The Real Big Ben

Big Ben is the nickname for the Great Bell inside the Elizabeth Tower in London. The tower stands 316 feet tall.

Augustus Pugin designed the tower. It was his last design before he died in 1852.

Each clock dial is 22.5 feet across. Opalescent glass is a bold choice for outdoor furniture.

In 1936, a painter placed a ladder against a shaft. The clock stopped for over an hour.

Big Ben has a spiral staircase leading up to the clock room.

The original mechanism uses pre-decimal pennies on the pendulum. Pre-decimal pennies finally found their true calling.

The Ayrton Light sits above the belfry and shines when the House of Commons sits after dark.

The structure was renamed Elizabeth Tower in 2012. Most people still call the whole thing Big Ben anyway.