In pictures: Big Ben & the clock
The Great Westminster Clock. The clock tower was part of plans submitted to replace the Palace of Westminster destroyed by fire in 1834. The clock was fully operational in 1859.
The Tower is constructed of Anston stone from Yorkshire. A third of the way up is the Prison Room where members of Parliament could be detained for misbehaviour during a debate.
The clock mechanism. It weighs around five tonnes and had to be winched up inside the tower. Pre-Decimal pennies are used to adjust the clocks timings. One penny will add around two-fifths of a second in 24 hours.
The pendulum is 3.9 metres long and beats every two seconds. The clock is wound and checked for accuracy three times a week.
Behind the clock face. Each hour hand is 2.7m long, weighs 300kg and is made from gun metal. Each numeral is 60cm high.
Big Ben. The largest bell on which the clock strikes the hour. It weighs 13.5 tonnes and the four quarter bells each weigh between one and four tonnes. A crack appeared in the original bell and a new bell was cast in Whitechapel in 1859.
The clock faces are illuminated by banks of energy efficient, long life, electric bulbs. The centre of each dial is 56m (184ft) from the ground.
It is rumoured that the people who looked after the original gas lighting slept on these ledges within the clock tower. They worked through the night to keep the lights burning.
A close up view of the second hand. Each clock face is seven metres in diameter and has 312 separate pieces of pot-opal glass panels.
A view from the top of the clock tower looking east towards Docklands. The tower is 96 metres high.
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