American Reacts to How Big Ben Actually Works

Big Ben is one of the first things that Americans think of when they picture Great Britain. This is exactly why I am very excited today to actually take a look inside of the famous clock to see how it was constructed and how it still runs today. If you enjoyed the video feel free to leave a comment, like, or subscribe for more!
Mailing Address:
Tyler E.
PO Box 2973
Evansville, IN 47728

[@ritapitt8273]

This video is before the massive regeneration of Big Ben, its now back to its original beautiful colours. We londoners always call it Big Ben, my late father was one of the painters on the clock in the 60s, have a great photo of him paint brush in hand beside one of the face's.

[@Addsy]

The Elizabeth Tower and the Great Clock have now been fully refurbished and restored and the tower does now have a lift (elevator) all the original stonework and colours have been restored and it looks spectacular!!!

[@25novemb]

Love it.. Especially your reaction to the time keeping. I've known this since I was little and always remembered it, because of the simplicity of an old penny adjustment.. Didn't know about the weights to pull the huge hands round..

[@neuralwarp]

They used to set the clock from a travelling pocket watch, which was itself set at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich.

[@yedead1]

Fun fact: Tyler what Americans think is London bridge is actually called Tower bridge, London bridge is just a normal looking bridge :p

[@shellieeyre8758]

The "clock tune" is called The Westminster Chimes.

[@mariafletcher6603]

Hi Tyler. I have al ways been interested in macanical engineering even at school. I was more into boys things than girls things. We owe a lot to the Victorians. I luv the architecturel design of the building to. What a marvel.

[@stevelovesay3409]

Tyler, B1M have done a video of the recent renovation of Big Ben. I'm sure you will find the work and expertise used to bring the tower and clock face to its former glory really interesting. Steve L from Manchester, England.

[@PD-jk5hd]

You asked briefly as he went into the belfry "is he in danger?" He isn't, but I'm a church bell ringer and it is very dangerous to be in those belfry because the bells are swung around on wheels pulled on ropes by the ringers in the room below. If you imagine a ton or more of metal swinging around, potentially fatal. That by the way is the difference between a bell ringing or chiming: ringing requires the bell to be struck inside by a clapper, chiming is a stationary bell being struck on the outside by a hammer as shown here.

[@tmac160]

The tune is "Westminster Quarters".

[@martynadams2011]

I would recommend that you find a video of the renovation - every piece dismantled sent around the country, refurbished, repaired or replaced. Then all reassembled ! Cost over $100 million and took 5 years. Stunning result too.

[@lisaweinmeyer5782]

Was the tower starting to lean, before the restoration? Did they fix it, if it was?

[@SoggyCroissants]

​@@lisaweinmeyer5782it's been leaning since it's construction it's not something they can fix

[@juliarabbitts1595]

2 films have used someone delaying the hands as a plot device; 39 Steps made about 1978 and the recent Mary Poppins Returns have had people hanging from on standing on the minute hand to delay the clock

[@oldman1734]

I believe that the recent reconstruction included fitting a lift (elevator).

[@claregale9011]

Love it . Engineering at its finest .

[@Rocky19577]

It not only represents London it is the world clock. The rest of the world is run on GMT. Greeewich Mean Time. Which means the Germans have lunch when we say its 1 Oclock

[@artgreen6915]

A clock to symbolically represent GMT? Arguably that would be the Shepherd's Gate Clock at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, or the observatory's time ball which drops.

[@ianbriers5019]

They've done massive overhaul and people who visit London for some time didn't hear the bell ring shut off the maintenance. They've installed a lift now. Not sure how. 😊 I think it's back to for working order now

[@Gassit]

Apparently during the recently finished renovation of the clock tower they fitted a lift.

