The bell tolls for Big Ben... BONG!
It’s so dilapidated that 9ft hands could ‘fall off’ BONG! It needs £29m just to avoid closure for a year BONG! MPs urged to save vital ‘symbol of democracy’
BIG BEN is so dilapidated that its giant hands could fall off, according to MPs responsible for maintaining the 156-year-old monument.
A leaked Commons report on the world’s most famous clock says it is so wonky it could grind to a halt, not with a bong but with a bang – forcing it to be closed for a year and reducing Britain to a laughing stock.
The threat emerged after MPs discussed a £29.2 million plan for ‘urgent’ repairs to Big Ben, which would involve shutting it down for four months, understood to be the longest stoppage in its history.
The warning was spelled out in a report to MPs which said there was a risk of ‘clock-hand failure’, adding: ‘It could stop – or worse.’
One source close to the Commons Finance Committee which considered the report last week said some MPs believed ‘worse’ meant the clock hands could fall off. The 9ft gunmetal hour hands weigh 660lb.
Parliament is already facing a massive restoration bill of up to £7 billion because of the Palace of Westminster’s crumbling fabric.
But MPs were told the Big Ben crisis was so bad that it had to be tackled much more quickly.
The clock derives its name from the giant bell housed in the Elizabeth Tower, renamed in 2012 in honour of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, though both clock and tower are generally known as Big Ben.
The dramatically worded report to MPs said the entire clock mechanism was at risk, adding: ‘The clock currently has chronic problems with the bearings behind the hands and the pendulum. Either could become acute at any time, causing the clock to stop – or worse.’ Action was also needed to combat ‘severe metal erosion, cracks in the roof and other structural defects’ in the tower.
In an emotive appeal, the report invoked the clock’s role ‘ as a symbol of democracy’ and its ‘international iconic status’, reminding MPs of their duty to repair Big Ben and preserve it for the nation – and the world.
‘There are major concerns that if this is not carried out within the next two to three years, the clock mechanism is at risk of failure with the huge risk of international reputational damage for Parliament.
‘In the event of a clock-hand failure, it could take up to a year to repair due to the scaffolding needed.’
If the £29 million ‘full refurbishment’ were ratified, the clock would still have to stop for four months.
The previous longest shutdown was in 1976 when it stopped intermittently for 26 days over nine months while repairs were carried out – forcing BBC bulletins to make do with pips on the hour instead of Big Ben’s chimes. The Commons report said each of the four clock faces would need to be covered ‘one face at a time’ while the work was carried out.
The project would also involve creating a visitor centre at the foot of the 315ft tower and installing a lift as an alternative to the 334 steps, currently the only way visitors can reach the belfry.
Officials admit it would cost only £4.9 million ‘to prevent the clock from failing’, but they insist that unless the full-scale of repairs is tackled now, it will cost far more than the proposed £29million.
However, one MP said: ‘We’ve managed without a lift since Queen Victoria’s day so in these belt-tightening times, we can do without one a bit longer.’
A House of Commons spokesman last night said no decisions had been taken on possible repairs to the structure.