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Big Ben, standing high over London, is one of the capitals best known landmarks. Its official name is 'The Great Bell of Westminster', however many calling the clock tower Big Ben may be surprised to learn the tower is actually call 'St. Stephens Tower'. It is indeed the bell that is called Big Ben which was cast on the 10th of April 1858 and weighs in at a staggering 13.8 tonnes although this is dwarfed by the bell in nearby St. Paul’s Cathedral which clocks up nearly 2 tonnes heavier.

There is no solid evidence of why the bell was named so although there are many theories. Nearby in the houses of parliament in London, a sitting was arranged to decide the naming of the great bell. Various names where suggested with many reasons but non as detailed as that from Sir Benjamin Hall who was thought to have gone great detail on the subject. He was known to be a clumsy and a bit of the large side and was known to house as 'Big Ben'. After his speech a restless man called from the chambers "Why not call him Big Ben and have done with it?" which was greeted with much laughter but at last the bell had been named so.

Its chime should ringing around the City of London should be that of E natural however in the mid nineteenth century a crack developed in the bell caused by the heavy hammer which struck it which changed is pitch. They rotated the bell slightly and replaced the heavy hammer with a lighter one. Big Ben also houses four other bells which chime of the quarterly mark every fifteen minutes. On each side of the tower are the dials that are twenty three feet tall with the minute hands stretching 14 feet long.

The tower also houses a prison cell where member of Parliament can be taken for the breach of parliamentary privilege. Here they would hear the full force of the bell however unfortunately no one has been imprisoned there for a long time but we live in hope.