[@PD-jk5hd]

During the very long renovation 2017-2022 they did each year enable Big Ben itself to strike 11am on Remembrance Sunday and midnight at New Year - two national events broadcast live. However the quarter bells were completely silenced during those years and has been nice to finally hear them again. In the countdown to the hour we are all used to hearing the 'Westminster Chimes' melody before the hour, followed by a gap of 10 ish seconds before Big Ben chimes the hour. On those two broadcast events - it seemed very strange to just start with the hour bongs, no preceding melody

[@geekexmachina]

Other engineers of note are Isambard kingdom Brunel, James Brindley, George Stephenson and Thomas Telford these were geniuses of the industrial revolution responsible for inventing the steam railway, canal systems, steam ships,

[@susanann843]

Britain is the center of time for everyone Greenwich mean time there is a good you tube out there that explains how this came about but all time runs to this, so big Ben needs to be on time lol 😂

[@mskatonic7240]

14:50 - not as far as you might think these days, London's traffic drowns it out. Think you need to be fairly close to Parliament Square or Westminster Bridge to hear it, but in the past, you probably could have heard it for some distance

[@casp11]

Absolutely brilliant reaction 🤓👌. Birmingham uk 🇬🇧.

[@cathrynlisa]

those pennies remind me of putting coins on my record player stylus arm to stop it jumping! showing my age, now

[@wrorchestra1]

Losing 1 second every hour is quite a significant loss if left unchecked, it's 1 minute in 2 and a half days. For reference, the most accurate clock in the world loses 1 second every 15 billion years (atomic clock).

[@flea1683]

Bong

[@colinpearce5856]

Spoiler alert we ALL call it Big Ben. I have never said “ ohh look it’s the Elizabeth tower!” In my life. The facts are true the Bell is Big Ben but no one is geeky enough to calm it Elizabeth tower. I promise we Londoners will not snigger when we hear tourists exclaim “ Big Ben ! “

[@ratowey]

Even Brits call the tower Big Ben

[@martingibbs1179]

They have recently just spent a fortune to renovate Elizabeth tower there is a documentary here about it kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3Tai2Sffpijmtk I don't think you can react to it for copyright reasons but still worth watching.

[@RWBHere]

The pennies are not a secret. Far from it. They were talked about in a BBC Radio programme which I listened to in the 1960's, and the method was known about by many people in Britain long before then.

[@chrisbodum3621]

Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons: Big Ben Strikes Again kzbin.info/www/bejne/d3-qopuop9Khoqc

[@Chillmax]

Most Brits know this 'secret', it's shown on UK TV, on & off for decades, either science programmes or children's shows like Blue Peter.

[@grahampannell2750]

Hi Tyler Great reaction as always ! Big ben has just been fully taken apart and totally restored ! There is a documentary about it done by uk channel 4 👍

[@eilidhwatson8406]

oh I will have to look for that documentary!

[@beverlytaff4914]

Those chimes are called 'Westminster Chimes' and the Tune comes from 4 + 1 large bells set in the middle of Westminster Palace (Houses of Parliament). Unsurprisingly the bells that compose these chimes are are the bells of the Elizabeth Tower. Many many clocks world-wide use 'Westminster Chimes' to strike the hours and quarters.

[@GreatBritishBells]

Indeed. The chime itself didn't actually originate from the Elizabeth Tower though, they were actually first used in the Church of St. Mary the Great in Cambridge and as a result are also called the Cambridge chimes.

[@greggiovanni1825]

My favorite thing is that Tyler call it "The Clock Tune". I will now and forever think of it as a 'tune' not 'time' :D

[@RenaissanceEarCandy]

​@@GreatBritishBells I live in Cambridge, and Great St. Mary's still chimes.

[@reluctantheist5224]

Just about everyone here ( except pedants) calls it Big Ben too .

[@FallenAngel9979]

Thanks Tyler, 🇬🇧🇺🇸 Loved this reaction. Great documentary too. I loved the 3D bits- good question you posed about how they got the bells up there originally! I actually knew very little about BB till I saw this, and never really thought about what an incredible piece of engineering it is. I’m a Brit! I must say I learnt a lot!

