The dial of Big Ben will emerge from the scaffolding, when the world-famous clock will perform its most important annual role-to ring for thousands of people on the streets of London in the New Year, and millions more Watch on TV.

The clock tower of the British Parliament has been hidden for three and a half years. Hundreds of craftsmen repaired masonry, replaced metalwork, repainted and re-gilded it. This was the largest restoration since it was completed in 1859.

Nick Sturge, the project manager for Sir Robert McAlpine’s special project, said that the removal of the scaffolding was a “huge milestone” in the £79.7 million (US$107 million) project.

"In the New Year, people will start to see a big difference; they will start to retrieve their towers," he said. "The roof will be fully visible along with the four clock faces."

Big Ben is the largest and most accurate four-sided clock at the time of its completion. It is a symbol of the democratic system of London and the British Parliament, and it is also one of the most photographed attractions in London.

The repair includes replacing all the panels on the clock face with blown glass, Sturge said. The hands, numbers and other details of the dial are repainted in bright blue instead of the black familiar to Londoners.

Sturge said that early watercolors showed a blue color scheme, which was confirmed by paint analysis and found that the first coat was Prussian blue.

"It's really amazing," he said. "When you stand on the street, it's a very good nod to the past."

The floral symbols of the four regions of the UK—thistle, clover, leeks, and roses—have been repainted in the original colors designed by Charles Barry for the tower, which was renamed after Queen Elizabeth in 2012.

The 12 bells from the Big Clock-the origin of the name Big Ben-will mark the turning point of the year and will be powered by electric motors. The original Victorian clock mechanism will once again take over when the bell returns to its familiar pattern of striking the time every quarter of an hour and ringing every hour in the spring.

Alex Jeffrey, one of the three watchmakers who officially named the Palace of Westminster, said that the clock had been shipped to Cumbria in northwest England for disassembly and reconstruction.

"Everything has been restored to its original specifications," he said. "This is a lot of kits-11 and a half tons. For example, one hand weighs about 305 kg (672 lb) and the minute hand is 14 feet (4.3 m) long."

One dial showing the time of the scaffold falling is electric, but all four dials will be run by the original gravity-driven clock again in the spring.

"This is notoriously accurate," he said. "The big clock is very well designed. It is accurate to one second of the first ringing every hour." 

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