Want to hear Big Ben ring? Better come before 2017 or wait until 2021.
Apr 26th, 2016, 11:00 PM
#1
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Want to hear Big Ben ring? Better come before 2017 or wait until 2021.
Big Ben to be silenced in 2017 for 'urgent' repair works which could take three years
http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/...nce-chime-2017
<i>London's Queen Elizabeth Tower and its bell, Big Ben, will be silenced from 2017 as the structure undergoes urgent repair work.
The 160-year-old tower, which is a Unesco World Heritage site, will undergo £29 million of work to increase energy efficiency and redecorate the interior of the building.
The work will affect both the clock's mechanism and the tower itself. "During this period there will be no chimes," a spokesperson for the House of Commons said. The repairs are scheduled to take three years, during which the bell will be silenced for several months.
"We are also investigating whether or not the chiming will have an effect on operatives working at high level, which will need to be taken into consideration. Striking and tolling will be maintained for important events."
The last "extensive" conservation works were carried out between 1983 and 1985 . The tower – often incorrectly referred to as Big Ben, which is the name of the largest bell – was completed in 1856 and began timekeeping on May 31, 1859.
Steve Jaggs, the Keeper of the Clock, said that staff members complete maintenance on the clock each day but the works will give it "the TLC it so desperately needs and deserves".</i>
http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/...nce-chime-2017
<i>London's Queen Elizabeth Tower and its bell, Big Ben, will be silenced from 2017 as the structure undergoes urgent repair work.
The 160-year-old tower, which is a Unesco World Heritage site, will undergo £29 million of work to increase energy efficiency and redecorate the interior of the building.
The work will affect both the clock's mechanism and the tower itself. "During this period there will be no chimes," a spokesperson for the House of Commons said. The repairs are scheduled to take three years, during which the bell will be silenced for several months.
"We are also investigating whether or not the chiming will have an effect on operatives working at high level, which will need to be taken into consideration. Striking and tolling will be maintained for important events."
The last "extensive" conservation works were carried out between 1983 and 1985 . The tower – often incorrectly referred to as Big Ben, which is the name of the largest bell – was completed in 1856 and began timekeeping on May 31, 1859.
Steve Jaggs, the Keeper of the Clock, said that staff members complete maintenance on the clock each day but the works will give it "the TLC it so desperately needs and deserves".</i>
Apr 27th, 2016, 01:14 AM
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The article I read said the clock would not be silenced the entire time the work was going on.
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-...ments-36140279
<i> But those bongs may be silenced at certain points in the next three years, as essential works to conserve the Elizabeth Tower, the Great Clock and the Great Bell - also known as Big Ben - begin in early 2017. </i>
There are other newspaper articles that say the same thing. Some said it would be silent probably for a few months, and then at other times as needed.
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-...ments-36140279
<i> But those bongs may be silenced at certain points in the next three years, as essential works to conserve the Elizabeth Tower, the Great Clock and the Great Bell - also known as Big Ben - begin in early 2017. </i>
There are other newspaper articles that say the same thing. Some said it would be silent probably for a few months, and then at other times as needed.
Apr 27th, 2016, 02:09 AM
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The article I posted states: <i>The repairs are scheduled to take three years, during which the bell will be silenced for several months.</i>
How long is "several months"? My guess is somewhere between two and twenty. Point is, if you're coming to London to hear Big Ben then you should leave yourself open to the possibility that the bell won't be clanging.
How long is "several months"? My guess is somewhere between two and twenty. Point is, if you're coming to London to hear Big Ben then you should leave yourself open to the possibility that the bell won't be clanging.
Apr 27th, 2016, 02:57 AM
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Even if it is repaired early on in the scheme of things it may still be silenced to protect the workers.
There is as yet no detailed scheme of work available to the public asaik. You are probably OK in January though, as no doubt there has to be a lot of preparatory work carried out before they begin the actual restoration.
Once it is completed there will be a lift for those unable to climb the stairs, and toilet facilities for visitors too.
There is as yet no detailed scheme of work available to the public asaik. You are probably OK in January though, as no doubt there has to be a lot of preparatory work carried out before they begin the actual restoration.
Once it is completed there will be a lift for those unable to climb the stairs, and toilet facilities for visitors too.
Apr 27th, 2016, 03:27 AM
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I saw another article that quoted someone who estimated two or three months, plus, as Hetismij says, occasional silencing to protect workers from the sound and vibration; the latter apparently can be harmful even if you have ear protection.
