Big Ben Clock Tower and Parliament illuminated at dusk London England
Big Ben Clock Tower and Parliament illuminated at dusk London England. Big Ben is the nickname for the great bell of the clock in the clock tower of the Palace of Westminster. The nickname is often also used to refer to the clock and the tower. The clock is the world's largest four-faced, chiming clock and the third largest free-standing clock tower in the world. The clock tower is situated at the north-eastern end of the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, London. The Big Ben clock tower has been referred to incorrectly as St Stephen's Tower, which is a low tower above St Stephen's Entrance. The clock faces are large enough to have once allowed the Clock Tower to be the largest four-faced clock in the world, but have since been outdone by the Allen-Bradley Clock Tower in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. However, the builders of the Allen-Bradley Clock Tower did not add chimes to the clock, so the Great Clock of Westminster still holds the title of the "world's largest four-faced chiming clock". The face of the Great Clock of Westminster. The hour hand is metres (9 ft) long and the minute hand is metres (14 ft) long. The clock and dials were designed by Augustus Pugin. The clock faces are set in an iron frame 7 metres (23 ft) in diameter, supporting 312 pieces of opal glass, rather like a stained-glass window. Some of the glass pieces may be removed for inspection of the hands. The surround of the dials is gilded. At the base of each clock face in gilt letters is the Latin inscription DOMINE SALVAM FAC REGINAM NOSTRAM VICTORIAM PRIMAM, which means O Lord, keep safe our Queen Victoria the First. The clock is famous for its reliability. The designers were the lawyer and amateur horologist Edmund Beckett Denison, and George Airy, the Astronomer Royal. Construction was entrusted to clockmaker Edward John Dent, who completed the work in 1854.
Size: 3470px × 5260px
Location: Parliament, London- UK, United Kingdom, England, Europe
Photo credit: © RFoxPhotography / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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