Big Ben – a ball tower in London, a part of an architectural complex of the Westminster palace. The official name – The Hour tower of the Westminster palace, also it name The Tower of St. Stefana.

Big Ben is one of London's best-known landmarks, and looks most spectacular at night when the clock faces are illuminated. You even know when parliament is in session, because a light shines above the clock face.

The tower has been erected In 1858, a tower clock has been started up a course on May, 21st,

The name Big Ben actually refers not to the clock-tower itself, but to the thirteen ton bell hung within. The bell was named after the first commissioner of works, Sir Benjamin Hall.

Big Ben - a symbol of time. The period of the greatest dawn of the country. And an inscription in Latin: «My God store queen Victoria» - a tribute of personal respect to the monarch at which there was such concept as British Empire.

Big Ben's dials look at all 4 parts of the world. They from Birmingham are made has fallen down, hour hands are cast from pig-iron, and minute are made of copper sheet. It is counted up that the minute Arrows pass the general distance for a year in 190 km.

Big Ben and other small bells surrounding it beat out a ringing of following words: «Through this hour the Lord stores me and force it won't allow to anybody to stumble».

Tower height 61 meter (without considering a spike); Hours settle down at height of 55 m from the earth. At diameter of a dial in 7 meters and length of arrows 2,7 and 4,2 meters, height of each figure only 61 centimeter. Hours Long time were considered as the greatest in the world.

Six-foot copy of "big Ben", made out of cans of Coca-Cola has been exhibited in a London Park in order to attract people's attention to the issue of recycling. Art installation created by sculptor Robert Bradford, was the opening Weeks of recycling. "Big Ben" – one of the four sculptures, which appeared in the UK in order to raise the question of the importance of proper waste disposal.