In London, besides the red double decker bus, the parliament building, Buckingham Palace, tower bridge and pigeons in Trafalgar Square, the most famous landmark in London is "Big Ben". When it comes to this name, you can see the whole clock tower in your mind, but in fact "Big Ben" only refers to the clock placed on the outside. English people listen to it every day and feel familiar with it.
Here is a postcard of London. Click here to edit this postcard design.
Why is it called Big Ben?
No one can tell why this huge 13.7-ton bell is called Big Ben. There are two versions.
The first is the nickname of Sir Benjamin Hall, Britain's first minister in charge of employment.
The second is that it follows the name of Ben Caunt - the heavyweight boxing champion of the 1850s.
No matter what the origin, Big Ben cracked when it was installed, so that it didn't ring once in four years! It was not until later that it was turned 90 degrees and equipped with a lighter hammer that Big Ben could ring on the unbroken part.
Big Ben travel
Traveling to
The London Tower Clock