Big Ben emerges from scaffolding so that the world-famous clock can play its most important annual role: loitering on the streets of London and millions of TV viewers on New Year’s Eve, he writes Reuters.
The clock tower of the British Parliament was hidden for three and a half years, while hundreds of craftsmen repaired the building, replaced metal, painted and repainted it during the largest restoration since its construction in 1859.
Nick Sturge, director of special projects at Sir Robert McAlpine Construction and Engineering, said the removal of scaffolding was a “major milestone” in the £79.7 million (about £35 billion) project.
For the New Year, people will see a big difference; They began to restore their tower. Skins will be fully visible along with the four watch face
Sturge said.
Big Ben – which was the largest and most accurate four-faced bell clock when built – is a symbol of parliamentary democracy in London and Britain throughout the world and one of the most photographed places in the city.
The floral emblems of the four parts of the UK – thistle, clover, leek and rose – were painted in the colors of Charles Barry’s original design in 2012. In a tower renamed in honor of Queen Elizabeth.
The twelve bells of Big Ben for the New Year – the original name for Big Ben – will be powered by an electric motor. The original Victorian clock mechanism will activate when the bells ring again, in the usual pattern, every three months and every hour, in the spring.
Cover image source: Getty Images
