On New Year’s Eve in 1962, of all days, heavy ice and snow caused a delay in the chime, causing Big Ben to ring a whole ten minutes late.35) While Big Ben is the nickname of the bell, it is officially called the Great Bell.39) Big Ben holds the record for being the largest bell cast by East London’s Whitechapel Bell foundry. In 2012, however, the official name was changed to Elizabeth Tower, marking the historic Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.16) While Big Ben famously draws tourists from all around the world, the tower’s interior is only accessible to United Kingdom residents. The official name of Big Ben (Bell) is the Great Bell. 50 Fascinating Facts on Big Ben! These bells are tuned to G-sharp, F-sharp, B, and E.5) Pretty appearances aside, the clock featured on the tower is renowned for its precision and accuracy. After several weeks of talks, Big Ben did not chime in the end.Free City Cruises Sightseeing River Pass72 hours unlimited hop-on hop-offAccess to all three attractions45) Each clock face is truly a glasswork masterpiece, made up of 312 opal glass shards.49) To comply with wartime blackout rules, the clock faces remained unlit during World War II.10) During a test in 1857, the original bell cracked. The clock became operational on 7th September 1859. The four faces of the clock are 55 meters above ground. Big Ben weighs 13.7 tonnes, stands 7.2ft (2.2 metres) tall and has a diameter of 8.9ft (2.7 metres). Those in charge of the bell solved the issue by rotating the bell a quarter of the way clockwise and using a lighter hammer to chime it.34) The large Bell itself strikes to the musical note of ‘E’ every hour on the dot!15) Despite the clock’s renowned accuracy, severe weather conditions have proven to alter the time at which the bells chime. Big Ben is actually the name of the huge bell, but most people use it to refer to the clock and the tower as well. Every lightbulb equipped at each clock face enjoys a lifetime of over 60,000 hours. Find out another building in Beeston Castle facts. The official name of the tower in which Big Ben is located was originally the Clock Tower; it was renamed Elizabeth Tower in 2012 to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom. To do so, these residents must arrange a tour through their Member of Parliament well in advance.28) Snapshots and pictures of Big Ben are often used in film and television to establish that a scene is about to take place in London. 22. Built in honour of Queen Victoria in the mid-19th century, the clock still rings every fifteen minutes, keeping Londoners punctual to this day!