The tower is founded on a 50 feet (15.2 m) square raft, made of 10 feet (3.0 m) thick concrete, at a depth of 13 feet (4.0 m) below ground level. The remainder of the tower’s height is a framed spire of cast iron.The bottom 200 feet (61.0 m) of the tower’s structure consists of brickwork with sand-coloured Anston limestone cladding. The tower stands at 315 feet (96.0 m) high.On 2 June 2012, The Daily Telegraph reported that 331 Members of Parliament (MP) supported a proposal to change the name from Clock Tower to Elizabeth Tower in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II in her diamond jubilee year.It took thirty years and a lot of money to build the new place. Six years later, Barry got the job to build the palace again.

Elizabeth Tower, previously called the Clock Tower, but more popularly known as Big Ben, was raised as a part of Charles Barry’s design for a new palace, after the old Palace of Westminster was largely destroyed by a fire on the night of 16 October, 1834.

See the fact file below for more information on the Big Ben in London or alternatively, you can download our 19-page Big Ben in London worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment. The official name of the tower in which Big Ben is located was originally the Clock Tower, but it was renamed Elizabeth Tower in 2012 to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II. This is usually extended to refer to both the clock and the clock tower. Download the Big Ben in London Facts & Worksheetsīig Ben is the nickname for the Great Bell of the clock at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London.

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