Designing Buildings - User contributions [en]

User:Jake Bagby

2020-01-14T10:23:34Z

Thelwc:

The Restoration of Big Ben

2020-01-14T10:22:13Z

Thelwc:

--[[User:Thelwc|Thelwc]] 10:22, 14 Jan 2020 (BST)In October 2019 visitors to London were at last able to take in the view of the top of Big Ben without scaffolding. Conservation work on the clock and the Elizabeth Tower began in 2017. It is expected to continue until 2021.

The Work

Work includes the restoration of the roof, repairs to bell frame and fixing leaks in the clock room. The Elizabeth Tower will be redecorated inside and the clock itself will be dismantled for cleaning and repairs.

The Ayrton light also needs repairs. This is the light that sits on top of the Elizabeth Tower. It is thought than Queen Victoria asked for the light. She wanted to know when either of the houses was sitting after dark.

Most of the work on the Tower is being carried out to comply with fire safety regulations. This also includes the installation of a lift. This is due to a health and safety issue.

The design of the tower now makes it is very difficult to evacuate an injured person quickly. The lift will reduce this risk. Some disabled visitors will also be able to use the lift if they are not able to use the stairs. Another new installation will be some toilets. This is an amenity that hasn’t been available before.

The Clock Tower

Augustus Pugin designed the clock tower. He was commissioned by Sir Charles Barry. Barry was the chief architect in the re-design of the Palace of Westminster. A fire destroyed the original Palace in 1834.

Barry’s design didn’t include a clock tower and so when he decided to add one, he chose Pugin to design it. Pugin was already well-known for his design of many churches in England and Ireland. Barry liked his use of the revival gothic style.

The Clock Tower had an exterior made of Cornish granite and Yorkshire Anston stone. Cast iron girders came from London. Iron roofing plates came from Birmingham. Caen stone from Normandy completed the interior.

The Tower was completed in 1859. It is 96 metres tall and 12 metres square. It also features 334 steps up to the Belfry. It was renamed The Elizabeth Tower in 2012 for the Queen’s diamond jubilee.

The Clock Faces

There is one clock face on each side of the four-sided tower. The clock was designed by Edmund Dennison and it was built by Edward John Dent. Dent died before the completion of the clock, but his stepson, Frederick stepped in.

The Astronomer Royal, Sir George Airy set out two important standards for the clock. Firstly, he said the first stroke of each hour should be accurate to within one second. Secondly, he wanted the clock’s performance telegraphed to Greenwich Observatory twice a day.

During the work on the clock, Dennison invented the ‘Double Three-legged Gravity Escapement.’ This part of the mechanism contributed to the clock’s accuracy. It made sure it wasn’t affected by things like wind pressure on the clock’s hands. This mechanism is still used in clocks all over the world.

The clock’s minute hands were originally made in cast-iron. But, this made them too heavy and they wouldn’t move. They were then replaced with hollow copper hands which worked perfectly.

Each clock dial is in cast iron. It is 7 metres in diameter. Its opaque appearance comes from the 324 individual pieces of pot opal glass. The hour figures are 60cm long.

The copper sheet minute hands are 4.2 metres long. The gunmetal hour hands are 2.7 metres long. The clock mechanism is cast iron and the pendulum bob is made from tubes of steel and zinc.

The original clock face was blue. But, over the years the air pollution caused it to turn black. Sometime after the 1930s, the metalwork of the clock face was re-painted in black. As part of the renovations, the clock faces will be restored to their original colour. This is Prussian Blue.

Big Ben

The famous chimes come from 22 bells, the largest of which is Big Ben. The original bell was made in Stockton-on Tees and it was transferred to London by rail and then by sea. It was taken from the Port of London and placed on a carriage. The carriage was then pulled by 16 white horses across Westminster Bridge.

Luckily it wasn’t immediately placed in the tower. It stayed in New Palace Yard for testing. After almost three weeks of testing the bell cracked. Nobody was sure of the reason. But it was dismantled, and a new bell was created by George Mears in his Whitechapel Foundry. The Bell Foundry stayed in business until 2017. This second bell also cracked. It took four years to solve the problem, but eventually Sir George Airy came up with a solution.

Firstly, a small square was cut out of the bell which stopped the crack from spreading. The hammer which struck the bell was replaced with a lighter one and finally, the bell was turned by a quarter. This meant the hammer struck in a different place. The bell was then placed in the Tower in 1863. It weighs 13.7 tonnes which is only a little heavier than a London double-decker bus.

The famous chimes can’t ring for the duration of the conservation works. This is because of health and safety. The noise could easily damage the hearing of the people working on the Tower and the clock. The striking hammer is locked, and the bells disconnected. However,

Visitors

Visitors will be able will be allowed to tour Big Ben once again when the work is completed. All visitors to London can visit the Houses of Parliament. But, only UK citizens can visit Big Ben. If you want to visit when it’s open again you must write to your local MP well in advance as the tours are very popular.

