miércoles, 29 de agosto de 2012

Climb Big Ben

The Clock Tower is the name of the famous tower of Parliament - more popularly known as Big Ben. Although often referred to as Big Ben, this is actually the nickname of the bell housed within the Clock Tower - and Big Ben's official name is the Great Bell.

http://www.parliament.uk/visiting/online-tours/virtualtours/bigben-tour/

http://www.parliament.uk/visiting/online-tours/

What does the tour cover?

A tour will take you up the 334 spiral steps to the top of the 150 year old Clock Tower to hear Big Ben strike the hour. As well as seeing a spectacular view of London from 62 metres up the tower, you will also go behind the clock faces and have the opportunity to visit the mechanism room to learn about how the clock works in the 21st Century.

Times and availability

Tours are at set times of 9.15am, 11.15am and 2.15pm Monday – Friday, (except Bank Holidays)

Booking

Clock Tower tours are currently free of charge. UK residents should contact their local MP or a Member of the House of Lords whom they know to arrange a tour.

Tours must be arranged ahead of your visit with bookings being taken up to four months in advance. Demand is high so early booking and flexibility regarding dates and times is recommended. Children under 11 are not permitted on Clock Tower tours. Groups of 14 students must be accompanied by two adults.

Arriving at Westminster

Visitors for Clock Tower tours should enter by the main entrance to Portcullis House on the Victoria Embankment, facing the river.
Visitors should allow at least 20 minutes to pass through security, and will be subject to a security scan and bag search.
Visitors on Clock Tower tours may not leave the tour once it has started (for security reasons) unless escorted by a member of staff.

Related information

Climb Big Ben

Wikipedia-Big Ben

http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Ben http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Ben

Clock Tower - Palace of Westminster, London - September 2006.jpg

Big Ben is the nickname for the great bell of the clock at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London,^[1] and is generally extended to refer to the clock and the clock tower as well.^[2] The clock tower holds the largest four-faced chiming clock in the world and is the third-tallest free-standing clock tower.^[3] It celebrated its 150th anniversary on 31 May 2009,^[4] during which celebratory events took place.^[5]^[6] The tower was completed in 1858 and has become one of the most prominent symbols of both London and England, often in the establishing shot of films set in the city.

Frequently asked questions

Here are some of the questions we get asked:

Q. Can the public visit Big Ben?

A. Find out how to climb the Clock Tower in Parliament's Visiting section.

Q. How many tours a day are there?

A. There are three tours each day from Monday to Friday.

Q. How many steps are there to the top of the Clock Tower?

A. There are 334 steps to the belfry and a total of 393 to the lantern (the Ayrton Light).

Q. Is it called St Stephen's Tower or the Clock Tower?

A. The name of the tower is the Clock Tower, not St Stephen's Tower. It was called St Stephen's Tower by Victorian journalists. They referred to anything to do with the House of Commons as news from 'St Stephens', as originally MP's used to sit in St Stephen's Hall.

Q. Why is the Clock Tower's bell called Big Ben?

A. The most likley explanation is it was named after Sir Benjamin Hall, First Commissioner for Works, whose name is inscribed on the bell. Another theory is it was named after Ben Caunt, a champion heavyweight boxer.

Q. What happens when the clocks go back or forward?

A. Learn all the steps involved by reading about the time change weekend.

Map of London

Sir Charles Barry sought advice from Benjamin Lewis Vuillamy - clockmaker to the Queen - and Augustus Pugin when it came to designing the clock tower that is affectionately known as Big Ben today. The mock Gothic Clock Tower building attached to the Houses of Parliament has become a familiar and much loved landmark, its great bell chiming on the hour (and every quarter of an hour too) keeping time with Greenwich meantime. The name Big Ben was initially given to the Great Bell which was created at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry and first struck in 1859. The most likely explanation of the name it that it comes from Sir Benjamin Hall, First Commissioner for Works from 1855-1858 whose name is inscribed on the bell. Now the moniker is the accepted name for the whole of the Clock Tower. Weighing in at 13.7 tonnes, at the time of its casting Big Ben was the largest bell in the British Isles and the clock face the second largest in the country (after the Liver Building in Liverpool). UK residents can arrange a tour of Big Ben through their local MP but space is extremely limited and you'll need to book three to six months in advance. Overseas visitors cannot currently visit the tower.

Creating your unique PrintMap:

http://www.londontown.com/LondonInformation/Sights_and_Attractions/Big_Ben/5b15/

http://www.londonforfree.net/maps/mainmap.shtml

http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/europe/uke.htm