London, Thanasis Gavos

One hundred years since first time Big Ben tolls were transmitted broadcast to the British public will be completed this New Year’s Eve, when the famous chimes of Westminster Clock will ring in another new year in the UK.

It was New Year’s Eve 1923 to 1924 when a BBC sound engineer recorded Big Ben for the first time. Experienced sound engineer AG Dryland climbed onto the roof of a building opposite the Parliament Buildings, at the edge of which is Elizabeth Tower which houses the bell at its top. Holding a microphone he successfully recorded the chimes of the bell at the change of each hour.

Since these sounds accompany the BBC radio program and the change of each year in the UK, now live streaming.

Big Ben’s regular tolling was silenced in 2017 for essential maintenance work to be carried out, renovation and fire safety. During the ‘silent’ period, however, Big Ben was rung at each change of time, at some war memorials and at Queen Elizabeth’s funeral, thanks to a temporary mechanism that allowed the bell to be rung.

Even during the bombings of the Second World War the sound of Big Ben continued to be broadcast to BBC listeners in Britain and abroad.

The bell was restored to normal operation in November 2022 and her beats are heard on BBC Radio 4 at 6pm and midnight every day, as well as 10pm on Sundays.

Big Ben is the name of the bell behind the big clock in the Elizabeth Tower. It is believed to have been named after Sir Benjamin Hall, head of the works department at the time of its installation.

The first bell was made in 1856 in Stockton-on-Tees and transported to London by rail and sea. During the tests, however, a crack was caused. A second bell was later built in east London.

After successfully testing this, the bell was put in place, but cracked after a few months. It fell silent for four years, until it was repaired and fully operational in 1863, after it was moved 90 degrees and a lighter hammer was installed.

The bell, which rings on the note E, weighs 13.7 tons, is 2.2 meters high, 2.7 meters in diameter, and the hammer that strikes it weighs 200 kilograms.

The Elizabeth Tower which houses Big Ben was completed in 1859has a height of 96 meters and is part of the Palace of Westminster that houses the British Parliament, being a UNESCO cultural heritage monument.

Often the term Big Ben is used, inaccurately, to describe either the Tower or the clock on top of it. The clock began operation on May 31, 1859. The Big Ben bell rang for the first time on July 11 of the same year.