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2000s: Visit London and solve the mystery of Big Ben!
The Mystery at Big Ben
What you need to know before your trail
Mimi and Papa speed away to London, England in their little red and white airplane, The Mystery Girl. Tagging along are grandchildren Christina, 10, and Grant, 7. Mimi, a children’s mystery book writer, has an appointment with the Queen! Papa is headed for the Rosetta Stone. The kids are supposed to go to the Tower of London and behave themselves. But, uh-oh, Grant spots a big problem with Big Ben…and he and his sister, along with their two new best friends, George and Maggie, take a whirlwind tour from the top of the Eye, up the Thames River, down into a dungeon, and more — in search of clues to solve The Mystery of Big Ben!
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: The Mystery at Big Ben
Destination :London Author/Guide: Carole Marsh Departure Time: 2000s
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