Big Ben London: The Tower’s Incredible Journey Through History

There’s no escaping Big Ben if you’re anywhere near Westminster. Its bell tolls through London’s air like a stubborn heartbeat, whether you’re queuing for the London Eye, dashing to St. James’s Park, or just caught in a classic British drizzle along the Thames. But here’s a twist: ask any London local and you’ll discover that Big Ben isn’t actually the tower’s name, but the nickname for its massive, thirteen-and-a-half-ton bell. That tower that hugs London’s skyline? It’s properly called the Elizabeth Tower, renamed in 2012 in honour of Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee. Yet, the world’s fallen for the charm of ‘Big Ben,’ and who are we to argue with tradition?

A London Landmark Forged in Fire and Ambition

If you love nosing around the city’s past, Big Ben’s origins might surprise you. The present tower only materialised because London’s Palace of Westminster suffered a devastating fire in 1834. With Westminster Parliament in ruins, a new vision was needed. Architect Charles Barry won the hearts of Parliament with his neo-Gothic design, and he called in Augustus Pugin (yes, the same genius who gave us so many of London’s most ornate churches) for the decorative flourishes. Pugin actually called Elizabeth Tower "the biggest job I ever had on hand," and looking at the gold-tipped spires and Gothic windows, you can see why.

Construction of the tower lasted from 1843 until 1859, and—true to British tradition—ran well over budget and schedule. Still, the finished product was and remains a marvel: 96 metres high, with a staircase of 334 limestone steps spiralling upwards. And, just like much of London, the tower itself is tougher than it looks. It’s built atop a massive concrete raft, one of the first of its kind for clock towers. Next time you take a river bus from Westminster Pier, just snap a look upstream: you’ll spot the tower looming sturdily, even when the city’s soaked by a February thunderstorm.

The actual bell—yes, Big Ben—arrived with drama. The first bell, cast in Stockton-on-Tees, cracked during testing at Westminster. The second attempt, cast at Whitechapel Bell Foundry (the same place your gran’s church bell probably came from), arrived only to crack again after a few months of booming over the city. Instead of making a new one, Victorian engineers rotated the bell a quarter-turn and used a lighter hammer—true British compromise at its best.

Want a taste of tradition? Try standing in Parliament Square at noon. The deep BONG of Big Ben packs a resonance that echoes off the statues of Winston Churchill, Millicent Fawcett, and Gandhi. Residents, office workers, selfie-snappers, and taxi drivers alike pause; it feels like every corner of Westminster holds its collective breath for a second—proof that the tower remains a living part of city life.

Here’s a table with some figures on Big Ben’s history:

Big Ben at the Heart of London’s Traditions

It’s easy to take Big Ben for granted. Maybe you walk past it every morning on your commute, maybe it’s faded into the background of memories from every New Year’s Eve or Remembrance Sunday. But this tower is stitched into London’s cultural fabric in more ways than you might imagine. For a start, when London’s New Year rings in, Big Ben’s chimes broadcast nationwide by the BBC, marking the midnight countdown with the most quintessentially British soundtrack possible. No firework display hits the same without that familiar echoing BONG rolling across South Bank.

Several London traditions centre on the tower. During State Openings of Parliament, cameras pan up to catch its dials. It features on a bizarre number of teatowels, tourist mugs, and even London Underground posters advertising the Bakerloo line. And let’s not forget that during the Blitz of World War II, the Elizabeth Tower became a symbol of resilience. The bells rang during air raids, providing comfort to Londoners sheltering in tube stations (like the ones still dotted around Covent Garden and Piccadilly Circus). When the clock continued ticking even after a bomb hit the Commons Chamber, the Evening Standard splashed “Big Ben Still Bongs” on its front page—a headline that felt bigger than just a news update.

If you’re hunting for one of London’s best panorama shots, cross Westminster Bridge just before dusk, when city lights begin to sparkle and boats drift down the Thames. You’ll find the tower at its most majestic, glowing softly against the backdrop of Parliament’s Gothic spires. Early mornings are a brilliant secret for locals and keen photographers alike: there’s less of a crowd, and the sunrise over the river behind the London Eye makes that honey-stone silhouette pop.

Big Ben’s dials are each seven metres wide, with 312 panes of opal glass per face. That means regular cleaning and maintenance; when the bells were silenced for restoration between 2017–2022, visitors got to spot workers in harnesses dangling from the clock faces performing painstaking repairs. Now, the chimes are back, louder and clearer than ever before thanks to updated technology. When the wind blows towards Waterloo, you might even catch the sound above the hubbub of traffic and pedestrians.

