Description
Big Ben Wire Model
History: Big Ben is the colloquial name of the bell of the Palace of Westminster in London, also known as the Great Bell of Westminster, the largest bell in the tower and part of the Great Clock of Westminster. Most Londoners would call the whole tower Big Ben, but the name properly refers only to the bell. The clock tower is at the north-eastern end of the building, the home of the Houses of Parliament, and contains the famous striking clock and bell. The tower is also sometimes referred to as St. Stephen's Tower. The bell was cast in Stockton on Tees, but had to be re-cast at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry before completion of the clock and chimes in 1859. The BBC first broadcast the chimes on the 31st December 1923 - there is a microphone in the turret connected to Broadcasting House.
