Big Ben to lose its bong as £29m restoration begins

Big Ben is due to stop chiming for only the third time in 157 years as part of a £29 million refurbishment plan, it has been announced.

The clock, and the Elizabeth Tower which houses it, will be modernised and restored over three years after serious problems were found, including corrosion and cracks.

Big Ben, the bell struck to mark each hour, will not ring out over the capital as specialists dismantle the clock mechanism and replace the pendulum suspension spring to ensure the clock keeps time. The chimes were silenced for nine months in 1976 and for six weeks in 2007, both times for maintenance.

Experts said at yesterday’s announcement of the threeyear plan: “Despite attention from specialist clock makers on a daily basis, it is estimated that if problems are not addressed soon, there is a high risk that the clock will fail.”

A lift will also be installed – currently, the tower is accessed by a steep staircase of more than 300 steps with exit in an emergency via a “complex abseiling rig”.