed much of the medieval complex, with architect Charles Barry designing a new building that incorporated a clock tower on its riverfront elevation.Construction of the New Palace of Westminster began in 1840 and work on the Clock Tower started in 1843 Barry worked with Augustus Pugin on the Gothic detailing, while the Great Clock itself was designed by Edmund Beckett Denison in collaboration with the astronomer royal, Sir George Airy, and constructed by clockmaker Edward John Dent and his successor.Big Ben was designed by Edmund Beckett Denison and Sir George Airy and constructed by Edward John Dent and Frederick Dent
For more than a century the structure was officially known as the Clock Tower, but in 2012 it received a new formal name: Elizabeth Tower, marking Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee and linking the Victorian fabric directly with a modern reign.The tower housing Big Ben was renamed Elizabeth Tower in 2012 Internally the tower is arranged around staircases that rise through the masonry to the clock room and belfry, with hundreds of steps separating the base from the Ayrton light at the summit, a lantern above the dials that signals when parliament is sitting.There are 399 steps from the ground floor to the Ayrton light
Visiting Big Ben: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- Big Ben and Elizabeth Tower stand at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in the City of Westminster, beside the River Thames and close to Parliament Square and Westminster Bridge.
- The immediate area around the tower is urban and level, with pavements and road crossings; inside the tower itself access involves long staircases with several hundred stone steps.
- London lies in England, part of the United Kingdom, where the official language is English and the currency is the pound sterling.
- Several other landmarks are within walking distance, including Westminster Abbey to the west and the Whitehall government district leading towards Trafalgar Square.
Searching for Big Ben on social platforms
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Frequently asked questions about Big Ben
Where is Big Ben located in London?
Big Ben stands within Elizabeth Tower at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in the City of Westminster, beside the River Thames and near Parliament Square.
What can visitors expect when viewing Big Ben?
Visitors see a tall Gothic Revival tower with four large clock faces and intricate stonework, rising above the riverfront and framed by bridges, statues and the surrounding parliamentary buildings.
What makes Big Ben distinctive among clock towers?
The combination of the Great Bell, the accurate four-faced clock and the nineteenth-century Elizabeth Tower on the riverfront of the United Kingdom’s parliament gives Big Ben a character closely tied to British civic life.