[@cameronrichardson3108]

It will have been steam or a sty stem of jacks jacking it up and putting blocks under, but given the fact steam power was about when it was fitted I’d say it will have been hoisted by steam power

[@madyottoyotto3055]

@@cameronrichardson3108 jack's that high would never have been taken on Also given that the bell took soo long to make and the expense they may have thought a steam engine might be Risky From my experience of ancient engineering I would guess that it was either steam as you say Or More likey a pulley system One they did use was water tanks as the counter balance at the top Fill the water tank untill it lifts the bell up Outside chance they could have used a train of horses which would have been very possible back then because everything was done with horses

[@petersymonds4975]

Tyler. During the last great reconstruction and renovation work the Elizabeth Tower was covered in scaffolding and the clock was stopped as the bell striking would have deafened the construction workers. However, there certain times of the year when the bell has to sound out the hour. These were 11 p.m. on Remembrance Day 11th November and Midnight to celebrate the New Year. The work was recently completed in time for the late Queen’s 70th anniversary.

[@vomgrady]

There were some Tories who were outraged that the bells were switched off. Even with the best ear defenders in the world it would still feel like a bomb going off every 15 minutes. We would have got PTSD with the bell going off.

[@carolinecrollick6305]

I am going there this year.

[@martynadams2011]

11 am on Remembrance Day

[@psychosoma5049]

Absolutely love your videos, I love seeing my country through your eyes. And you are extremely handsome as a bonus x x xx❤

[@junebillings9450]

A Londoner through and through, I love that darn clock. I worked across the road and heard it every working moment. Miss it now I've retired but thoroughly enjoyed your enthusiasm for it.

[@frankparsons1629]

Just remember that the present complex of Victorian buildings replaced the medieval Palace of Westminster which were then (1834) burnt to the ground, except for the Great Hall which thankfully survived intact. It was erected in 1097 by King William II ('William Rufus'), at which point it was the largest hall in Europe. It was reroofed in 1393 and the original supporting pillars were removed thus opening up the interior as one space. The Jewel Tower, the Undercroft Chapel and the Cloisters and Chapter House of St Stephen's were the only other parts of the Palace to survive. The new buildings were designed by Sir Charles Barry; upon the completion in 1858 the Victoria Tower (originally named the King's Tower), was the tallest secular building in the world. Barry asked Augustus Pugin to design the Clock Tower and the fitments throughout the new build. Pugin was an architectural genius and his Gothic designs were down to the last and smallest detail like locks and door handles, such was his keen eye for detail. Pugin however, being a Gothic purist, was displeased with the result of the work, especially with the symmetrical layout designed by Barry; he famously remarked, "All Grecian, sir; Tudor details on a classic body". The Elizabeth Tower and the Great Bell of Westminster (Big Ben); striking the hour to within a second of the time, the Great Clock achieved standards of accuracy considered impossible by 19th-century clockmakers, and it has remained consistently reliable since it entered service in 1859. Fine adjustments to the timing is achieved by the placement of some few old pennies upon the pendulums weight. In a 2012 BBC Four documentary, Richard Taylor gives a description of Pugin's Clock Tower: "It rises up from the ground in this stately rhythm, higher and higher, before you reach the clock face, picked out as a giant rose, its petals fringed with gold. There's some medieval windows above that and then you hit the grey (cast iron) roof, its greyness relieved by these delicate little windows, again picked out in gold leaf. And then it rises up again in this great jet of gold to the higher roof that curves gracefully upwards to a spire with a crown and flowers and a cross. It's elegant, it's grand, it's pretty and has this fairy-tale quality and it makes you proud to be British". Good old Pugin.

