London’s Big Ben to chime again for Christmas after falling silent amid repairs
London: London’s iconic Big Ben which fell silent for essential repairs in August is to chime again over Christmas after Parliament authorities reviewed plans earlier this week.
Big Ben, officially named the Elizabeth Tower within the Palace of Westminster parliamentary complex, was to chime only for events such as the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve.
But House of Commons leader, Andrea Leadsom, has been pushing for a rethink on the decision and has succeeded in getting the chimes back for the festive season in December.
It has now been decided the bell will toll between December 23 and New Year’s Day. “Some people might think this is a trivial matter — but over the course of the repairs, we have a duty to uphold the huge appeal of Big Ben to the millions of tourists that visit it each year,” Leadsom was quoted as saying by The Sunday Times.
“I’m sure visitors to the Eiffel Tower or Taj Mahal would be incredibly disappointed if they were covered in scaffolding — the same is true of Elizabeth Tower,” she said.
Leadsom pledged to push for an assessment of more opportunities, and is determined that the Great Bell will chime for other extended public holidays, such as Easter.
“I am delighted that we’ve made progress, and I will continue to press for the bell to ring again before 2021,” Leadsom added.