The bongs of Big Ben, the bell inside the clock tower above the Houses of Parliament, are to be silenced for four years for conservation works.
The Elizabeth Tower, home to the bells that make up the Great Clock and the most photographed building in Britain, is undergoing a programme of restoration work.
As this work takes place, from noon on Monday 21 August the bell’s hourly chimes will be paused until 2021.
Big Ben has marked the hour with almost unbroken service for 157 years, with the chimes last falling silent for maintenance in 2007. They also stopped between 1983 and 1985 as part of a refurbishment programme.
However, parliament’s clock makers will ensure Big Ben can still chime for events such as New Year’s Eve and Remembrance Sunday.
Damage to the clock face is being repaired (www.parliament.uk)
At 96 metres tall, the Elizabeth Tower is a focal point of the Grade I-listed Palace of Westminster, which forms a part of a Unesco World Heritage site.
In November 2016 Sir Robert McAlpine won the contract to carry out the pre-construction service agreement and to erect the scaffolding. The second stage of the procurement process is under way for the final works contract. An announcement will be made in the autumn.
This project is not part of the wider Palace of Westminster Restoration and Renewal Programme, which is not expected to start until the 2020s. Work on the tower is so urgent that it could not be delayed.
Damage to the staircase inside the tower (www.parliament.uk)
Steve Jaggs, keeper of the clock, said: “I have the great honour of ensuring this beautiful piece of Victorian engineering is in top condition on a daily basis. This essential programme of works will safeguard the clock on a long-term basis, as well as protecting and preserving its home – the Elizabeth Tower.”
Members of the public are being called on to mark the moment by gathering in Parliament Square to hear Big Ben’s final bongs until they return in 2021.
The Great Bell, popularly called Big Ben, weighs 13.7 tonnes and strikes every hour, to the note of E natural. It is accompanied by four quarter bells, which weigh between one and four tonnes each and chime every 15 minutes.
The Great Clock is operated by a custom built Victorian clockwork mechanism, which relies on gravity to trigger the renowned bongs. To stop the bells the striking hammers will be locked and the bell disconnected from the clock mechanism, allowing the Great Clock to continue telling the time silently.
Corrosion on the Ayrton Light (www.parliament.uk)
The conservation project started earlier this year with the scaffolding works. Once this scaffolding reaches the necessary height, work will begin at the top of the Tower with the renovation of the Ayrton Light (which shines to show that Parliament is sitting) and the refurbishment of the cast iron roofing.
The team will then work their way down the building, removing scaffolding as they go, and tackling a range of the complex issues created by the height and heritage of this unique landmark.
As part of this intricate series of works, the Great Clock itself will be dismantled piece by piece with each cog examined and restored. The four dials will be carefully cleaned, the glass repaired, the cast iron framework renewed, and the hands will be removed and refurbished.
While the Great Clock and the dials are undergoing conservation, it will be necessary to cover the faces for some time. However, to ensure that the public are still able to set their watches, one working clock face will remain visible at all times throughout the works.
As the clock mechanism itself will be temporarily out of action, a modern electric motor will drive the clock hands until the Great Clock is reinstated.
Top image: Darrensharvey/Dreamstime
