Big Ben gets Cross of St George paint job as Victorian design comes home
Big Ben will be permanently redecorated with the Cross of St George, Palace of Westminster authorities have revealed – but it’s got nothing to do with the football.
As part of a major restoration project, workers will return decorative elements around the clock face of the Elizabeth Tower to their original Victori- an colour scheme, including a row of shields bearing the English flag.
Palace authorities said the other nations of the UK are represented in floral emblems elsewhere on the clock face, depicting the rose, thistle, shamrock and leek – but SNP MPs said the decision was “odd”.
Research into Charles Barry’s designs, as well as analysis of samples taken from layers of old paint, confirmed which colours had been used when Big Ben was built in 1859.
Adam W at rob ski, Westminster’s principal architect, said :“This will very much be the crowning glory of this important project and will certainly serve to reinforce the symbolism of the Tower in its international representation of the United Kingdom.”
Tom Brake, the Liberal Democrat MP who chairs the House of Commons commission, said the restored design “represents what is best about England”.
He added :“Obviously the Scots, the Welsh and Northern Irish are represented ... I’m sure they won’t object.”
But SNP MP Tommy Shep - pa rd said :“Maybe they are assuming that in the future the Union will be dissolved. It seems very odd.
“I think you would have the Union Flag or all the flags for the component parts of the UK... I don’t think they have thought through the political consequences.”
His S NP colleague Pete Wishart added: “This is a welcome boost for Scottish independence as Westminster prepares to become an Englandonly parliament.”
The Elizabeth Tower disappeared behind scaffolding and its bell, Big Ben, fell silent last year at the start of restoration work. A wider £4bn programme of worksbegins in the mid-2020s.