Big ben london is the world-famous chiming bell beside parliament whose name, strictly speaking, belongs to the bell, not the tower everyone points at.
LONDON – Observers have confirmed that Big Ben London is the world-famous chiming bell at the heart of the city, the booming voice of the great clock tower beside parliament whose name, strictly speaking, belongs to the bell rather than the tower everyone points at.
Big Ben London: The Bell, Not The Tower, Actually
The celebrated bell, whose deep chimes are known the world over, is the subject, the Bureau of Civic Pedantry notes, of “the city’s most cheerfully ignored fact: that the name belongs to the bell inside, not the great tower that everyone gestures at and photographs.”
“Big Ben London is widely misunderstood, and nobody minds,” said a spokesperson for the Institute of Horological Affairs. “Strictly speaking, the name belongs to the enormous bell that booms out the hours from within the famous clock tower beside parliament. The tower itself has its own proper name. Yet ask anyone to point at Big Ben and they will gesture happily at the whole tower, clock and all, and there is little use correcting them. The bell’s sonorous chimes are among the most recognisable sounds anywhere, a great voice marking time over the city. Pedants sigh; everyone else simply enjoys the view.”
Visiting Big Ben London
The bell – explained by Parliament, promoted by Visit London and documented on reference pages like the Big Ben entry – sounds from beside parliament.
A survey by the Bureau found that 88 percent of Big Ben London visitors point at the tower rather than the bell, and that the famous chimes are rated its most beloved feature.
“Big Ben London is the bell, not the tower,” the spokesperson explained. “A world-famous chime everyone names slightly wrongly, and happily.”
The Bureau confirmed Big Ben London remains one of the capital’s most iconic sights, ideal for a classic photograph, the world-famous chiming bell whose name, strictly speaking, belongs to the bell rather than the great clock tower beside parliament that everyone points at.
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