Big Ben Facts for Kids

A Picture of Big Ben
  • Name: Big Ben
  • Alternate Names: Elizabeth Tower, Great Bell
  • Location: London, United Kingdom, Europe
  • Address: Westminster, London SW1A 0AA, United Kingdom
  • Built: 1859 (completed)
  • Main Bell Weight: 15.1+ tons
  • Significance: A cultural symbol of the United Kingdom

24 Big Ben Facts for Kids

  1. Big Ben is a collective nickname for a bell and a bell tower in England.
  2. Big Ben is a famous and easy to recognize cultural symbol of the United Kingdom.
  3. Big Ben is a part of the Palace of Westminster in London, England, Europe.
  4. The street address for Big Ben and the Palace of Westminster is Westminster, London SW1A 0AA, UK.
  5. The original office name for Big Ben was the Clock Tower, but in 2012 it was renamed to Elizabeth Tower to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II.
  6. In fact, a common misconception outside of England is Big Ben is the name of the clock tower. The nickname Big Ben is the name of the largest bell in the tower.
  7. Big Ben and the Palace of Westminster were designed by English architect Augustus Pugin.
  8. Construction of Big Ben was finished on May 31st, 1859.
  9. Big Ben first chimed on July 11th, 1859.
  10. Big Ben’s bells chime every 15 minutes when fully operational.
  11. The height of Big Ben is 315 feet.
  12. The length of each side of Big Ben’s base are 39 feet.
  13. There are four clock faces on Big Ben.
  14. Each clock face has a diameter of 23 feet.
  15. There are 334 steps between the ground and Big Ben’s belfry.
  16. The hour hand on each clock face are 9 feet long.
  17. The minute hand on each clock face are 14 feet long.
  18. The clockwork mechanism inside of Big Ben is hand wound three times a week.
  19. It takes about 1.5 hours to complete a wounding session for Big Ben.
  20. Only a resident of the United Kingdom and those residents sponsored by someone in the Parliament of the House of Lords can take an inside tour of Big Ben.
  21. In 1941, two of Big Ben’s clock faces were damaged by German bombing during World War 2.
  22. In 1965, the bells were disabled on January 30th for the funeral of Winston Churchill.
  23. In 1987, Big Ben was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
  24. In 2017, the bells were disabled to protect the hearing of workers who are restoring Big Ben.

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