Big Ben is the name of the bell on the clock tower that rises over the British Parliament buildings on the banks of the River Thames in London, England. The bell was cast in 1859 and rings every hour.
Officials say the famous clock at Britain's Parliament — used by Londoners for decades to check the time — has recently been slow by as much as six seconds.
The 156-year-old clock chimes every 15 minutes and emits deep bongs to mark the hour. Its inaccuracy was noticed by staff at BBC radio, which broadcasts the bongs live at
6 pm.
more information about Big Ben
The big clock on the tower of the Palace of Westminster in London is often called Big Ben. But Big Ben is really the bell of the clock. It is the biggest clock bell in Britain. It weighs 13.5 tons.
The clock tower is 318 feet high. You have to go up 374 steps to reach the top. So the clock looks small from the pavement below the tower. But its face is 23 feet wide. It would only just fit into some classrooms. The minute-hand is 14 feet long. Its weight is equal to that of two bags of coal. The hour-hand is 9 feet long.
The clock bell is called Big Ben after Sir Benjamin Hall. He had the job to see that the
bell was put up. Sir Benjamin was a big man. One day he said in Parliament, "Shall we call the
bell St. Stephen's?" St. Stephen's was the name of the tower. (The tower was renamed the Elizabeth Tower in 2012 to mark Queen Elizabeth II's 60 years on the throne.)
But someone said for a joke, "Why not call it Big Ben?"
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