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.
