As this work takes place, from noon on Monday 21 August the bell’s hourly chimes will be paused until 2021. The Great Bell, popularly called Big Ben, weighs 13.7 tonnes and strikes every hour, to the note of E natural. Clockwatchers ticked off as Big Ben's chimes run six seconds fast Read moreBig Ben has marked the hour with almost unbroken service for 157 years, with the chimes last falling silent for maintenance in 2007. However, parliament’s clock makers will ensure Big Ben can still chime for events such as New Year’s Eve and Remembrance Sunday. At 96 metres tall, the Elizabeth Tower is a focal point of the Grade I-listed Palace of Westminster, which forms a part of a Unesco World Heritage site.

Source: The Guardian August 14, 2017 08:24 UTC