Big Ben, one of London’s most famous icons, is located on the spire of the Palace of Westminster, which includes the Houses of Parliament, the House of Lords, the House of Commons, and Westminster Hall.

London’s Big Ben is actually the nickname for the 13-tonne bell situated at the top of the tower, although it is often expanded to include the clock and clock tower. The tower was built in 1288 and the bell rang its first carillon on May 31, 1859. It is the world’s largest four-sided carillon clock, as well as the third-tallest free-standing clock tower.

Interestingly, the clock tower is not open to foreign visitors, however UK residents can arrange a tour, although it does involve climbing 334 steps to reach the top as there is no lift.

Augustus Pugin designed the watch and dials which incorporate 312 opal glass portions and each side of the watch bears a Latin inscription denoting “O Lord keep our Queen Victoria the First safe.”

Renowned for its reliability, London’s iconic clock ran precisely on time during heavy bombing raids during the Blitz, even with two damaged dials. The watch faces were darkened at night during World War I and World War II to prevent attacks. The only time Big Ben suffered a major failure was on August 5, 1976, when she was out of service for 26 days over nine months. In August 2007, this London clock underwent six long weeks of maintenance to replace the bearings in its drive train and the ‘great bell’ striker.

Big Ben is a popular icon of London and the United Kingdom. The image and chimes are used by ITN’s News at Ten, ITV News bulletins, BBC Radio 4 and BBC World Service. London’s historic clock, of course, also plays a huge role during the New Year’s Eve countdown and celebrations, when all eyes turn to the clock.

In May 2009, Big Ben in London celebrated its 150th anniversary and we look forward to another 150 years of precise time and chimes.