Stacey Charter once said that, "Life is all about timing...
the unreachable becomes reachable, the unavailable become available, the
unattainable... attainable. Have the patience, wait it out. It's all about
timing."
Speaking of timing, I don't know about you, but I'm having a
hard time ignoring the loud chimes in the background. I'm sure you hear it too.
It's the ringing of the glorious bell, better known as Ben, which welcomes us
to the city of London.
So how big is Ben? Well, if you asked the guys who spent 36
hours getting it hoisted to the top of its belfry, upside down, in a wooden
frame, they would let you know that it's a ton. But Ben is a whopping 13.5
tons, to be exact.
Measuring 8-ft. in diameter Big Ben is a significant
accomplishment in itself. A common misconception, however, is that the entire
clock tower in which Ben makes his home is "Big Ben." Contrary to popular
belief, Big Ben refers solely to the bell, and is named after Sir Benjamin Hall,
a civil engineer and Member of Parliament (MP) who was instrumental in the
bell's installation.
The clock must keep punctual time and cue Ben to chime every
hour. This clock is quite an impressive engineering feat, as well. Time is kept
for London on
its four miraculous faces that are each 23-ft. across. With a clock having such
prominent faces, it's a wonder that we couldn't see the time all the way from Ireland.
Another incredible feature of this clock is that the faces aren't solid. They
are composed of many little pieces of opal glass and are arranged like a
stained glass window. What an achievement those faces are!
There are many reasons why so many tourists come to admire
Big Ben. Even the fantasy characters of Peter Pan, Wendy, John and Michael
can't resist resting on Big Ben's 14-ft. long minute hand before their journey
to the second star on the right. Whether its day or night, there is no question
that Big Ben is one of London's
most spectacular landmarks, and will continue to light up many faces for years
to come.
Resources
http://travel.howstuffworks.com/houses-of-parliament-landmark.htm
http://www.aboutbritain.com/BigBen.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Hall,_1st_Baron_Llanover
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Re: Big Ben: Good Times on London Time