[@tonys1636]

During the restoration the clock was removed and sent away for a complete overhaul and rebuild the first one since built and it's now better than when new. Engineering has come a long way since then with far tighter tolerances. The chimes heard during ceremonial occasions were a recording played through speakers at the same volume level. The Tower (hands and clock faces) returned back to original colours. Over the years it got repainted black not the original blue for some reason. The timing of the Westminster Chime is now back to as was (one bell was a few milliseconds late due to wear). The slightly flat tone of Big Ben (an internal casting crack) can only be corrected by recasting which was dismissed as would no longer be the same bell or sound and would have needed the Tower to be deconstructed to remove the bell frame (and cost a few more million pounds). The list (lean) that the freestanding Tower was developing has also been halted by underpinning. A recent documentary (Channel 4 maybe BBC2 ?) was aired on the restoration.

[@Paul-hl8yg]

Great posts 👍🇬🇧

[@frankparsons1629]

@@Paul-hl8yg Thanks Paul, just fleshes it out a bit and reminded me of some of the things I'd forgotten!

[@Paul-hl8yg]

@@frankparsons1629 That reminds me of when youngsters try to belittle me on knowledge because of my age. I state 'ive forgotten more than you know' lol. 😆 We are so honoured to still have some of the marvelous buildings & inventions that the Victorians made. What an era in British history! Big Ben quite rightly holds special significance for myself & many. It has stood through tough times & still stands proud today. To think it was built with modern methods (which we invented) iron girders with a stone cladding. Its wondrous clock mechanism & that great 13.7 ton bell.. Just wow! All the Best for 2023! 👍🇬🇧

[@frankparsons1629]

@@Paul-hl8yg 👍🕛

[@frankparsons1629]

Tyler dear boy - in mid Victorian London there were many hundreds of horses, now motor traffic is far far more noisy, this means you won't hear Big Ben striking unless you are much nearer! And as for timing adjustments I use a very similar trick on my 225 year old longcase clock and raise or lower the pendulum weight using a threaded screw by just a tiny fraction. I can get her to within 10 seconds a week if I pay it enough attention, pretty good for over two hundred years huh. She has a voice and makes herself heard ticking once every second, and then just to ensure she doesn't go unnoticed she strikes her bell upon the hour. My 6th great grandfather David (born in 1671) was a clockmaker, and one of his city clocks is still working today. Thats why I guess I have more than a dozen ways of telling the time in my home, and 2 on my person every day, the oldest being 120 years old! One of David's timepieces, made in 1702, is housed in the British Museum, London. There is certainly "something" about clocks!

[@trevorlsheppard7906]

Something I've realised today hearing you comment on the clock mechanism is that now most clocks and watches are not mechanical there are generations of people who have never seen the inside of a clock and the mechanism that makes them run, I'd never given it a moment's thought , perhaps more people in Britain are aware of the mechanism because they have seen long case clocks in stately homes and TV programmes on antiques .Ps long case clocks are also called Grandfather Clocks.

[@davidwebley6186]

My introduction to the workings of "Big Ben" were from Blue Peter which must have been back in the 70's

[@gdok6088]

We Brits still refer to the landmark as Big Ben even though we know the name actually refers to the bell itself!

[@1968SemolinaPilchard]

I went up Big Ben tower in the mid 80's. Saw the coins on the pendulum and went up to the clock tower. Our guide said that even if we watch the clanger rise, we'll still jump when it hits the bell. We all had our fingers in our ears and watched the clanger moving, but being teenagers we all played it cool when it struck, but our teacher physically lept out of his skin!

[@Cjbx11]

Interesting fact about Big Ben is that the bell wasn’t the original. The original bell was made at a foundry in Stockton-on-Tees in the northeast of England. It was then sent to London but when they tested the bell the hammer was so big it cracked the bell. The bell was then sent to a foundry in the Whitechapel area of London where the bell was melted down and recast using the pieces of the original bell. However after a few months in service the bell cracked again but this time they managed to repair it in place but the bell has been slightly off key ever since.

[@reverentcreature]

Big Ben has been refurbished within the last couple of years. Every brick and piece of glass documented, sections replaced, complete repainting and repair throughout and elevator installed.

[@malarkey2217]

I wouldn't fret about it, as if you point it out to any Brit in the street, they will more than likely also call it Big Ben, often despite knowing it's Elizabeth tower and the bell is Big Ben.

