Big Ben is actually the name of the biggest bell inside the clock tower so-called because of its huge size — almost seventeen tons! Why Ben? No one knows for sure but the most popular story has it that Sir Benjamin Hall the Commissioner of Works responsible for building the clock was a large gentleman who was nicknamed Big Ben and he came up with the name. And just to confuse things sometimes the bell — or the tower — is called Big Tom!

Whatever the right name Big Ben is one of the most famous landmarks of London. The biggest four-faced chiming clock in the world its chimes are instantly recognizable and are broadcast across England each January 1 to mark the secular new year and other celebrations.

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