5 Things You May Not Know About Big Ben

Of all of the landmarks of London, few are better known than the clock tower known around the world as Big Ben. It's a sight to be seen on postcards, t shirts, and fridge magnets. But here are five things you may not know about this iconic clock.

Let's get it out of the way… Big Ben isn't the name of the tower, or the clock, it's the name of one of the bells! In fact, until 2012, the tower had no official name at all. Since then, it's been officially named The Elizabeth Tower, in honour of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

The clock, along with the rest of the new Palace of Westminster, was designed in 1834 by Charles Barry, but the clock tower was designed by his young assistant, Augustus Pugin. Sadly, neither of the architects would live to see their creation finished.

Big Ben is now lit at night time, but this wasn't always the case. To save money, it used to be lit only when parliament was in session. The lights also went out between 1939 and 1945, to stop German bombers from using the tower as a target.

The restoration work required the replacement of all 312 pieces of glass in each clock dial, the re-carving of numerous stone details, and metres of gold leaf. In total, the repairs cost around £80,000,000! But they should keep things ticking over for another 150 years.