BIGBENTheBigBenislocatedinthetowerattheeasternendoftheHousesofParliament,Westminster,GreaterLondon.ItwasdesignedbyEdmundBeckettandBaronGrimThorpe.TheBigBenisveryfamousthroughouttheworld,butnobodyreallyknowswhyitiscalledBigBen.Therearetwohearsaysaboutthis.SomepeoplesaythatitwasnamedafterBenjaminCaunt,aboxer,whowascalledBigBen.MorepeoplebelieveitwascalledafterWelshman,SirBenjaminHall.Hewasthecommissioneroftheworkatthetimeofitsinstallationin1859.AstorywastoldthatduringadebateintheCommonsonwhattocallthebell,SirBenjaminwasabouttogivehisideaswhenaMPwhosatbehindthefrontbenchshouted,let’scallitBigBen!Thenthisnamecameintobeing.Thebellhasn'tgonethroughasmoothroadsincethebeginningofitsdesign.Becausetherewasgreatdisagreementaboutthedesignoftheclock,ittookfifteenyearstobuild.In1857,thebellwascompletedandtestedontheground,butafour-footcrackappearedandthebellhadtobecastagain.Finally,theclockstartedtickingon31May,1859,andstruckitsfirstchimeon11,July.TheninSeptember,thebellcrackedagain.Itwassilentforfouryearsbutwaseventuallyturnedaquarterofarevolution.Inthisway,thecrackwasnotunderthestrikinghammer.Craftsmenmadeasquareabovethecracktostopitgravinglongeranditcanstillbeseentoday.TheBigBenisfamousnotonlyforits13-tonweight,butalsoforitsaccuracywhichisaresultofitsprecisemechanism.Evenoneextrapenny'sweightonthebalancewillcauseagainoftwofifthsofasecondintwentyfourhours.Althoughtherehavebeenseveralproblem,thebellisstillstrikingtoday.ItschimescanbeheardallovertheworldontheB.B.C.
