![]() Once on land, the bell was eventually transported in a specially made carriage that was pulled by 16 white horses. It was much larger than anticipated and weighed more than 16 tons! The bell was so heavy that it damaged the deck of the ship that was to carry it to London. A foundry in northeast England cast the hour bell. With the clock mechanism ready, the next step was to make the bells. During that time, Denison invented a device that protected the pendulum from outside interference, ensuring the clock’s accuracy. While experts debated how to solve the problems, horologist Edmund Beckett Denison presented an acceptable design, and a leading clockmaker was given the task of building the clock.Īfter two years the clock was ready, but it languished in the clockmaker’s workshop for five more years while work on the tower was being completed. In a high open tower, the clock’s hands would be exposed to wind, snow, and ice-as well as alighting pigeons! Such disturbances would affect the clock’s pendulum, whose regular beat was vital to precise timekeeping. Three years later the search was on for a craftsman who could build a clock so accurate that it would not vary by more than a second each hour. Work on the 316-foot clock tower began in 1843. This world-famous clock is a marvel of engineering. Big Ben is its name-although that name originally referred only to its largest bell. This clock is one of London’s famous landmarks, and its distinctive chimes are recognized worldwide. ![]() The Office of Works commissioned “a King of Clocks, the biggest the world has ever seen.” Who would submit the best design for a new Parliament building? The winning entry, by Sir Charles Barry, was an ornate, Gothic-style palace that included an imposing four-sided clock tower. ![]() WHEN fire destroyed the Palace of Westminster in 1834, Britain’s politicians held a competition.
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