Writing for Comment is Free, the author Joe Moran fondly recalls the actor Rodney Bewes, of Likely Lads fame, climbing the scaffolding around Big Ben to hang a pair of knickers on the clock hands.Working on Big Ben Learn language related to… While the tower is warmly regarded by most Londoners, a few see it as a symbol of pompous British tradition. Children under 11 are not allowed inside, nor are overseas visitors. The audio slideshow might be your best chance of exploring the tower, as you have to organise a visit via your MP around three to six months in advance, partly due to security concerns.

You can also download the clock's famous chimes and strikes from Big Ben's official website, which has a podcast tour of the tower. To mark the anniversary, Little Ben, a 30ft replica of the clock tower near Victoria station, has been given its own equally loud bongs to chime today every hour between 7am and 7pm.Ī piece of music based on the Oranges and Lemons nursery rhyme has been recorded for the anniversary using chimes from 200 bells from the 17 London churches named in the full version of the rhyme. Mike McCann, who carries the title of Keeper of the Great Clock, said: 'After 150 years, Big Ben still holds a special place in the hearts of Londoners and the world as a magnificent example of engineering and building genius.' The bell, cast in Whitechapel on 10 April 1858, was first rung in the Great Westminster Clock on 11 July 1859.

The name Big Ben is often used to describe the tower, the clock and the bell but technically only refers to its largest bell.

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