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Big Ben, situated at the Palace of Westminster, is one of the best known icons of London,
and has been voted the Most Iconic Film Location in London. The clock, on its own, has been
working since May 1859. Although the name .Big Ben. actually refers to the bell inside the clock
tower, which weighs an astounding 13 tons, it has come to refer to the entire clock and clock
tower over time. This name came from the commissioner of the bell, Sir Benjamin Hall. It is the
world's largest four-faced chiming clock. Each of the four dials measure 2.1 square meters (or 23
square feet). The minute hand is 4.2 meters long (or 14 feet) and each number is about 61
centimeters (or 2 feet) high. Incredibly, this mammoth creation is a very accurate timekeeper.
The tower is 96.3 meters (316 feet) high.

Although a clock tower was originally built at the Palace of Westminster in 1288, the
current tower had to be rebuilt after most of this structure was destroyed in a fire in 1834.
Augustus Pugin was commissioned to design the clock tower, and he followed a Gothic Revival
style. He later claimed that he had never worked harder on any other creation. The bell was from
the old Palace of Westminster (before the fire) and was a gift to the Dean of St Paul from
William III. However, it was refashioned in 1858 before being hung at the tower.

The clock tower is not technically open to the public; but, residents of England, Scotland,
Wales and Northern Ireland (collectively known as the United Kingdom) are able to arrange
tours through their local Member of Parliament. Along the 334-stair climb, these visitors will see
some of the prison cells inside the clock tower, which were once used for imprisoning Members
of Parliament that had breached privileges extended to parliamentary personalities.
The original Big Ben bell weighed 16 tons. However, when they were trying to install it, it fell
and broke. The new bell was made 3 tons lighter. This bell also has a large crack in it. However,
it was simply turned and continues to work, crack and all, to this day.

Today, Big Ben is an iconic symbol of London, England and the United Kingdom. It
appears in films and on postcards. The clock is also used during New Year Eve broadcasts to
indicate the ringing in of the New Year. Its film appearances include Mars Attacks, shanghai
Knights, The Avengers and The Thirty-Nine Steps.