I'm fascinated by Big Ben. Although it's the nickname given to the largest of the five bells, it usually refers to both the tower and the iconic clock faces on each facade of the structure. Towering 96 metres above the banks of the River Thames, Big Ben is the second tallest four-faced chiming clock in the world, after Minneapolis City Hall in Minnesota, USA. Apart from when the structure has undergone repairs, the bells atop the tower have rang out the Westminster Quarters almost every day for 160 years; it is an extraordinarily symbolic mechanism of the United Kingdom and a feat in engineering history. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Update history 27th Nov 2014: project shared. 29th Nov 2014: 'sunrise' and 'sunset' backgrounds added. 1st Dec 2014: clock hands now move gradually. 8th Dec 2014: refined clock hands which now look exactly like the real Big Ben's; brighter tower lights on 'night' background; 'black' background added for when tower lights turn off. 30th Oct 2016: day and night cycle added; monthly cycles added for season changes; backgrounds converted to SVG (scalable vector graphics) for higher quality; refined clock face with bolder markings; BST and GMT merged into one project; shadow added below each clock hand.
After nearly 4 years since the last update, I'm working on this project again in line with Big Ben's renovation. I'll also be working a separate project which is zoomed in on the clock face. Watch this space to see what's coming!... Due to be completed in 2021, the overwhelming renovation of Elizabeth Tower is set to provide the ultimate 21st century makeover to one of the world’s most iconic landmarks. The project commenced in 2017, whereby an extensive amount of scaffolding was mounted around the entire structure, hiding it from the city of London. Reported to be a total cost of £80m, it is set to the biggest, most impressive and undoubtedly the most expensive renovation that has ever be given to the tower in its 160-year history. When completed, it will have undergone the following upgrades: a full replacement of the 324 pieces of glass on the four clock faces; repaint of the clock hands and dials into the Prussian-blue that it was originally; restored cast iron tiles for the roof, which have been individually taken away to a contractor to perform this; various stonework sculptures on the tower being carved again by hand; full repaint of copper and brass ornamentation, and to other surrounding decorations; an elevator being installed for quicker and easier access to the belfry; and repairs to Big Ben itself as well as its four surrounding bells, particularly from bomb damage in WWII. Up to now, at least one of the four clock faces has underwent the full restoration, giving Londoners a glimpse of what’s to come in the next year or two when the scaffolding eventually comes down.
