Wednesday, 16/08/2017 16:30 (GMT+7)
Big Ben, the iconic British timekeeper at the Palace of Westminter, will go silent on August 21st for four years.
Big Ben Tower (Source: AFP/VNA)
Big Ben is the name of the large bell inside the clock tower above Britain’s Houses of Parliament. The tower is part of the Palace of Westminster. There are other smaller bells, too.
“Big Ben falling silent is a significant milestone in this crucial conservation project,” the keeper of the Great Clock Steve Jaggs said in the statement. “This essential program of works will safeguard the clock on a long-term basis.”
The four opal glass faces of the dials will also be cleaned and repaired, the rusting cast iron framework renewed, and the hour and minute hands refurbished. In addition, some modern conveniences, like an elevator and washroom, will be built for the timekeepers.
According to CNN, the repairs will cost approximately USD40 million.
The bells chimes have signalled time every hour in the city for 157 years.
In more recent times, Big Ben stopped pealing for six weeks in 2007, and for repairs in 1983 and 1976. It was silent during the funerals of the UK Prime Ministers, Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher./.
Compiled by BTA