In pictures: Big Ben falls silent

Tourists in London may find it a little quieter for the next few weeks as Big Ben's famous bongs have been silenced.

The clock itself isn't actually called Big Ben - it's the bell inside that the name comes from. The clock needs some repair work and a good clean.

The clock will continue to tell the time, just very quietly. These people are taking the chance to give the four faces of the clock a good clean.

Both the clock workings and the bell workings are having parts replaced as part of the work.

The work is the last part of a programme to get the clock and its bell ready for its 150th anniversary in 2009.

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