And here’s something for local families: while public tours inside the Elizabeth Tower aren’t generally available to foreign tourists, UK residents can book ahead through their Member of Parliament. If you fancy a memorable climb up that 334-step spiral, plan months in advance. You’ll get an insider’s peek at the Keeper of the Great Clock’s daily duties—the clock mechanism needs manual winding three times a week, and time is still kept thanks to a stack of old coins adjusted on the giant pendulum. Properly old-school, right?

I can’t talk about London’s traditions without mentioning the role of Big Ben in pop culture. From Doctor Who to Peter Pan to James Bond, the tower crops up everywhere. Even as new skyscrapers like The Shard and the Cheesegrater change London’s skyline, Big Ben keeps its place, both timeless and relatable. The next time you sit in a black cab or weave through the crowd near Westminster Abbey, look up. The clock face has witnessed everything from suffragette protests to Greta Thunberg rallies, coronations to anti-Brexit marches.

Surviving Change: Big Ben’s Place in Modern London

Here’s the wild thing: Big Ben has survived industrial revolution smog, wartime bombs, and the chaos of 21st-century politics. In a city obsessed with constant reinvention—just look at the pace of change on the Southbank, from independent market stalls to the fresh sprawl of Battersea Power Station—Big Ben is an anchoring force. Sure, buses now roll electric, and morning commutes come with oat lattes from Pret or an indie spot on Whitehall, but Big Ben’s BONG matches the vibes of both old and new London.

The 2017-2022 restoration fixed cracks, polished clock faces, and added LED lighting to boost sustainability. It cost £80 million, drawing a classic British debate about value-for-money. Nub of it is, the tower looks good as new—while cleverly keeping its original 1850s mechanics ticking away behind the scenes. During the silent years, Londoners realised how much they missed the sound of Big Ben’s chimes blending with the city’s rhythm: a sort of pulse tying together the chaos of Piccadilly, the hidden lanes of Soho, and even the sprawling greens of Hyde Park.

The tower’s resilience matters more when you consider London’s unpredictable climate. That cast iron roof? Hand-riveted and built to withstand gales rolling in from the North Sea. Every time rain steams off the clock face as the sun bursts through—often in the space of half an hour, classic city weather—the structure stays unfazed. And when Tube strikes or heatwaves turn the city on its head, it’s oddly comforting to know Big Ben is still there, completely unbothered.

If you’re sightseeing, here’s a local tip: skip the madness of midsummer weekends if you can. Swing by on a weekday morning and you’ll avoid most of the rush. Or head around the west side of Parliament for a lesser-known view (near Victoria Tower Gardens, which has a lovely bit of grass and a café perfect for an afternoon break). For dramatic river shots, hop on the Uber Boat by Thames Clippers; the view from the water is unbeatable, and you’ll glide right past Lambeth Palace and the Southbank’s graffiti-streaked skatepark.

London’s love for Big Ben turns up in the wildest places. Every December, hundreds of city runners dash past the tower as part of Santa-themed fun runs. Artists sneak it into street murals in Hackney Wick. Football fans in pubs from the East End to Hammersmith synchronise “one last pint” with the evening BONG at ten o’clock before rushing for the last Tube. Even in the era of mobile phones and smartwatches, plenty of Londoners still swear by the accuracy of that old clock, visible from half a mile away.

Got guests in town? The pre-dawn glow on the tower makes for unbeatable Instagram shots (bonus points if you catch the reflection on a puddle after rain). And keep an eye on the London events calendar—sometimes, special occasions or royal celebrations light up the tower at night. In 2022, the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee saw a kaleidoscope of purple lights sweep the Elizabeth Tower, and Londoners were out in droves, cheering and snapping photos.

Big Ben’s charm reaches beyond just being a tourist tick-list. It’s become, for Londoners, shorthand for being on time, for parliamentary drama, for defiant hope in the rough patches, and sly humour in the good. Wandering along Whitehall as the bells echo, grabbing a late-night curry on the Strand, or simply catching its outline against a stormy sky on your A-B walk home—these daily moments keep the tower rooted in the city’s soul.

With all of London’s constant buzz and reinvention, it’s refreshing to look up and see the Elizabeth Tower standing tall. Big Ben doesn’t just mark the hours; it reminds us that no matter what’s going on around us—change, chaos, celebrations—the heart of London keeps on ticking.