Big Ben is really the bell inside the tower and although the tower was once "St. Stephen's" Tower it was re-named "Elizabeth Tower" in 2012 in honor of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. (That means 60 years for Queen Elizabeth on the throne.) So...let's just get all that out of the way first so I can tell you...it was revealed recently that the hands of the clock will be blue!
They are restoring it to the original color which is Prussian blue.
Apparently, it was painted black in the 1930's.
So, it's about TIME they got it back to the original, don't you think? Ha, ha- I crack myself up.
(There are four clock faces on the tower, so you are seeing just one of them.)
I first saw the Houses of Parliament and that wonderful clock face in May of 1981...it was dark brown and dirty but even then, it took my breath away! It has had extensive restoration since then, and I very much enjoyed the lovely golden color of the buildings whenever I visited London. Covered in scaffolding again, we will have to wait until 2021 to see it in its full glory and to hear the gorgeous deep tones of Big Ben.
At night, when you only see the two clock faces, they can look very much like a face of an owl. Lovely at all TIMES, day and night!
Very punny, Kay.
ReplyDeleteSomeone has to make people laugh, Graham! (Or try anyway.)
DeleteI strongly feel that historical buildings and artifacts need to be maintained in original form. It is our heritage.
ReplyDeleteI think so too, as long as the original is pleasing to the eye! (I have such a thing for color.)
DeleteThat will certainly be a sight when it's done, i can hardly wait (even if i will probably only see it in pictures).
ReplyDeleteEven if I only see it in photos, I will still be pleased about it! :-)
DeleteWell, one of these days, we shall have to go back to London and have a look.
ReplyDeleteWell, wait until they get if finished then, that will be in 2021. xx
DeleteHi Kay - I hadn't realised the hands were going back to Prussian Blue - a wonderful rich colour ... well now I'll pay more attention. It's an iconic building - it'll be wonderful to have daylight at 7.00 pm onwards from Sunday ... love it! Cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteGlad I was able to tell YOU this in England! HA!
DeleteThose lovely long days in England, nothing like it!
It's been 12 years since my last visit to London, as I am always up in Yorkshire when I am in England. Ripon Cathedral has the Westminster chime on the full hour, so it is a bit like a mini-version of the real thing.
ReplyDeleteYou know I bet that I could find that on YouTube, I am wondering how close the sound of it is to the tone of the Westminster Chime. I wish I had a doorbell like it! :-)
DeleteJust a shame the people who work underneath the clock and inept.
ReplyDeleteNo comment on anything political. It is too depressing to think about.
DeleteYes, I heard about the new/old Prussian Blue paint job on the news. Who knew?
ReplyDeleteThe first time I saw Big Ben was 10 years ago in 2009. We came up to ground level from the Westminster tube station, walked outside, and there it was in all its huge glory! Breathtaking! I was surprised because I didn't know it was right across the street!
I saw it from a distance as I was walking from the National Gallery, so excited to see it for the very first time!
DeleteThe blue should be pretty, I hope to see it!
It's good to hear that they are restoring it and keeping with the original hands too. It is a treasure to be taken care of for sure. At a distance I wonder though if you can even tell what color the hands are. I've never seen it in person at all, but thanks to you know more about than I did.
ReplyDeleteLove and hugs,
'ma'
Oh yes, they would riot I bet if they tried to change those gorgeous clock hands! :-) Monet must have loved it as much as I did, he painted the Houses of Parliament several times, it looks so different at different times of day, you see, the lighting on it...the buildings are truly spectacular. xx
DeleteBeautiful.
ReplyDeleteI think so too! Aloha!
DeleteI guess the saying: "What's old is new again" could fit here! I may never get to visit England so I'll enjoy your stories and pics!
ReplyDeleteThanks! It might sound like I am on the go all the time but I don't get to travel that often. Still, I am very thankful for my trips to England and I always like to keep informed from the BBC!
DeleteI love all the things I learn from you!!! Wouldn't it just be so great to be there when it first rings again?!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Nan! Most people wouldn't care beans about the color of the clock hands but we are NOT most people, are we? :-) I would love to be there when the bell rings again, but if not, I will hear about it on the BBC!!
DeleteThat was fun to hear all those British accents discussing Big Ben! Thanks for sharing. I did not know any of that before. The Prussian Blue looks quite nice. It's certainly an expensive renovation! Simon's Cat popped up right as that video ended. Another lovely British product. ;)
ReplyDeleteYes! Simon's cat is from across the pond! I have a friend who has a grandson who loves Peppa Pig! That is also British, and I have read that children in the USA are using some of the British expressions from it and their parents are puzzled as what they are talking about!
DeleteIt's an impressive clock tower and London is transforming year by year around it. Very exciting skyline now. Check out www.businessinsider.com.20 skyscrapers that will transform London by 2020. Always something new to see in London each visit.
ReplyDeleteThere is always something new in London! I looked at that link you have me, and the Can of Ham building is memorable just because that is what it looks like! And what about the swimming pool between the two buildings? Hate to sound like a fussy old hen but that sounds like a lightning magnet. London! It still is a mixture of the old and the new and I love to see it as often as I can.
DeleteIf you don't mind heights Kay there's a few of the tallest buildings in London with free public viewing galleries... The Walkie Talkie sky garden being one on the top floor- just book a few days in advance to see it. Gardens in the sky being the latest fashion trend in modern architecture. Good to know where they are in case you visit again.
ReplyDeleteI am not a fan of heights. My son loves the views from those tall buildings in London, he did the Sky Garden at the Walkie Talkie building and he also did the Shard...he loved the Sky Garden, but he did not enjoy the Shard. (He said there wasn't that much room at the top of the Shard and it was incredibly busy so...but he LOVED the Sky Garden, you should see his face in those photos with the views in the background! I will leave those tall buildings to others. Me, I only went up on the London Eye once, and that is plenty high enough for me, but I enjoyed it very much. When I visit London again, I will stay closer to the ground and look UP at those tall buildings! :-)
DeleteWe are working class people, so we try to look for the free things to do in London! As you know, my son had to pay for that visit to the Shard, and he was disappointed.
2021? I don't even want to think about how old I will be then ~ LOL Big Ben was wonderful to see and hear ~ and I saw it in 2014 as well. Prussian Blue was one of the colors in my father's paint box. Thanks for reminding me!
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