Big Ben - The name of the largest of the five bells of Westminster Palace
in London , it is often considered to be the name of the clock , and the clock tower as a whole . At the time of the casting of Big Ben was the largest and heaviest ( 13.7 ton ) bell of the United Kingdom . In 1881, the bell gave primacy Great Sex ( Eng. ) Russian . ( 17 tons ) .Name [edit | edit wiki text]
It is believed that the bell was named Big Ben ( Big Ben ) in honor of Sir Benjamin Hall , the curator of construction works . According to another version , it is named in honor of Benjamin Count , Russian . , A popular boxer in the heavyweight division . Tower [edit | edit wiki text]
The tower was built by English architect Augustus Augustus Pugin in 1859 , the clock tower started May 31, 1859 [ 4 ] .
The height of the tower , including the spire - 96.3 meters. The lower part of the clock mechanism is located at a height of 55 meters.
The official name until September 2012 was " The Clock Tower Palace of Westminster ," the press it was often called the Tower of St . Stephen [ 5 ] . According to the decision of the British Parliament renamed the Elizabeth Tower in honor of the 60th anniversary of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II [ 6 ] .