Added: 01/26/2006 |
His Majesty London`s Big BenBig Ben is the colloquial name of the Clock Tower of the Palace of Westminster in London, and an informal name for the Great Bell of Westminster, the largest one in the tower and part of the Great Clock of Westminster. The name, "Big Ben," is almost universally used to describe the clock tower as a whole but officially it refers not to the clock-tower itself, but to the thirteen ton bell hung within. There are two theories, why Big Ben is actually called so: one claims that the largest and lowest in pitch bell that counts the number of hours, following each hourly chime sequence named after Sir Benjamin Hall, the Chief Commissioner of Works. Another story suggests that at the time anything which was heaviest of its kind was called "Big Ben" after the then-famous prizefighter Benjamin Caunt, making it a natural name for the bell.
The history of Big ben began in 1844, when Parliament decided that the new buildings for the Houses of Parliament, should incorporate a tower and clock. Most clockmakers of the day considered such accuracy unnattainable for a large tower clock driving striking mechanisms and heavy hands exposed to wind and weather and lobbied for a lesser specification. Nevertheless, soon the clock and the bell for it were ready with the faces and dials designed by Augustus Pugin. An iron framework of 23 feet in diameter supporting 312 pieces of opal glass, with some of the glass pieces which may be removed for inspection of the hands. The surround of the Big Ben dials is heavly gilded. Big ben is really big and looks most fascinatingly spectacular at night when the clock faces are illuminated. But not only decoration deserves attention, specifically, if you were to visit London and stand at the bottom of the clock tower, you will hear the chimes of Big Ben approximately 1/6 of a second later than the bell being struck (assuming a bell height of 55 metres). However, using a microphone placed near the bell and transmitting the sound to a far away destination by radio that location will hear the bell long before you do on the ground. This interesting fact of Big Ben is usually used to illustrate schoolchildren physics rules.
The four dials of the clock are 23 feet square, the minute hand is 14 feet long and the figures are 2 feet high. Minutely regulated with a stack of coins placed on the huge pendulum, Big Ben is an excellent timekeeper, which has rarely stopped. For example, during the second world war in 1941, an incendiary bomb destroyed the Commons chamber of the Houses of Parliament, but Big Ben continued to keep time and strike away the hours. Though the tower is not open to the general public, those with a "special interest" may arrange a visit to the top of the Clock Tower through their local (UK) MP.
But if you want to get away from fussy London crowds, or just are eager to see England as it was many centuries ago, Yorkshire dales offer the best opportunities for it. The Yorkshire Dales is an area of great natural beauty in northern England, a large part of which has been designated as one of protected national parks. Much of the landscape is limestone country - lush green valleys (known locally as "dales") crested with white limestone cliffs ("scars") and limestone pavements cutting through wilder uplands beneath towering peaks ("fells") of dark millstone grit. England is unimaginable without Yorkshire as well as without Big Ben , so these main sights are must-see for all, who want to have a nice weekend in England.
yorkshire dales
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