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The Big Ben (clock tower) in London, England

The bell of the clock tower of the Palace of Westminster in London is officially called the Great Bell, but it is better known by the nickname ‘Big Ben’. The name Big Ben is now often associated with the clock tower and the Great Clock as well as the Great Bell.

However, the name was originally given to the Great Bell of the clock tower of the Palace of Westminster in London.

 One of London’s best-known landmarks, Big Ben has surpassed the fame of the Palace of Westminster, the meeting place of the two houses of the parliament of the United Kingdom.

Construction of the clock tower began in September 1843 and was completed in 1859. The clock tower was once the largest four-faced clock in the world.

The clock tower stands 316 feet tall and has largely become synonymous with Big Ben, the heaviest of the five bells it houses. the main bell, officially known as the Great Clock of Westminster’s.

The Great Bell weighs 13.7 tones and stands 2.2 meters high. There are also four quarter bells in the clock started on 31 May. The Great Bell’s strikes were heard for the first time on 11July1859, and the quarter bells first chimed on 7 September 1859.

There are two theories for the origin of the name ‘Big Ben’.

1. The bell was named after Sir Benjamin Hall, First Commissioner for Works 1855-1858, whose name is inscribed on the bell.
2. The bell was named after Ben Count, a champion heavyweight boxer of the 1850.

      The first theory is considered to be more likely.

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