Big Ben, the great clock bell of Britain’s Parliament, will fall silent today as a four-year restoration project gets underway.
The bongs of the iconic bell have been stopped, taking into consideration the security of the people involved in the renovation work. The 29-million-pound ($38 million) repair project on the Queen Elizabeth Tower, which houses Big Ben and its clock, is expected to take years to complete. The bell, therefore, is expected to resume regular service only in 2021.
Big Ben has been stopped several times since it first sounded in 1859, but the current restoration project will mark its longest period of silence. Parliamentary officials said they would ensure that the bell still sounds on major occasions, such as New Year’s Eve and Remembrance Sunday.
Steve Jaggs, the keeper of the Great Clock, had said that the clock mechanism will be dismantled piece by piece and its four dials will be cleaned and repaired. The 13.5 British tonne (15.1 US ton, 13.7 metric tonnes) bell will be cleaned and checked for cracks.
The bongs are a venerated part of life in England, used at the start of radio and TV newscasts and the midnight countdown to New Year’s Day. The sound is also familiar to many people beyond the country, as it is broadcast on the BBC World Service,The Journal reported.
It is not just Ben, but the Ayrton lamp too is to be turned off till the work is completed. Located at the top of the Elizabeth Tower, the Ayrton light is switched on whenever the British Parliament is sitting. However, the light too is needed to be dismantled for the completion of the project.
A temporary light will replace the Ayrton as well, according to House of Commons sources.