Why a Booktrail?
2000s: Part of the Building on a Dream: Kids as Architects and Engineers series
Big Ben (Building on a Dream)
What you need to know before your trail
Just how did they build Big Ben?
How big is Big Ben?
How noisy are the bells?
How many bricks were used, why was it built and who runs it now? There’s quite a story to this iconic London site.
Travel Guide
Big Ben
The name Big Ben is often used to describe the tower, the clock and the bell but the name was first given to the Great Bell.
The tower is really old – it was completed in 1859 and the Great Clock started on 31 May. On 11 July that year, Big Ben’s strikes were heard for the first time. The bells which ring in the quarter past and quarter to the hour were added a bit later on in September.
Charles Barry built the tower but he didn’t know anything about clocks. He was rebuilding the tower after there had been a fire in 1834. There was a competition to see who would build the clock and the Queen’s clockmaker was one of them who thought he should be the one to do it.
Edmund Beckett Denison and Edward John Dent eventually started work on what would become Big Ben’s ‘face’ . The Astronomer Royal, Sir George Airy, was asked to be the one to see everything went right. Dent sadly died before it was finished so his step-son completed it.
The design had to be special so that it wasn’t too heavy and that the British weather, the win and rain wouldn’t make it stop!
Streetview Maps
A) England - London - Big Ben
A) England - London - Big Ben getting fixed!
Booktrail Boarding Pass: Big Ben (Building on a Dream)
Destination :London Author/Guide: Kayleen Reusser Departure Time: 2000s
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