The world's most famous sights | Big Ben

Big Ben is the free standing clock tower of the Palace of Westminster in London. It is one of London’s most recognisable and famous sights. Big Ben is the largest four-faced chiming clock and the third-tallest free-standing clock tower in the world.

The name Big Ben is actually the name given to the Bell, but over time it has been accepted as a popular name for the clock tower.

Photo by Rob Inh00d

A clock tower was built at Westminster in 1288, but was replaced after the old Palace of Westminster was destroyed by fire on the night of 22 October 1834. The present tower is designed in a Gothic Revival style, and is 96.3 metres (315.9 ft) high.

The bells chime at quarter past, half past, quarter to, and on the hour, every hour.

Big Ben has become a symbol of the United Kingdom and London, particularly in the visual media. When a television or film-maker wishes to indicate a generic location in Britain, a popular way to do so is to show an image of the Clock Tower, often with a red double-decker bus or black cab in the foreground.

Big Ben Visitor Information

Despite being one of the world’s most famous sights, the interior of the tower is not open to the general public due to security concerns.

The nearest tube station is Westminster which is on the Circle, District and Jubilee lines.

Fantastic views of this famous sight can be obtained from the London Eye, a river boat cruise on the Thames and from Embankment.