Big Ben ‘bongs’ to be silenced for £29 million refurbishment
LONDON — It’s so long to Big Ben’s bongs — at least temporarily.
British officials announced on Monday that the famous bell of Parliament will fall silent for several months during repairs to its crumbling clock tower.
The work, due to begin in January 2017 and last three years, is the biggest repair job on the tower for decades — and Steve Jaggs, Parliament’s Keeper of the Great Clock, said it can’t wait much longer.
“The tower is not unstable,” he said. “But unless we do something now it’s going to get a lot worse.
“We need to do the work pretty soon to keep this for future generations to enjoy.”
Jaggs said the £29 million ($42 million) renovation will include work to repair corrosion to the castiron roof and stop water seepage that threatens to “blow chunks” of stonework from the iconic 160-year-old building.
The huge clock will be stopped for several months so that Parliament’s clockmakers can work on the 13-foot pendulum and remove the hands from each of the four faces. The 13.5 tonne Big Ben bell will cease to sound the hours for another stretch of the project while it is cleaned and checked for cracks.
Officially named the Elizabeth Tower in honour of Queen Elizabeth II, the structure is one of London’s most famous landmarks.