Big Ben and the Parliament - tips by travel authority Howard Hillman

Big Ben

and the Parliament

travel wonder in London, England

Why Big Ben

and the

House of Parliament

are special

Big Ben (on the far right side of the photo) is the world's most famous and recognizable clock. It has become the icon of London. This timepiece is part of the large building that houses the legislative body of the United Kingdom. It's a Neo Gothic architectural gem.

Tips & insights

Officially, Big Ben refers just to the massive bell that clangs the hour. However, most people in England and beyond nowadays define Big Ben as meaning the whole clock-bell mechanism (and sometimes even the entire clocktower). Only a purist would object to someone using the broader, more popular definition (which I have chosen to use on this web page).

Big Ben also has four smaller bells. They chime in preset sequences to indicate the quarter hour.

The four Big Ben clock faces are huge. Their minute hands alone measures 4 meter (14 feet) in length.

Big Ben is amazingly accurate considering its size. Old penny coins are added or removed as counterweights to adjust the timepiece to maintain single-second precision.

The clocktower, built in 1859, is as high as a modern 30-story building.

Westminster Palace is the formal name of the 1000-room Parliament complex (it was once a royal abode).

Today, it is used by the House of Commons (substantial political power) and the House of Lords (scant political power).

Tours are available. If you are extremely lucky, you will view the House of Commons in session from the balcony when the opposition grills the Prime Minister with barbed questions. The debate is gripping.

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