Big Ben to Ring Out Again Soon as Its Restoration is Almost Complete, Report Says

Elizabeth Tower, the famous clock tower at London's Palace of Westminster, constructed in 1859, had to undergo a lengthy maintenance process, since the last repairs were carried out almost 40 years ago. It has stood silent for almost five years - apart from several special occasions.

A five-year-long repair of the clock tower in Westminster is coming to its end, according to Sky News, and the clock will soon be restored "to its original Victorian glory". Big Ben is the nickname of the Great Bell inside the tower.

The iconic Elizabeth Tower has been covered in scaffolding since 2017, as it was undergoing an £80 million restoration procedure. Specialists mended cracks in the masonry, replacing at least 700 pieces of stone. At the same time, the clock dials returned to their original colour - Prussian blue, while the gas light behind the clock face gave place to energy efficient LEDs.

Workers also redecorated the insides of the tower and installed a lift and a toilet.

"It is a precious part of the UK's heritage and maybe even the world's heritage," Matthew Hamlyn, chair of the Elizabeth Tower Project Board, said. "For the century-and-a-half or more it has been chiming, it has been a symbol of stability. And I think it has become a symbol of the UK's parliamentary democracy. We owed it to our Victorian forbears who created this amazing place to bring it back to the best condition and make it fit for the 21st Century."

The famous Elizabeth Tower in the UK Houses of Parliament, which contains the Great Bell, known as Big Ben.

© Sputnik

"We've taken every single nut and bolt apart, taken everything apart from the big frame out of the tower, and looked at every part, serviced it, painted it, repaired it", said clock mechanic Ian Westworth stated. "And now we are in the process of bringing every part back and slowly reassembling the clock."

The last big repairs to the tower were conducted between 1983 and 1985. The clock needs a lot of attention, since the tower was damaged during World War II. It is also suffering from London weather and pollution, so the effects of erosion and rusting must be repaired regularly.