[@aserta]

Big Ben, named after Sir Benjamin Hall, who was chief commissioner at works when the bell was installed all those years ago.

[@-R.Gray-]

I don't know if you have done something like "Why are British place names so hard to pronounce" on Jay Forman's channel. Many towns aren't pronounced the way they are spelled. He has a lot of entertaining videos.

[@Charliebhoy79]

Big Ben came from the same foundry as the Liberty Bell. The foundry in the east end of London closed down in 2017 I think.

[@Butterflylion1]

And they both are cracked

[@grahamgresty8383]

You can hear Big Ben anywhere because it is broadcast (I think BBC world service). In Victorian times they adjusted the time using accurate observations from the nearby Greenwich observatory at 0 degrees longitude

[@mervinmannas7671]

The metal on the faces of the clock are now blue not black as the renovation and restoration wrk found the original paint colour under years of repainting and touching up. The is a great documentary about that too. There are current plans to move the government out of the palace of Westminster so restoration work can be done in there. Unforstunatly this may get derailed as it is going to cost a huge amount and Government money is tight at the moment.

[@carolinedunne3870]

Why don't you come to England for a visit? You'd be so welcome.

[@davidwebley6186]

Part of the Original Palace of Westminster still survives and dates back to 1097. This is Westminster Hall and is the place where Queen Elizabeth II was placed to lie in state which you may recall.

[@mariafletcher6603]

I'm glad you think big Ben was fascinating. So do I. from UK 🇬🇧👍👍 an old cockney gal

[@enemde3025]

The TOWER is now called the ELIZABETH TOWER. BIG BEN being the BELL inside. The chimes are called the WESTMINSTER CHIMES because of Big Ben. It is copied on many chiming clocks now. You can't hear it at any distance now because of all the high rise buildings that block the sound.

[@neuralwarp]

Yeh, politicians. We ordinary people call it Big Ben. We also say Union Jack.

[@robertlisternicholls]

The Victorians were so clever weren't they?

[@trailerman2]

Great vid and reaction, thanks Tyler.....I'm learning as much about my country as you are !! ;-)

[@rosaliegolding5549]

🤣🤣🤣🤣👍👍👏👏yours fascinating specimen of REALLY , GOSH,NOOOO, WELL I NEVER etc etc your priceless , I repeat GO TRAVEL 🤷‍♀️

[@Paul-hl8yg]

Big Ben is the clock of the World. It runs on GMT, therefore the globe's time is calculated from London. Big Ben is the main face of that time. Not until Ben strikes is it officially New Year for the entire planet! Recently a lift has been fitted & a very thorough cleaning/renovations made. The famous Westminster chimes comes originally from st Mary's church in Cambridge & was used for & made famous globally by Big Ben/accompanying bells in the tower. Many clock chimes heard around the World originally come from various old churches in London. When someone looks at a clock, they see the face of the clock, not the actual clock (mechanism) so when you look up at the clock tower, you're looking at the face of Big Ben. So its ok to call the entire clock/tower 'Big Ben' in my opinion. 🇬🇧❤🇺🇸

[@janolaful]

Big Ben is the bell and has pennies on the pendulum. .

[@steddie4514]

Big Ben is the bell NOT the clock 🙄

[@Paul-hl8yg]

@@steddie4514 I know! 🇬🇧

[@Paul-hl8yg]

@@janolaful Read my post again, i clearly mention Big Ben & his accompanying bells! 🇬🇧

[@steddie4514]

@@janolaful The coins on the pendulum are part of the clock mechanism not the bell itself.

[@searleflesher6689]

Thank you for posting this I have learnt a lot about Big Ben and the Elizabeth tower the chimes are known as the Westminster chimes.

[@catherinewilkins2760]

Those rolls are legislation, written on velum, some date back to the 14th century.

[@seansmith445]

Big Ben is its colloquial name. You rarely hear people actually calling it the Elizabeth Tower.

