England is the cradle of the English culture, motherland of William Shakespeare and a fount of architectural masterpieces. Each and every year thousands of tourists come to England and its capital in particular to delight its majesty and be imbued with its architectural harmony and superiority. Nevertheless, the very masterpiece which attracts tourists from all over the world annually is Big Ben.
This ‘giant has been reigning’ in London since 7 September 1859. Though, many people refer to the entire tower as the Big Ben Clock Tower, actually, the name Big Ban refers only to the bell within it. The massive bell weighs almost 14 tons and adopted its name from the man who first ordered the bell, Sir Benjamin Hall. The tower itself is the last work of Augustus Pugin in his Gothic Revival style reaching 315.9 ft high. Big Ban has six shields above each of the four clock faces, numbering to twenty-four in total, which are depicting the arms of St George, representing the Flag of England, London as its capital and St. George, as its Patron Saint. Under each clock face of Big Ben there is a Latin inscription meaning, "Lord save our Queen Victoria I." One of the main advantages of the clock is its reliability. Due to supreme engineering of the clock, the actual mechanisms are protected from changes in climate and harsh weather. Even during the WWII, the clock did not stop, but continued to track the time with its overwhelming majesty.
Big Ben is an indispensible part of the UK, let alone London itself. Not only is it a symbol of the city, but also a rallying point for the New Year’s celebration of the entire country, as the Big Ben Clock is used to announce the start of the New Year. Moreover, the bells were also chiming on Remembrance Day to honour the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month—the end of World War I.
For me personally Big Ben is an outstanding example of innate talent of the mankind. Enjoying such masterpieces as Big Ben, time stops for me, as I realize that whatever happens, wars, fights or other misfortunes, such things will always remind people about the beautiful. That’s the very purpose why creators do create their works – they want to bring people beauty of the world and open ordinary people their world of majesty and charm. Big Ben has proved to stand the test of time and remain an outstanding element of the country.
