Did you hear the chirping of Big Ben this week? That's why | The Londoner

2021-11-18 07:44:16 By : Mr. QI XING

If you have been to Westminster this week, you may have heard the bells of Big Ben.

There is nothing unusual there—except of course, because the Elizabeth Tower has been placed under the scaffolding for a while, and as the restoration work progressed, Big Ben’s bells have been muted since 2018.

So why does the bell ring this week? Although the restoration work has not yet been fully completed, the team responsible for the famous smoke gun is testing it before the commemoration Sunday, when the Big Ben will officially ring to commemorate this moment.

At 11 o'clock in the morning on November 14, Big Ben will ring 11 times and a two-minute silence will begin.

As far as we know, this is the first time the bells of Big Ben have sounded, and because a special one-time bell has been seen in the New Year, it is not surprising that clock mechanics need some rehearsal time to make sure everything is in order. On time and on time.

The clock will use a temporary timekeeping mechanism to ring because the Victorian clock mechanism is temporarily out of use.

It is not yet certain whether Big Ben will ring on New Year's Eve in 2022, but given that the renovation will be completed in early 2022, we hope we can hear it at midnight.

Plan your day in advance or read the day’s London headlines via our daily email.

The best thing to do in London. Must-read articles in London. The coolest London event from our partners.

Is there any problem with this article? Let us know here.

© 2021 Londonist, all rights reserved. All materials on this website are the property of Londonist Ltd.