Tower · England · Restored

Big Ben

Elizabeth Tower (commonly called Big Ben for its Great Bell) is the Gothic Revival clock tower at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London. Completed in 1859, it carries four large clock dials and a belfry housing the Great Bell and quarter bells.

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Photograph via Wikimedia Commons

First raised

1843

Its prime

1859

Today

Restored

As it stood in 1859

The shape it held in its prime.

A tall, square, sand-coloured Anston limestone tower rising to a steep cast-iron-tiled spire, 96 m high with Gothic pinnacles and carved stone tracery. Each face carries a large 6.9 m diameter clock dial of opalescent glass set in gilded surrounds; a band of decorative shields encircles the upper section above the belfry. The belfry openings reveal heavy bell fittings and ironwork, and narrow spiral-stair landings punctuate the vertical stone shaft.

Step inside

9 places to explore in 1859.

The record describes 9 distinct spots at Big Ben — including 5 interiors: clock room (mechanism level), spiral staircase landing, belfry interior and more. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and walk through every one — more scenes means more photos, more angles and more of the immersive experience.

North façade at the base (approach)Foot of the north clock dial (exterior)Clock room (mechanism level)Spiral staircase landingBelfry interiorBeneath the Great BellAyrton Light lantern and platformBand of shields above the belfryOak-panelled Prison Room

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