[@eddaines237]

Well done for knowing that Big Ben is the bell. To be honest though, when hundreds of millions of people, including Londoners, call the tower Big Ben, it kinda is Big Ben. Sort of like a dogs pedigree name versus what you shout at it in the park. The whole Palace is an amazing building (wasted on many of its occupants! 😊). You can get tours and it’s well worth it, but needs arranging in advance. Not mass tourism stuff as it is of course an working building. The thousand year old Westminster Hall, the two Houses themselves and the various lobbies are simply beautiful and there are so many stories and corners of interest in the building.

[@neuralwarp]

The Palace of Westminster was designed like a lego kit made from cubes 40 foot on each side. Big Ben Tower is a stack of them. The two Houses (Lords and Commons) measure 40×40×80 ft.

[@ManceyJG55]

Lovely reaction video. Another clock you might want to see if you can find a video on is the astronomical clock at Hampton Court Palace which was installed in 1540 in the reign of Henry VIII. I believe the Historical Royal Palaces have a video on it.

[@archiebald4717]

The tune is called the 'Westminster Chime'. Everybody across the world who has listened to BBC World Service radio, is familiar with the Big Ben chimes.

[@anthonyheyes7517]

This video is way out of date. There is now a lift in the Elizabeth Tower, the clock's mechanism has been completely rebuilt and every modern convenience added.

[@geekexmachina]

There is a video on the refurbishment of the tower a few years ago m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3Tai2Sffpijmtk. You may want to look up Fred dibnah one of England most famous steeple jacks

[@suerogerts4330]

I was so pleased they told you about the old penny trick those coins are no longer legal tender and are becoming harder to find but that's good knowledge to me xx

[@malarkey2217]

This has been completely overhauled over the last four years. I suspect that the video is much older than when it was posted too.

[@markwolstenholme3354]

Everyone calls it Big Ben. It doesn't really matter,it's not the end of the world.

[@TheHillingdon2]

Tyler watch Big Ben strike New Years Eve 2012 😉

[@DavidSmith-cx8dg]

It's amazing that it' can be kept so accurate . When it was made there were no electronic clocks readily available on people's phones and computers and the clock was probably the one everyone set their watches to . Many Cities have public clocks much older set on Churches and Governmental buildings . The Great clock in the Elizabeth tower was the culmination of that great traditional technology yet everyone knows it as Big Ben .

[@petersymonds4975]

Hello Tyler. Not so long ago, just about 10 years we had similar clockwork mechanisms in the telephone exchange I worked in. so that the clocks, tariff machines kept time accurately. The tariff machines in particular was very important. It controlled the metering rates for different rates of charging at different times. We had a central timepiece of a clockwork mechanism of a regulatable 4 ft pendulum, every few seconds the clock would get a 50 volt elector magnetic burst of energy. Without specialist other than our engineering/technical knowledge I helped to maintain. This was in the days of analogue exchanges. It was an GEC Crossbar unit, now it’s all Digital. Software now decides the tariff rates and how much to charge. We used to adjust the clocks by calling TIM, the Speaking Clock, as a reference.

[@mariafletcher6603]

When I was in my teens. My mate asked me to meet at big Ben. At 11am. So I made my way to london. Got to big at 10.57am. big Ben struck On the hour. 11.05am my mate turned up. and I couldn't hear a Bloody thing. even 10 minutes after still nothing. I think it was over an hour later that I could hear properly O boy that was loud. And I never ever stood under big Ben again. So folks anyone visiting London never ever stand under big Ben when it's striking otherwise you'll be deaf just like I was. from UK 🇬🇧👍👍 an old cockney gal

[@robertlisternicholls]

That was so interesting. Thank you.

[@timglennon6814]

Over the years since London was built and the more buildings erected you can hear the chimes less.

[@stevenbalekic5683]

Yes that bell tune is from there...when you buy a clock that chimes it will have written on it 'Westminster Chime'...or something similar.

