THE SOUND OF BIG BEN WAS FIRST HEARD ACROSS THE NATION 100 YEARS AGO. MARION McMULLEN LOOKS AT ITS RICH HISTORY
were used for special events, such as Remembrance Sunday.
The Clock Tower was renamed Elizabeth Tower in 2012 to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and last year, as the country headed into winter, all four faces of Big Ben were put back to GMT for the first time in five years.
When black paint was stripped away from the dials and the stonework surrounding them during repair work, it was discovered that it was originally painted in a colour known as Prussian blue.
Experts believe the black colour scheme was chosen in the 1930s to mask the effects of pollution. The renovation work provided a chance to return to the initial vision of Parliament’s architects Charles Barry and Augustus Welby Pugin.
Adam Watrobski, principal architect and head of architecture and heritage at the Houses of
Parliament, said: “Using historic paint analysis and references including Barry’s original design watercolour, contemporary illustrations and archival photographs, we have recreated the original colour scheme.”
Other key details have also returned to Charles Barry’s original design, such as the row of six shields above each dial that displays St George’s red cross on a white background.
Heraldic shields – situated above the Ayrton Light, a lantern which shines when either House of Parliament is sitting – representing four parts of the United Kingdom have also been restored.
The Irish shamrock and Welsh leek are now back to their original green while the Scottish thistle is green with a bright purple seed head. The English rose was painted red and white as Mr Barry first suggested.
The conservation work also addressed crumbling stone work and leaks. This meant 3,433 cast iron roof tiles had to be removed and repaired by specialists.
Ian Westworth was one of Parliament’s team of clock mechanics who made sure Big Ben was ready to strike on New Year’s Eve. 2021
He said: “It’s iconic. It’s probably the world’s most famous clock, and to have had our hands on every single nut and bolt is a huge privilege. It’s going to be quite emotional when it’s all over – there will be sadness that the project has finished, but happiness that we have got it back and everything’s up and running again.”
Big Ben bonged in England’s capital last year as a crowd of more than 100,000 people gathered along the Thames Embankment in central London to watch 12,000 fireworks streak across the sky.
The sold-out New Year’s Eve show was designed to send a message of “love and unity”, as it highlighted the Lionesses’ historymaking Euro win at Wembley, marked 50 years of London’s Pride and sent a message of support to Ukraine.
The display also paid tribute to the late Queen, featuring a voice recording from her and words from Dame Judi Dench, before honouring the King, together with a message from Charles about the need to preserve our planet’s future.
Now Big Ben is ready for the next 100 years.