On May 31, 1859, Big Ben rang over the Houses of Parliament in
Westminster, London, for the first time.
In October 1834, a fire destroyed much of the Palace of Westminster, the
medieval royal palace used as the home of the British parliament. The design
for the new palace included a tower to house a large clock. One requirement for
the clock was that the first stroke of the hour bell should be correct to
within one second per day. Construction of the clock began in September 1843.
When completed in 1859, it was the world's largest and most accurate four-faced
striking and chiming clock.
The Great Bell of the Great Clock of Westminster is commonly known as
Big Ben. Although the name Big Ben only refers to the bell, it is commonly
associated with the whole clock tower. In addition to the Great Bell, the
belfry houses four quarter bells, which play on the quarter hours.
The original bell was cast in August 1856. Since the tower was not
finished, the bell was mounted in New Palace Yard. During testing, the bell
cracked beyond repair and a replacement had to be made. The new bell was recast
in April 1858 and first rang over the Houses of Parliament on May 31, 1859. In
September, this bell also cracked. The hammer was discovered to be more than
twice the maximum weight specified. A lighter hammer was installed, and the
bell was repaired, although the crack remained. The bell gave an eighth turn so
the new hammer struck an undamaged section. This is the bell we hear today.