[@paulharvey9149]

Hi Tyler, and Happy New Year to you, my friend. I'm fairly sure I watched a similar article to this as a child, most likely on the long-running BBC Children's magazine programme, Blue Peter! I guess it must have been in 1973, when I was nine and it was 130, as I'm unlikely to have been watching Blue Peter at its 150th anniversary in 1993! Yes, it really is like a huge Grandfather Clock, isn't it? The entire clock tower - which I think was originally called St Stephen's Tower - has recently undergone a huge refurb, you'll be pleased to know... Of course you won't know what's where in London, or in relation to anything else - but never be afraid to ask, and I'm sure your subscribers will do their best to inform you. The famous view of 'Big Ben', actually the Elizabeth Tower (it was renamed this to mark the Diamond Jubilee of our late Queen in 2012), where it stands to the right of the main Houses of Parliament building, is taken from the adjacent Westminster Bridge, which is one of many that cross the River Thames within London. Out of sight behind them is Westminster Great Hall - where the Queen's body lay in state a few months ago; and a little to the right of that (and mainly obscured by the Palace of Westminster, as the Houses of Parliament are also, officially, called) and a couple of hundred yards beyond is Westminster Abbey, where many of the main national religious events take place - which will include the King's Coronation on May 6th this year. Off the picture to the right of the Elizabeth Tower is the road known as Whitehall, along which are many of the main office buildings of the UK Government including Downing Street (nowadays sadly inaccessible to the public, thought it can be seen through the heavily ornate iron gates), where the Official Residences of the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer are to be found. The National War Memorial known as The Cenotaph is in the middle of Whitehall nearby; while maybe 500 yards to the north is the entrance to Horse Guards Parade - where those soldiers sit on their horses that are the subject of many of the incidents that you and other Americans seem so fond of reacting to! A similar distance north of that, Whitehall is one of six major roads that empty into Trafalgar Square, with Nelson's Column and the famous circular fountains in the middle! To the south-west corner of this is Admiralty Arch - under which runs The Mall - all the half-mile or so down to Buckingham Palace, which is also about half-a mile from the Elizabeth Tower by another route along the southern edge of St James's Park - a kind of wedge-shaped green space with an elongated pond in the middle - the pointed end of which is to the south-east of Buckingham Palace. The Mall also runs along the north side of St James' Park to an adjacent spot here. On the north side of The Mall are, amongst other things, the statues of the parents of Queen Elizabeth II: George VI (1897-1952), Queen Elizabeth (1900-2002), her royal grandmother, Queen Mary (1867-1953) and her uncle, the former King Edward VIII and Duke of Windsor (1894-1972). As yet there has been no announcement as to where a statue of QEII might be situated - if at all. Queen Mary had the adjacent Marlborough House as her official residence, though this is no longer in Royal use. Next door to the west is Clarence House - which is the current and reportedly preferred London residence, of HM The King and Queen; whose previous occupant had been HM Queen Elizabeth during her years as The Queen Mother. (Yes, for the brief period of the 13 months following George VI's passing, there were three consecutive Queens alive, in the UK!) Next door to that is St James's Palace, and next to that is Green Park, separating Buckingham Palace from the street named Piccadilly and the fashionable district of Mayfair beyond! Hence, all of these attractions I've named here and more besides, are within walking distance of each other!

[@chassetterfield9559]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/fmOac5WLm7uBr80 An interesting companion piece. One of only two bell foundries left in the UK; the other is in the university town of Loughborough, where I did my masters degree, & I got to take a tour. After probably a couple of days of cooling for the large bells, they can be broken out of the moulds with large hammers. They then have to be 'tuned'; a very skilled job, where the craftsman carefully strikes the bell & checks it's tone. He then mounts it onto a lathe and very carefully scrapes shavings from specific parts of the inside of the bell, until it is tuned to exactly the right note.

[@chassetterfield9559]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/p3WcpYaNr7xqrNU Bell tuning.

[@primalengland]

Happy New Year, Tyler. Keep up the great videos and have a great 2023.

