Big Ben (from here)
While the London Eye is the modern face of London, Big Ben remains to be the traditional icon of the city. In the olden days, whenever directors wanted to make it clear that a film was set in London they just put in a brief cut with the clock tower and there was no doubt about the location any more. (Well, occasionally a black cab or a double-decker bus is also added but it is a bit overdoing it, isn't it?) Strictly speaking, Big Ben is not the tower or the clock but the great bell in the clock tower. However, nowadays it is quite common to refer to all the three with the same name. The famous bell celebrated its 150th birthday last Saturday. Happy Birthday!
A very brief history: A fire destroyed most of the Palace of Westminster in 1834. A new clock tower was constructed between 1843 and 1859; this is the tower that we can see today. The clock started ticking in May 1859 and the great bell first chimed on 11 July of the same year. The nickname Big Ben was probably given to the bell after Sir Benjamin Hall, who supervised the installation of the bell and whose name is inscribed on it.
Do this short quiz about Big Ben to learn some more facts about it:
1. How tall is the clock tower?
a, 65 meters
b, 96 meters
c, 112 meters
2. How much does the Great Bell weigh in tonnes?
a, 6.9 tonnes
b, 10.2 tonnes
c, 13,7 tonnes
3. What is the length of the hour hands?
a, 1.4 meters
b, 2.7 meters
c, 4.2 meters
4. What is the length of the minute hands?
a, 1.4 meters
b, 2.7 meters
c, 4.2 meters
5. How many clock dials are there on the tower?
a, only 1
b, 2
c, 4
You can check your quiz results here.
If you would like more information about Big Ben go to the official site.
(Wanna listen to the chime of the clock at noon? Click here)
Below is a list of scenes that feature Big Ben. If you know about some others just let me know and I will add them. (If possible give the link to the scene)
The 39 Steps
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoxmOdC6c5c
Peter Pan, Return to Neverland
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7Dk4X2C13I
Doctor Who (the link below is for a video on how the scene was shot)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQNZO-OE8VU
Trainspotting
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtWj6SUhYPk
The Great Mouse Detective
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzsm068R3RA
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