London's Big Ben to stop ringing for four years

Big Ben — the huge clock bell of Britain's Parliament — will fall silent next week as a four-year restoration project gets underway.

A tour guide, wearing a Union Flag and London-themed hat, stands near one of the four faces of the Great Clock of the Elizabeth Tower, commonly referred to as Big Ben, at the Houses of Parliament in central London on August 14, 2017.
Britain's much-loved Big Ben will fall silent for four years from August 21, as conservation work is carried out on the famous 19th century bell in a clock tower next to the Houses of Parliament. The Great Bell, popularly called Big Ben, weighs 13.7 tonnes and strikes every hour to the note of E. Four smaller bells also chime every 15 minutes. The last bong before the refurbishment will be at 12 pm (1100 GMT) on August 21, the statement said. / AFP PHOTO / Daniel LEAL-OLIVAS

Britain's iconic Big Ben will fall silent for four years. AFP PHOTO / Daniel LEAL-OLIVAS

Aug 14, 2017

The bongs of the iconic bell will be stopped after chiming noon on August 21 to protect workers during a £29 million repair project on the Queen Elizabeth Tower, which houses Big Ben and its clock. It isn't due to resume regular service until 2021.

Steve Jaggs, keeper of the Great Clock, said Monday that the clock mechanism will be dismantled piece by piece and its four dials will be cleaned and repaired. The 13.5 British ton (13.7 metric tons) bell will be cleaned and checked for cracks.

Big Ben has been stopped several times since it first sounded in 1859, but the current restoration project will mark its longest period of silence.

Parliamentary officials say they will ensure that the bellstill sounds on major occasions, such as New Year's Eve and Remembrance Sunday.

The silence presents a problem for the BBC, which broadcasts the bongs every evening before the radio news through a microphone in the belfry.

After testing out the sound of substitute bells, the broadcaster said it will use a recording.