[@lilacfiddler1]

Not so secret - we were taught this 50 years ago

[@liveinhope]

doh!!!

[@Ray_Vun]

big ben had some restoration done. started years ago, i think it got delayed because of the pandemic. but apparently now there's an elevator in there. no more climbing all those stairs for the clock master

[@Chris-et2fm]

Could be worse, some Brits think big been is the name of the tower or the clock 🙃

[@PD-jk5hd]

A good example too of a 'pars pro toto". Many of us who do know Big Ben is the actual hour bell, still can't help refer to the whole building as the same name, even though we know that's not factually correctly. I guess the two have become so ingrained into us all / society, etc it's an easier life to carry on making the mistake than confusing others with the official name of the tower lol

[@abbiecorcoran6006]

there’s a video on the renovation of big ben and it’s actually really good and around the same length, should check it out the engineering that goes into it is very cool to see

[@kathryndunn9142]

It's a beautiful building my son has been in it with his school they would not let then sit on the leather seat tho 😂😂😂 he was given a badge for being allowed in there have you not seen the roof of it I have seen it from assisan creed the London one

[@brianhepke7182]

You're not the only one Tyler...I am a Brit and up until a few years ago, I never knew that it was only the bell that was called BIG Ben!

[@bethdavies8494]

React to the new year firework display

[@seansmith445]

It was awful woke nonsense.

[@JenniferRussell-qw2co]

Now you know why we listen to Big Ben at New Year, arguably the most accurate time in the world for the change of year. I (unreasonably 😂) become frustrated if in a different country at that time, bcos I don't know the EXACT moment of the new year. The first 'bong' of Big Ben, after the chimes, is the time you tell by. 🤗🇬🇧🙋‍♀️

[@peterdavidson3890]

Check out the refurbishment of the clock face and the incredible carvings. THAT WILL BLOW YOUR MIND

[@RS250Squid]

"How far from this clock tower can you be and still hear it?" If you're tuned into BBC Radio, you can hear it anywhere on Earth that BBC has coverage ;-).

[@thenumbers7262]

13:47 I personally toured the tower and was in that belfry on the hour. It’s loud, but not unbearable. I was able to withstand Big Ben’s tolls with just my fingers in my ears. It’s quite fascinating. I was shocked that it wasn’t louder.

[@johnp8131]

In answer to your question, the Bells, including 'Big Ben', were flown to St Stephens Tower (Now re-named the Elizabeth Tower) from the Tower of London by trained flocks of Ravens! True story???

[@scientiautverum]

The chronometer was invented over 100 before the clock was built, so yes, they did have accurate ways of measuring time when it was built. I have no idea whether a chronometer was used or not but they did exist.

[@sandrabeaumont9161]

It's just a HUGE Grandfather clock found in some homes. ONLY BIGGER!! a pendulum clock. The whole tower and clock have just been finished being renovated at the cost of millions. It has all been reguilded in gold, faces reglazed and painted. They found it was originally blue and took it back to it's original colour rather than black.

[@neuralwarp]

King/St Edward the Confessor (died 1066) built a monastery to the west of London (West Minster) as commanded in a dream by St John the Baptist. The various functions of state grew up around the minster.

[@TopherPotter]

The name irks me to no end, they renamed it "Elizabeth Tower". Even the Parliament website calls it that, the problem? We've had two Elizabeths! (apart from Scotland, but biggest number wins). Forget the fact it was built 67 years prior to her birth and had a very usable real name, The Clock Tower At Westminster, and a nice easy to use nickname, Big Ben. If they wanted to commenmorate the Queen they should have built something new.

[@neuralwarp]

The old palace burnt down in the reign of King William IV, who was a notorious cheapskate and had refused to pay for the chimneys to be swept. The only part they could save was Westminster Hall, where the High Court used to be held for centuries. There was a competition to design a new palace. Predictably the king refused to pay the architects for years. The new palace was completed in the reign of Queen Victoria.

[@tomkirkemo5241]

Well, wasn't this AMAZINGLY impressive!!