


The E-natural behemoth leads a team of four quarter bells, which chime B-natural, E-natural, F-sharp, and G-sharp tones. Also known as the Great Bell, Big Ben stands more than 7 feet tall, measures 9 feet in diameter, and weighs nearly 14 tons. The name "Big Ben" refers to the clock tower's largest bell, not the Clock or the tower itself.Īt some point, London’s superstar clock tower acquired the nickname Big Ben-a name originally given not to the tower itself or even its clock, but to the largest of the clock’s five bells. You may have snapped a photo of England’s most iconic clock or seen it in footage of London, but how well do you really know the United Kingdom’s towering timepiece-which rang out for the first time on May 31, 1859.
