TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Newly face-lifted Big Ben will ring in London New Year
Change Size
Workers stand on the scaffolding in front of the newly revealed restored north dial of the clock on Elizabeth Tower, commonly known by the name of the bell Big Ben, at the Palace of Westminster, home to the Houses of Parliament, in London on March 21, 2019. (AFP/Tolga Akmen)
B
ritain's Big Ben bell in parliament's landmark clock tower will ring at midnight on New Year's Eve, marking the start of a year for the first time since its new face was revealed from under scaffolding halfway through restoration work.
The work has seen the 96-meter-tall Elizabeth Tower, one of the most photographed buildings in Britain, enveloped in scaffolding for the last two years as the four clock dials are reglazed, ironwork repainted and intricately carved stonework cleaned and repaired.
In March, part of the scaffolding was removed, showing that the clock's once black numerals and hands have been repainted blue, in line with what scientists say was its original color.
Read also: UK parliament's 'Big Ben' bell marks 160 years with silence as restoration work continues
Since restoration work began in 2017, Big Ben has been largely silenced, sounding only for important events. It last tolled on Remembrance Day on Nov. 11.
The bell will be tested several times in the run-up to New Year's Eve, parliament said in a statement.
The 4-billion-pound ($5.2 billion) restoration work is due to be completed in 2021.