The Restoration of Big Ben

2020-01-14T10:20:43Z

Thelwc: Created page with "In October 2019 visitors to London were at last able to take in the view of the top of Big Ben without scaffolding. Conservation work on the clock and the Elizabeth Tower began i..."

In October 2019 visitors to London were at last able to take in the view of the top of Big Ben without scaffolding. Conservation work on the clock and the Elizabeth Tower began in 2017. It is expected to continue until 2021.

The Work

Work includes the restoration of the roof, repairs to bell frame and fixing leaks in the clock room. The Elizabeth Tower will be redecorated inside and the clock itself will be dismantled for cleaning and repairs.

The Ayrton light also needs repairs. This is the light that sits on top of the Elizabeth Tower. It is thought than Queen Victoria asked for the light. She wanted to know when either of the houses was sitting after dark.

Most of the work on the Tower is being carried out to comply with fire safety regulations. This also includes the installation of a lift. This is due to a health and safety issue.

The design of the tower now makes it is very difficult to evacuate an injured person quickly. The lift will reduce this risk. Some disabled visitors will also be able to use the lift if they are not able to use the stairs. Another new installation will be some toilets. This is an amenity that hasn’t been available before.

The Clock Tower

Augustus Pugin designed the clock tower. He was commissioned by Sir Charles Barry. Barry was the chief architect in the re-design of the Palace of Westminster. A fire destroyed the original Palace in 1834.

Barry’s design didn’t include a clock tower and so when he decided to add one, he chose Pugin to design it. Pugin was already well-known for his design of many churches in England and Ireland. Barry liked his use of the revival gothic style.

The Clock Tower had an exterior made of Cornish granite and Yorkshire Anston stone. Cast iron girders came from London. Iron roofing plates came from Birmingham. Caen stone from Normandy completed the interior.

The Tower was completed in 1859. It is 96 metres tall and 12 metres square. It also features 334 steps up to the Belfry. It was renamed The Elizabeth Tower in 2012 for the Queen’s diamond jubilee.

The Clock Faces

There is one clock face on each side of the four-sided tower. The clock was designed by Edmund Dennison and it was built by Edward John Dent. Dent died before the completion of the clock, but his stepson, Frederick stepped in.

The Astronomer Royal, Sir George Airy set out two important standards for the clock. Firstly, he said the first stroke of each hour should be accurate to within one second. Secondly, he wanted the clock’s performance telegraphed to Greenwich Observatory twice a day.

During the work on the clock, Dennison invented the ‘Double Three-legged Gravity Escapement.’ This part of the mechanism contributed to the clock’s accuracy. It made sure it wasn’t affected by things like wind pressure on the clock’s hands. This mechanism is still used in clocks all over the world.

The clock’s minute hands were originally made in cast-iron. But, this made them too heavy and they wouldn’t move. They were then replaced with hollow copper hands which worked perfectly.

Each clock dial is in cast iron. It is 7 metres in diameter. Its opaque appearance comes from the 324 individual pieces of pot opal glass. The hour figures are 60cm long.

The copper sheet minute hands are 4.2 metres long. The gunmetal hour hands are 2.7 metres long. The clock mechanism is cast iron and the pendulum bob is made from tubes of steel and zinc.

The original clock face was blue. But, over the years the air pollution caused it to turn black. Sometime after the 1930s, the metalwork of the clock face was re-painted in black. As part of the renovations, the clock faces will be restored to their original colour. This is Prussian Blue.

Big Ben

The famous chimes come from 22 bells, the largest of which is Big Ben. The original bell was made in Stockton-on Tees and it was transferred to London by rail and then by sea. It was taken from the Port of London and placed on a carriage. The carriage was then pulled by 16 white horses across Westminster Bridge.

Luckily it wasn’t immediately placed in the tower. It stayed in New Palace Yard for testing. After almost three weeks of testing the bell cracked. Nobody was sure of the reason. But it was dismantled, and a new bell was created by George Mears in his Whitechapel Foundry. The Bell Foundry stayed in business until 2017. This second bell also cracked. It took four years to solve the problem, but eventually Sir George Airy came up with a solution.

Firstly, a small square was cut out of the bell which stopped the crack from spreading. The hammer which struck the bell was replaced with a lighter one and finally, the bell was turned by a quarter. This meant the hammer struck in a different place. The bell was then placed in the Tower in 1863. It weighs 13.7 tonnes which is only a little heavier than a London double-decker bus.

The famous chimes can’t ring for the duration of the conservation works. This is because of health and safety. The noise could easily damage the hearing of the people working on the Tower and the clock. The striking hammer is locked, and the bells disconnected. However,

Visitors

Visitors will be able will be allowed to tour Big Ben once again when the work is completed. All visitors to London can visit the Houses of Parliament. But, only UK citizens can visit Big Ben. If you want to visit when it’s open again you must write to your local MP well in advance as the tours are very popular.

User:James McKaydy

2020-01-07T11:46:48Z

Thelwc: